As a geographical entity distinct from the mainland, the Isle of Wight has always fought to have this identity recognised. As of 2005 the Isle of Wight is the only unitary district of England with county status, and the highest populated Westminster constituency in the country.

Political History

Historic Boroughs of the Island

The island's most ancient borough was Newtown on the large natural harbour on the island's north-western coast. A French raid in 1377, that destroyed much of the town as well as other Island settlements, sealed its permanent decline. By the middle of the sixteenth century it was a small settlement long eclipsed by the more easily defended town of Newport. Elizabeth I breathed some life into the town by awarding two parliamentary seats but this ultimately made it one of the most notorious of the Rotten Boroughs. By the time of the Great Reform Act that abolished the seats, it had just fourteen houses and twenty-three voters. The Act also disenfranchised the boroughs of Newport and Yarmouth and replaced the six lost seats with the first MP for the whole Isle of Wight.

Local Governance

Often thought of as part of Hampshire, the Isle of Wight was briefly included in that county when the first county councils were created in 1888. However, a "Home Rule" campaign led to a separate county council being established for the Isle of Wight in 1890, and it has remained separate ever since. Like inhabitants of many islands, Islanders are fiercely jealous of their real (or perceived) independence, and confusion over the Island's separate status is a perennial source of friction.

It was planned to merge the county back into Hampshire as a district in the 1974 local government reform, but a last minute change led to it retaining its county council. However, since there was no provision made in the Local Government Act 1972 for unitary authorities, the Island had to retain a two-tier structure, with a county council and two boroughs, Medina and South Wight.

The borough councils were merged with the county council on April 1, 1995, to form a single unitary authority, the Isle of Wight Council. The only significant present-day administrative link with Hampshire is the police service, which is joint between Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

Westminster Representation

As a constituency of the House of Commons, the island is traditionally a battleground between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. Between 1974 and 1987 the seat was a Liberal seat, then becoming Conservative until 1997 when the Liberal Democrats slipped in on a reduced Conservative vote. The seat reverted to the Conservatives in 2001

2005 General Election

Five candidates will consest the Isle of Wight constituency in the United Kingdom general election, 2005:

With approximately equal numbers of core voters, the next election on the island is set to be a close race between the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives. Third party candidates, notably Labour and the UKIP (who polled especially well in the constituency during the 2004 European election [see below]) will be an important factor, with whomever loses fewest votes to these two parties likely to take the day.

2001 General Election

In the United Kingdom general election, 2001, the incumbent MP, Dr Peter Brand, a Liberal Democrat was ousted by Andrew Turner of the Conservatives, one of the few constituencies to change hands. The Isle of Wight was also the last constituency in England to declare its results.

Results:

These results indicate a 6.6% swing from Liberal Democrat to Conservative relative to the 1997 election. However there was only a small increase in the number of Conservative votes, while the Liberal vote fell significantly. The Labour vote remained largely static.

Among the minor parties the UK Independence gained votes, although not able to equal the results achieved by the similarly eurosceptic Referendum party in 1997. This was possibly due to strategic voting by the generally right-wing supporters of the eurosceptic policies to ensure a Conservative victory. The Green Party also managed to almost triple its share of the vote.

Voting Summary:

In common with much of the country the turnout in 2001 was down on 1997, with the number voting comparable to the national average (59%).

1997 General Election

In the United Kingdom general election, 1997, the incumbent MP, Barry Field of the Conservatives, was ousted by Dr. Peter Brand, a Liberal Democrat, reflecting the massive nationwide losses for the Conservatives. The last time the Liberal Democrats held the seat was prior to the UK general election, 1987

Results:

Voting Summary:

Local Government

As of 2005, the ruling group of the Isle of Wight Council is a partnership called 'Island First' composed of Liberal Democrats and independents. The next elections are scheduled for 2005-05-05 .

A local referendum on the issue of a directly elected mayor of an Isle of Wight Mayor will be held at the same time as the local elections. For more information on this process, and the role a mayor might hold, see the article Mayors in the United Kingdom#Directly-elected mayors.

2001 local council elections

The local council elections were held on 2001-06-07 , the same date as the general election. Issues with the paper used in ballots meant that results were delayed until a couple of days after the election.

Historical Results

Please Note: Prior to 1995, these results are for Isle of Wight County Council .

European Parliamentary Representation

The Isle of Wight is a part of the South East England region for the purposes of European Parliamentary Elections .

2004 European Parliamentary Elections

The results of the European Parliament election, 2004 on the Isle of Wight were as follows.

Please note: the following results are exclusively for the Isle of Wight; results are collated regionally prior to MEPs being assigned under the closed list proportional representation system.

Regionally, turnout was 36.5% on an electorate of 6,087,103.

Local Political Issues

The Fixed Link

For many years there has been debate over whether or not a bridge or tunnel should connect the island with mainland England. This has been particularly an issue since the closing decades of the twentieth century onwards, when it became more economically and technically feasible to undertake such an operation. The continuing debate centres on whether or not such a link is a desirable thing.

The Isle of Wight Party campaigned from a positive position, although extensive public debate on the subject revealed a strong body of opinion against such a proposal. In 2002 the Isle of Wight Council debated the issue and made a policy statement against the proposal.

Arguments in favour of a fixed link tend to concentrate upon the economic benefits that improved communications with the mainland may bring. There is support particularly among young people, which tends to be a form of rebellion against the inevitably parochial culture of the island.

Arguments against a fixed link include the risk to the unique island culture and environment; the risk of losing local distinctiveness, services and facilities to the much larger and economically active south Hampshire conurbation; and issues of immigration.

Autonomy and political recognition

A number of discussions about the status of the island have taken place over many years, with standpoints from the extreme of wanting full sovereignty for the Isle of Wight, to perhaps the opposite extreme of merging with Hampshire. The pro-independence lobby had a formal voice in the early 1970s with the Vectis National Party. Their main claim was that the sale of the island to the crown in 1293 was unconstitutional (see History of the Isle of Wight below). However, this movement now has little serious support. Since the 1990s the debate has largely taken the form of a campaign to have the Isle of Wight recognized as a distinct region by organizations such as the EU, due to its relative poverty within the south-east of England. One argument in favour of special treatment is that this poverty is not acknowledged by such organizations as it is distorted statistically by retired and wealthy (but less economically active) immigrants from the mainland.

References

• European Parliamentary Election Results (N.B. UKIP POV Website)
• Westminster Election Results - Courtesy of Isle of Wight Council.
• Local Election Results From BBC.co.uk

See also

• Politics of the United Kingdom
• Isle of Wight
• History of the Isle of Wight