Dumbarton
Labour hold

This is a varied seat in industrial west Scotland. Helensburgh at the conjunction of the mouth of the Clyde and Gare Loch is a desirable commuting base for Glasgow but its influence is subsumed by the working class Dumbarton itself and even more by the Vale of Leven, with its communities of Alexandria, Bonhill, Jamestwon, and Renton, which have such a left wing history that they were onece known as "Little Moscows". The Conservatives slipped to third behind the SNP and the Labour victors in the 1997 General Election, and this order was confirmed in the 1999 Scottish parliament contest.

John McFall elected here in 1987, is one of Blair's discarded ministers, following a stint at the Northern Ireland Office and before that a government Whip. His political career launched as a unilateralist campaigner against the local Faslane Trident base, he was born 1944, educated at St Patrick's High School, Dumbarton, Paisley College and Strathclyde University, and spent 13 years teaching chemistry. A Gulf War rebel in 1991, by the mid 1990s he was confining himself to the more anodyne radicalism of fox hunting bans.

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   Thriving Wealthy Achievers, Suburban Areas 10.81% 14.99% 72.11 Affluent Greys, Rural Communities 0.67% 2.13% 31.65 Prosperous Pensioners, Retirement Areas 1.79% 2.49% 72.08 Expanding Affluent Executives, Family Areas 10.30% 4.43% 232.87 Well-Off Workers, Family Areas 10.41% 7.27% 143.09 Rising Affluent Urbanites, Town & City Areas 6.96% 2.56% 271.30 Prosperous Professionals, Metropolitan Areas 0.64% 2.04% 31.25 Better-Off Executives, Inner City Areas 2.18% 3.94% 55.28 Settling Comfortable Middle Agers, Mature Home Owning Areas 4.47% 13.04% 34.32 Skilled Workers, Home Owning Areas 4.44% 12.70% 34.97 Aspiring New Home Owners, Mature Communities 4.45% 8.14% 54.67 White Collar Workers, Better-Off Multi Ethnic Areas 0.91% 4.02% 22.74 Striving Older People, Less Prosperous Areas 3.72% 3.19% 116.76 Council Estate Residents, Better-Off Homes 22.65% 11.31% 200.23 Council Estate Residents, High Unemployment 6.00% 3.06% 195.84 Council Estate Residents, Greatest Hardship 9.59% 2.52% 380.75 People in Multi-Ethnic, Low-Income Areas 0.00% 2.10% 0.00 Unclassified Unclassified 0.00% 0.06% 0.00

Area Percent GB Percent Index GB=100   £0-5K 9.59% 9.41% 101.89 £5-10K 16.27% 16.63% 97.81 £10-15K 16.36% 16.58% 98.65 £15-20K 13.66% 13.58% 100.56 £20-25K 10.64% 10.39% 102.37 £25-30K 8.06% 7.77% 103.67 £30-35K 6.04% 5.79% 104.35 £35-40K 4.52% 4.33% 104.43 £40-45K 3.40% 3.27% 103.98 £45-50K 2.56% 2.48% 103.11 £50-55K 1.94% 1.90% 101.91 £55-60K 1.48% 1.47% 100.44 £60-65K 1.14% 1.15% 98.80 £65-70K 0.88% 0.91% 97.03 £70-75K 0.68% 0.72% 95.18 £75-80K 0.54% 0.57% 93.28 £80-85K 0.42% 0.46% 91.36 £85-90K 0.34% 0.37% 89.45 £90-95K 0.27% 0.31% 87.56 £95-100K 0.21% 0.25% 85.71 £100K + 1.00% 1.34% 74.72