Member state United Kingdom Dissolved 1999 | Created 1979 MEPs 1 | |
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Prior to its uniform adoption of proportional representation in 1999, the United Kingdom used first-past-the-post for the European elections in England, Scotland and Wales. The European Parliament constituencies used under that system were smaller than the later regional constituencies and only had one Member of the European Parliament each.
The constituency of Strathclyde West was one of them.
When it was created in Scotland in 1979, it consisted of the Westminster Parliament constituencies of Bute and North Ayrshire, Dunbartonshire Central, Dunbartonshire East, Dunbartonshire West, Greenock and Port Glasgow, Paisley, Renfrewshire East, and Renfrewshire West, although this may not have been true for the whole of its existence.
The seat was basically traditional Labour territory, but because of the Conservative landslide at the first European election in 1979 Adam Fergusson narrowly defeated the Labour candidate Valerie Friel. Labour won it at all subsequent elections.