Politics of Scotland
Politics of Scotland Poilitigs na h-Alba | |
---|---|
Supreme Courts of Scotland | |
Chief judge | Lord Carloway |
Seat | Parliament House, Edinburgh |
Court of Session | |
Chief judge | Lord Carloway |
Seat | Parliament House |
High Court of Justiciary | |
Chief judge | Lord Carloway |
Seat | Parliament House Justiciary Building (Edinburgh) Justiciary Building (Glasgow) Mercatgate, (Aberdeen) |
Civil service branch | |
Name | Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government |
President | John-Paul Marks |
This article is part of a series within the Politics of the United Kingdom on the |
Politics of Scotland |
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The politics of Scotland (
The Kingdom of Scotland entered a fiscal and political union with the Kingdom of England with the Acts of Union 1707, by which the Parliament of Scotland was abolished along with its English counterpart to form the Parliament of Great Britain, and from that time Scotland has been represented by members of the House of Commons in the Palace of Westminster. The Scottish Parliament was established in 1999, as a result of the Scotland Act 1998 and the preceding 1997 Scottish devolution referendum, held under the Referendums (Scotland and Wales) Act 1997.
The issues of Scottish nationalism and Scottish independence are prominent political issues in the early 21st century. When the Scottish National Party formed a majority government after the 2011 Scottish Parliament election and passed the Scottish Independence Referendum Act 2013, the British parliament concluded the Edinburgh Agreement with the Scottish Government, enabling the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. The referendum was held on 18 September 2014, with 55.3% voting to stay in the United Kingdom and 44.7% voting for independence.
History
Until 1832, Scottish politics remained very much in the control of landowners in the country, and of small cliques of merchants in the
From 1885 to 1918 the
After the coupon election of 1918, 1922 saw the emergence of the Labour Party as a major force, and replacing the Liberals as one of the two dominant parties. Red Clydeside elected a number of Labour MPs. A Communist was elected for Motherwell in 1924, but in essence the 1920s saw a 3-way fight between Labour, the Liberals and the Unionists. The National Party of Scotland contested their first seat in 1929. It merged with the centre-right Scottish Party in 1934 to form the Scottish National Party, but the SNP remained a peripheral force until the watershed Hamilton by-election of 1967.
The Communists won West Fife in 1935 and again in 1945 (Willie Gallacher) and several Glasgow Labour MPs joined the Independent Labour Party in the 1930s, often defeating the official Labour candidates by wide margins.
The
In 1945, the SNP saw its first MP (Robert McIntyre) elected at the Motherwell by-election, but had little success during the following decade. The ILP members rejoined the Labour Party, and Scotland now had in effect a two-party system.
- 1950: The Liberals won two seats – Jo Grimond winning Orkney and Shetland. The Liberals continue to hold Orkney and Shetland to the present day.
- 1951: Labour and the Unionists won 35 seats each, the Liberals losing one seat.
- 1955: The Unionists won a majority of both seats and votes. The SNP came second in Perth and Kinross.
- Scottish Conservative and Unionist Partybegan a long, steady decline in their support.
- 1964: There was a substantial swing to Labour, giving them 44 of Scotland's 71 seats. The Liberals won four seats, all in the Highlands. This marked the start of 51 years of political domination of Scottish seats in the UK Parliament by Labour.
- 1965: David Steel won the Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles by-election for the Liberals.
- 1966: Labour gained 2 more seats and the Liberals made a net gain of 1. The SNP garnered over 100,000 votes and finished second in 3 constituencies.
- 1967: The SNP did well in the Glasgow Pollok by-election. Nonetheless, the Conservative and Unionist candidate won. However, in the subsequent Hamilton by-election Winnie Ewing won a decisive victory.
- 1970: The SNP performed poorly in local elections and in the Western Isles.
- 1971–73: The SNP did well in by-elections, Margo MacDonald winning Glasgow Govan.
- 1974: In the two general elections of 1974 (in February and October) the SNP won 7 and then 11 seats, their share of the vote rising from 11% in 1970 to 22% and then 30%. With the Labour Party winning the October 1974 election by a narrow margin of 3 seats, the SNP appeared in a strong position.
- 1974–79: Devolution dominated this period: the Labour government attempted to steer through devolution legislation, based on the recommendations of the Kilbrandon Commission, against strong opposition, not least from its own backbenchers. Finally a referendum, whilst producing a small majority in favour of an elected Scottish Assembly, failed to achieve a turnout of 40% of the total electorate, a condition set in the legislation. At the 1979 general election, the SNP fared poorly, falling to 17% of the vote and 2 seats. Labour did well in Scotland, but in the United Kingdom as a whole Margaret Thatcher led the Conservatives to a decisive victory, where Labour would spend the next 18 years in opposition.
