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Ron Johnston, Charles Pattie, David Rossiter, The Election Results in the UK Regions, Parliamentary Affairs, Volume 58, Issue 4, October 2005, Pages 786–801, https://doi.org/10.1093/pa/gsi061
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Extract
REGIONAL variations are frequently highlighted in discussions of voting at UK general elections and in the consequent patterns of Parliamentary representation. With regard to voting patterns, the implication is of inter-regional differences in the propensity of voters to support the various political parties because of differences in local ‘political culture’—as exemplified by relatively high levels of support for the Liberal Democrats in Devon and Cornwall which cannot apparently be ‘accounted for’ by the characteristics and experiences of people who live there. It is thus assumed that such regional divergences from a hypothetical national pattern reflect spatial differences in the political parties’ ability to mobilise support across the country. This is not surprising in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the first two of which have nationalist parties contesting with the three parties that field candidates in all British constituencies (Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat) whereas Northern Ireland has a totally separate party system reflecting its distinct ‘political culture’. Within England, however, there is little evidence of separate and distinct regional political cultures, save in a few areas such as the Southwest.
