History
The constituency was established for the February 1974 general election, largely replacing the previous Epsom constituency. Epsom had been held by the Conservatives since its creation in 1885.
In Westminster elections, Epsom & Ewell is one of the strongest Conservative areas in the country. However locally the borough council is controlled by the Epsom and Ewell Residents Association, with the Conservatives lacking a firm base here and until recently rarely contested elections. There are also a number of Residents Association councillors in the Reigate & Banstead wards in the constituency, although in the Mole Valley wards the Conservatives have a stronger base and several elected councillors.
In 1987, Barbara Follett, later Member of Parliament for Stevenage, stood for Labour in the constituency.
The seat is not expected to change hands in normal circumstances, unless there is an apocalyptic election for the Conservatives.
Read more about this topic: Epsom And Ewell (UK Parliament Constituency)
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“The principle that human nature, in its psychological aspects, is nothing more than a product of history and given social relations removes all barriers to coercion and manipulation by the powerful.”
—Noam Chomsky (b. 1928)
“Regarding History as the slaughter-bench at which the happiness of peoples, the wisdom of States, and the virtue of individuals have been victimized—the question involuntarily arises—to what principle, to what final aim these enormous sacrifices have been offered.”
—Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770–1831)
“We don’t know when our name came into being or how some distant ancestor acquired it. We don’t understand our name at all, we don’t know its history and yet we bear it with exalted fidelity, we merge with it, we like it, we are ridiculously proud of it as if we had thought it up ourselves in a moment of brilliant inspiration.”
—Milan Kundera (b. 1929)