The 1992 Westminster Election

'Before the Union, my predecessor, Andrew Fletcher, warned about the shortcomings of what he described as an 'incorporating Union'. We have that incorporating Union, and it has not worked. We do not have accountable government in Scotland.' John Home Robertson, Hansard, 6 th May 1998.

The 1992 Westminster Election

Constituencies Changing Hands

Just four seats changed hands at the 1992 general election and only one with respect to the 1987 result - Aberdeen South, which Labour had won in 1987, reverted back to the Conservatives. In addition, the Tories won back Kincardine & Deeside which had been lost to the Lib Dems in the 1991 by-election. Labour won back Glasgow Govan which Jim Sillars had won for the SNP in the 1988 by-election and Dunfermline West where Dick Douglas had resigned the Labour whip and joined the SNP over Labour's refusal to oppose the imposition of the Poll Tax in Scotland one year before England.

Constituency	Winner	Loser
Aberdeen South
Dunfermline West
Glasgow Govan
Kincardine & Deeside

Retiring MPs

Four of Scotland's 72 MPs - 3 Labour, and one Conservative - did not stand for re-election at the General Election on 1 st May 1997. At least two, Sir George Younger and Harry Ewing, entered the House of Lords.

MP	Constituency	Party	Replacement
Alex Eadie	Midlothian 1966 - 1992		Eric Clarke
Harry Ewing (now Lord Ewing of Kirkford)	Stirling, Falkirk & Grangemouth September 1970 (by-election) - 1983 Falkirk West 1983 - 1997		Michael Connarty
David Lambie	Ayrshire Central 1970 - 1983 Cunninghame South 1983 - 1992		Brian Donahoe
Sir George Younger (later Lord Younger of Prestwick, later 4 th Viscount Leckie)	Ayr 1964 - 1992		Phil Gallie

Defeated MPs

68 of Scotland's 72 MPs stood for re-election in 1997. Of these, 63 were elected and 5 (two SNP, one Lib Dem, one Labour, and one deselected Labour MP) were defeated. Of these, Frank Doran was elected to the new Aberdeen Central seat in 1997 while Nicol Stephen was elected to the Scottish Parliament in May 1999.

MP	Constituency	Party	Defeated by	Party
Ron Brown (deselected by Labour)	Edinburgh Leith 1979 - 1992		Malcolm Chisholm
Frank Doran	Aberdeen South 1987 - 1992		Raymond Robertson
Dick Douglas	Labour MP for Clackmannan & East Stirlingshire 1970 - February 1974 Labour MP for Dunfermline 1979 - 1983 Labour MP for Dunfermline West 1983 - 1990 Independent MP for Dunfermline West 1990 SNP MP for Dunfermline West 1990 - 1992		Stood against Donald Dewar in Glasgow Garscadden. Rachel Squire won Dunfermline West for Labour
Jim Sillars	Labour MP for South Ayrshire March 1970 (by-election) - September 1975 Scottish Labour MP for South Ayrshire September 1975 - 1979 SNP MP for Glasgow Govan November 1988 - 1992		Ian Davidson
Nicol Stephen	Kincardine & Deeside November 1991 (by-election) - 1992		George Kynock

Scotland's New MPs

At the 1992 general election, Scotland got 9 new MPs - 6 Labour and 3 Conservatives.

MP	Constituency	Party	Means of Election
Malcolm Chisholm	Edinburgh Leith		Succeeded and defeated Ron Brown MP who was deselected an stood as an independent
Eric Clarke	Midlothian		Succeeded Alex Eadie MP
Michael Connarty	Falkirk West		Succeeded Harry Ewing MP
Ian Davidson	Glasgow Govan		Defeated Jim Sillars MP (Scottish National Party)
Brian Donahoe	Cunninghame South		Succeeded David Lambie MP
Phil Gallie	Ayr		Succeeded Sir George Younger MP
George Kynock	Kincardine & Deeside		Defeated Nicol Stephen MP (Lib Dem)
Raymond Robertson	Aberdeen South		Defeated Frank Doran MP (Labour)
Rachel Squire	Dunfermline West		Dick Douglas resigned from Labor to become and Independent, then joined the SNP. In 1992 he stood against Donald Dewar in Glasgow Garscadden