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A Potted History of Scottish Political Parties

Suffrage in Scotland

Until the advent of the 1884 Burgh Reform Act, few in Scotland were allowed to vote. Even after the 1884 Act only around 60% of the adult male population of Scotland was allowed to vote - primarily land and property owners. In Scotland and the UK, politics after this period was dominated by the Liberal Party. However, after the end of the First World War the 1918 Representation of the People Act finally gave women the vote (although only to property owners over the age of 30), and lowered the voting age for men to 21.

The Rise of the Left

After 1918, Scottish politics took a decidedly leftist, nationalist tone - the rise of the Red Clydesiders and the General Strike of 1926, the Independent Labour Party once chaired by Keir Hardie, the 1919 riots in Glasgow's George Square. The Labour Party finally formed a UK Government in 1924 under Ramsay MacDonald, a teacher and clerk born in Morayshire. Later the UK government shifted from Labour to a Conservative/Liberal alliance, but Labour's support in Scotland remained strong.

The Nationalist movement had its roots in the Scottish Home Rule Association of the 1880s, which had advocated a devolved Scottish government. A Home Rule bill was presented to parliament in 1913, but was interrupted by the First World War. Although the Nationalist movement grew during the 1920s they remained on the fringes of Scottish politics. The Scottish National Party was formed in 1934 following the merger of the National Party of Scotland and the Scottish Party. The SNP's first parliamentary success came in 1945, but election winner Dr Robert McIntyre refused to sit in Westminster and lost his seat three months later. The first SNP MSP to actually sit in parliament was Winnie Ewing, elected for Hamilton in 1967.

Stop the World: The Autobiography of Winnie Ewing

Conservative and Unionist Growth

During this post-war period, Scottish politics was split between Labour and the Unionist parties, with the Unionists achieving their first Scottish majority in 1955. But during the 1960s support for the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, as it was now called, began to decline; Labour began to dominate again after a large swing to the party in 1964. In 1969 the Representation of the People Act finally gave universal suffrage to adults - male and female - over the age of 18.

The Nationalists returned seven MPs in the first 1974 General Election, and three more in the second election that year - to date, their greatest ever vote. In Scotland Act of 1978 proposed a devolved Scottish assembly, but this Act failed following the controversial "40%" rule in the 1979 referendum. The SNP withdrew its support for the government, which led to collapse of the Callaghan government and the rise of the Tories - in England - under Margaret Thatcher.

SNP: The History of the Scottish National Party

Labour's Landslide and The Scotland Act 1998

In 1992 the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party (the 'Tories') lost all their Scottish seats at Westminster. Labour's landside general election victory in 1997 paved the way for a devolution referendum - 74% of the electorate voted in favour of a Scottish Parliament, and 60% voted that it should have tax-varying powers. The Scottish Parliament was formed following elections in 1999, but no political party had a clear majority under the mixed first-past-the-post and additional member system voting system. Labour and the Liberal Democrats joined to form a coalition government, with the SNP as the Official Opposition. The 2003 Scottish Parliament election made no overall change to the Scottish government. There was however a rise in the number of parties gaining seats at the fringes of the political spectrum, from The Scottish Socialist Party, to the Scottish Green Party and the Scottish Senior Citizens Unity Party.

The Scottish Political Parties

Scottish Labour

The Scottish National Party

SNP: The History of the Scottish National Party

The Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party

The Scottish Liberal Democrats

Jo Grimond
Charles Kennedy: A Tragic Flaw
Menzies Campbell: My Autobiography - Originally scheduled for 2006, this has now been delayed until 2009 (after the next General Election, perhaps?)

