BBC NEWS | VOTE 2003

DESCRIPTION: Ceredigion

Liberal dominance of this seat - formerly Cardiganshire - has been usurped in recent years by Plaid Cymru. The Liberals had held the parliamentary seat since 1885 until 1966, when Labour narrowly won it, holding on until February 1974 when it was regained for the Liberals by Geraint Howells. Throughout the 1980s the Conservatives posed the most serious challenge, consistently coming second and polling nearly 30% of the vote. The change began in 1992 when Cynog Dafis became the first MP to be elected on a joint ticket with the Greens. Ceredigion provided the largest swing in any constituency in the UK: more than 13%. The first assembly election saw Plaid's Elin Jones become the area's AM. Mr Dafis also went to Cardiff Bay as an AM under the regional list system. His subsequent resignation from Parliament saw Plaid's Simon Thomas replace him at a by-election in early 2000. Plaid's surge here is particularly notable, given that they tended to come fourth throughout the 1980s. The Liberal Democrats can also do well here. They came second in the 2001 general election, but slid to fourth in the assembly election in 1999.

Ceredigion is home to the university towns of Aberystwyth and Lampeter and their 8,500 students. Two other major contributors to the economy are agriculture and tourism. Another important important factor here is the Welsh language, with nearly 60% of the population speaking it. Aberystwyth claims, only slightly tongue in cheek, to be the real capital of Wales.

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