- 1979–83: The SNP suffered severe splits as the result of the drop in support in 1979. Labour also was riven by internal strife as the Social Democratic Party split away. Despite this, the 1983 general election still saw Labour remain the majority party in Scotland, with a smaller swing to the Conservatives than in England. The SNP's vote declined further, to 12%, although they won two seats.
- 1987: The Labour Party did well in the 1987 general election, mainly at the expense of the Conservatives & Unionists, who were reduced to their smallest number of Scottish seats since before World War I. The SNP made a small but significant advance.
- 1988: Jim Sillars wins the Glasgow Govan by-election for the SNP from Labour with 48.8% of the vote and a 3,554 lead over Labour.
- 1991: Nicol Stephen of the Liberal Democrats wins the 1991 Kincardine and Deeside by-election from the Conservatives, with 49.0% of the vote and a 7,824 lead over the Conservatives.
- 1992: This election proved a disappointment for Labour and the SNP in Scotland. The SNP went from 14% to 21% of the vote but won only 3 seats. The Conservative and Unionist vote did not collapse, as had been widely predicted, leading to claims that their resolutely anti-devolution stance had paid dividends.
- 1995: Roseanna Cunningham wins the 1995 Perth and Kinross by-election for the SNP from the Conservatives with 40.4% of the vote and a 7,311 vote lead over Labour.
- 1997: In common with England, there was a Labour landslide in Scotland. The SNP doubled their number of MPs to 6, but the Conservatives & Unionists failed to win a single seat. Unlike 1979, Scottish voters delivered a decisive "Yes" vote in the referendum on establishing a Scottish Parliament.
- 1999: The Scottish Parliament was established. Labour take 56 seats, SNP 35, Conservative 18, Liberal Democrats 17, and Greens and Socialists one each. A coalition of Labour and Liberal Democrats led by Donald Dewar of Scottish Labour, took power.
- 2000: In October, Dewar died of a heart attack in office and was succeeded by Henry McLeish as Scottish First Minister.
- 2001: In November, McLeish stands down as First Minister following the Officegate financial scandal, and is succeeded by Jack McConnell.
- 2003: In the Scottish Parliament election, Labour take 50 seats, SNP 27, Conservative 18, Liberal Democrats 17, Greens 7, Socialists 6, Independents 3 and one from the Scottish Senior Citizens Unity Party. The Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition was maintained.
- 2006: Willie Rennie wins the 2006 Dunfermline and West Fife by-election for the Liberal Democrats from Labour with 35.8% of the vote and an 1,800 vote lead over Labour.
- 2007: The SNP became Scotland's largest party in the 2007 Scottish Parliament election and formed a minority government. Alex Salmond succeeds Jack McConnell as First Minister. The SNP had 47 seats, Labour 46, Conservatives 17, Liberal Democrats 16, Greens 2 and Socialists, independents and other parties lost all their seats.
- 2008: Glasgow East by-electionfor the SNP from Labour with 43.1% of the vote and a 365-vote lead over Labour.
- 2009: Glasgow North East by-electionfor Labour from the Speaker with 59.4% of the vote and an 8,111 lead over the SNP.
- 2010: 2010 United Kingdom general election: Labour won 41 out of 59 Scottish seats and received over 1 million votes across Scotland, despite losing 91 seats across the UK as a whole.
- 2011: In the 2011 Scottish Parliament election, the SNP become the first party to win an overall majority in the Scottish Parliament. The SNP won 69 seats, with 65 needed for a majority. Labour got 37, Conservatives 15, Liberal Democrats 5 and Greens 2. The Scottish leaders of Labour, the Conservatives, and the Liberal Democrats all resigned over the results.
- 2014: An independence referendum is held on whether Scotland should secede from the UK and become an independent country. Scotland votes to remain a part of the UK 55.3% to 44.7%. Alex Salmond resigns as First Minister, and is succeeded by Deputy First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon.
- 2015: At the general election, the SNP won 56 out of 59 Scottish seats, winning nearly exactly 50% of the popular vote. Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats won just a single seat each.
- 2016: In May's 2016 Scottish Parliament election, the SNP lost their majority but remained the largest party and formed a minority government. The SNP got 63 seats, Conservatives 31, Labour 24, Greens 6 and Liberal Democrats 5. This was the first time Labour had finished third at any Scottish election since the 1918 general election.
- 2016: The UK votes to leave the European Union 51.9% to 48.1%, however 62% of Scottish voters backed remaining in the European Union.
- 2017: At the snap UK general election on 8 June, the SNP won 35 out of the 59 Scottish seats, the Conservatives won 13, Labour won 7 and the Liberal Democrats won 4 seats. This too was the first general election in 99 years where Labour finished in third place.