The Scottish Socialist Party and Solidarity

Imagine: A Socialist Vision for the 21st Century

Between Two Unions: Europeanisation And The Scottish Devolution Paolo Dardanelli
Using a comparative approach in order to explore Scottish devolution, this text also discusses to what extent European integration leads to the fragmentation of its constituent states.
Charles Kennedy: A Tragic Flaw Greg Hurst
Charles Kennedy has always prided himself on being 'a fully paid-up member of the human race', known for his down-to-earth image and his easy 'Chatshow Charlie' manner. Unfortunately, Kennedy has a fatal flaw - an addiction to alcohol. This is an inside account of the rise and fall of Charles Kennedy.
Donald Dewar: Scotland's First First Minister
Collectively, these spirited, passionate essays paint a vivid portrait of the life, career and politics of Donald Dewar. He was one of the most respected politicians to have served Scotland, and the first First Minister of the new Scottish Parliament.
Getting It Together: The History Of The Campaign For A Scottish Assembly/Parliament, 1980-1999 Bob McLean
This text presents an eyewitness account of the Campaign for a Scottish Assembly/Parliament's tireless efforts to bring an arena for Scottish politics back home to the nation.
Gordon Brown Tom Bower
Tom Bower tells the inside story of the complex and ambitious Chancellor of the Exchequer's time in power describing how Gordon Brown created a matrix of relationships across every Whitehall department and extended his influence to every aspect of government activity.
Imagine: A Socialist Vision For The 21st Century Tommy Sheridan; Alan McCombes
The authors have justifiably concluded that the free market is not a panacea for the world's most basic problems of hunger, poverty, homelessness and war. In Imagine they show how to challenge global capitalism and offer hope for the future.
An Important Matter Of Principle: The Decline Of The Scottish Conservative And Unionist Party David Seawright
Until this volume very little had been known about the reasons for the dramatic decline in Scottish Conservatism. The author reveals reasons that challenge accepted wisdom and orthodox interpretations of this startling phenomenon.
Jo Grimond: Towards The Sound Of Gunfire Michael McManus
In the late 1940s and 50s, the Liberal Party seemed doomed to irrelevance. Its few MPs held their seats as a result of pacts to which Churchill turned a blind eye. This is a biography of Jo Grimond, who turned the fortunes of the Liberal Party around.
John Smith: A Life Mark Stuart
When John Smith died in May 1994 a nation mourned for an immensely popular politician who would have gone on to become a great Labour Prime Minister. Here, Mark Stuart looks at Smith's private papers to present an authorised account of his life.
Labour Party Plc: Party Of Business David Osler
Tony Blair has transformed the relationship between Labour and the private sector to the point where Labour now claims to be the natural party of business. This text offers an examination of British politics in the 1990s and start of the 2000s.
Menzies Campbell: My Autobiography Menzies Campbell
Menzies Campbell became leader of the Liberal Democrats in February 2006. He's led a fascinating life - Olympic athlete, lawyer, politician - and fought a successful battle with cancer. Here, for the first time, he tells his extraordinary story in his own words.
Paying The Piper Brian Monteith
During Brian Monteith's eight years as a member of the Scottish Parliament, including periods as Convener of the Parliament's powerful Audit Committee and Conservative Finance spokesman, the Scottish Executive's ever-burgeoning kitty rose from £16 billion to £30 billion.
Power Without Principles: New Labour's Sickness And Other Essays Jimmy Reid
Jimmy Reid is a political maverick. From his early days in Glasgow's shipyards, through his rise to prominence as a union leader, he has established himself as an astute observer of politics and politicians.
Roots Of Red Clydeside 1910-1914?: Labour Unrest And Industrial Relations In West Scotland
William Kenefick's study places Red Clydeside in its historical context. He gives perspective to the role of the First World War as an incubator of heightened class consciousness and militancy in the region and analyses the watershed years of 1910-1914 and the extent to which they affected industrial relations of the time.
Scotland Decides: The Devolution Issue And The 1997 Referendum
Scotland First: Truth And Consequences Henry McLeish
'Scotland First' is a unique book about Scottish and UK politics written by a man who was at the heart of Britain's constitutional upheaval and the turbulent early years of the Scottish Parliament.
Scotland's Parliament: Triumph And Disaster Brian Taylor
For this companion volume to 'The Scottish Parliament', Brian Taylor has spoken - on and off the record - to the key players in Scotland's developing political drama. He tells the inside story of Scotland's Parliament - the horse-trading and the gossip - as well as offering dispassionate analysis.
SNP: The History Of The Scottish National Party Peter Lynch
This is a history of the Scottish National Party. At a time when the Scottish Parliament becomes a reality, this book takes a fresh look at the party behind constitutional change in Scotland.
Stop The World: The Autobiography Of Winnie Ewing Winnie Ewing
Instantly recognisable wherever she goes, Winnie Ewing is one of the most influential Scotswomen of her generation. In her frank, hard hitting but at times intimate autobiography, she tells not just her story but also the story of a fast moving era during which her country and her life changed completely.

Other Scottish Politics Titles

The Challenge To Westminster: Sovereignty, Devolution And Independence
No one knows whether the current constitutional arrangement will improve or destroy the unified United Kingdom. Much of this book explains Scotland's relationship with the UK parliament whilst the rest examines other aspects of British sovereignty.
Conflict And Class: Scottish Workers 1700-1838 W. Hamish Fraser
W. Hamish Fraser offers a study of the emergence of trade union organisations among groups of Scottish workers, from before the union with England to their major defeat at the end of the 1830s.
The Scottish Secretaries David Torrance
Charting the trials and tribulations of the 38 men and one woman who have held the post of Scottish Secretary since the position was resurrected by Salisbury in 1885, this book describes those figures who controlled Scotland's political agenda from both Dover House and the Art Deco surroundings of St Andrew's House.