- 2019: At the 2019 UK general election, the SNP won 48 out of the 59 Scottish seats, the Conservatives won 6, the Liberal Democrats won 4 and Labour won a single seat. This was the worst result for Scottish Labour since the December 1910 general election, with Labour finishing in fourth place.
- 2021: At the 2021 Scottish Parliament election the SNP won 64 seats, Conservatives 31, Labour 22, Greens 8 (a week later lowered to 7 due to Alison Johnstone becoming Holyrood's Presiding Officer, which requires one to give up their party affiliation), and the Liberal Democrats 4. The SNP signs a co-operation agreement with the Greens and the Liberal Democrat Leader Willie Rennie resigns.
- 2023: Michael Shanks wins the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election for Labour from the SNP with 58.6% of the vote and an 9,446 lead over the SNP.
The Crown
Scotland is governed under the framework of a
Scotland is no longer an independent, sovereign country, nor is it a kingdom in its own right. Under the Union with England Act 1707, the Kingdoms of Scotland and England have been united into "One Kingdom" (Great Britain, later the United Kingdom). A unification of Scotland and England had been debated since the Union of the Crowns, however was initially met with little enthusiasm by the administrations of both countries.[4]
Legislature
There are two bodies with the power to legislate for Scotland: the
Opposition parties include the
Devolution
Devolution in the UK refers the process by which powers to legislate and govern are transferred from the UK Parliament in Westminster to a range of sub-UK level bodies, such as metro areas and the Home Nations. Since the establishment of the Scottish Parliament, all matters have been devolved to that body by default, except those matters explicitly reserved to Westminster, and Westminster does not by convention legislate on non-reserved matters, except by consent.
In Scotland, matters devolved to the Scottish Parliament exclusively include justice and law, police and prisons, local government, health, education, housing and student support, social welfare, food safety and standards, planning policy, economic development, agriculture, culture and sport. A number of other matters are shared such as some elements of transport (the Scottish Government is responsible for the majority of Scotland's transportation network), public pension and taxation. The Scottish Government receives a funding allocation from the UK Government, calculated under the Barnett Formula, but it does also have its own tax resources.
The programmes of legislation enacted by the Scottish Parliament have seen the divergence in the provision of
In a further divergence from the rest of the
Future constitutional status
A large debate in modern Scottish politics is over the constitutional status of Scotland. One common proposal is for the
In 2022, the Scottish Government under First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon launched the first paper in a series of independence prospectuses entitled Building a New Scotland. The publication is a series of papers published by the Scottish Government that seeks to lay out a prospectus for Scottish independence.[11] The Scottish Government had previously proposed holding an independence referendum on 19 October 2023.[12] On 7 September 2021, Nicola Sturgeon stated that she would resume the case for independence and restart work on a prospects for independence.[13] On 13 June 2022, Nicola Sturgeon published the first independence paper.[14] On 14 July 2022, Nicola Sturgeon published the second independence paper.[15] As of March 2024, a total of ten papers have been published – Modern World: Wealthier, Happier, Fairer: Why Not Scotland?, Renewing Democracy Through Independence, A Stronger Economy with Independence, Creating a modern constitution for an independent Scotland, Citizenship in an independent Scotland, Migration to Scotland after independence, An independent Scotland in the EU, Our marine sector in an independent Scotland, Social security in an independent Scotland, Culture in an Independent Scotland and An independent Scotland's place in the world. [16]
Other proposals include more devolution for Scotland, supported by the SNP in lieu of full independence. Under the pressure of growing support for Scottish independence, a policy of devolution had been advocated by all three GB-wide parties to some degree during their history (although Labour and the Conservatives have also at times opposed it). This question dominated the Scottish political scene in the latter half of the twentieth century with Labour leader John Smith describing the revival of a Scottish parliament as the "settled will of the Scottish people".[17]
Scottish Government
Executive power in Scotland is exercised by the Sovereign (the
The reigning monarch formally appoints the
In August 2021, the SNP and the Scottish Greens agreed terms which would see the Scottish Greens enter into a power sharing agreement with the SNP, known as the Bute House Agreement. The agreement would see the Scottish Greens form part of the Scottish Government. The Agreement details the way in which the Scottish Government and the Green Group in Parliament will work together, the appointment of Green ministers, excluded policy areas from the Agreement, confidence and supply and dispute resolution.[21] The agreement is accompanied by a shared policy programme, which sets out in detail where the two have decided to collaborate.[22] On 31 August 2021, the SNP and Scottish Greens entered a power-sharing arrangement which resulted in the appointment of two Green MSPs as junior ministers in the government, delivery of a shared policy platform, and Green support for the government on votes of confidence and supply.[23][24] There was no agreement on oil and gas exploration, but the government now argued that it had a stronger case for a national independence referendum.[25]
The first minister is conventionally the leader of the political party with the most support in the Scottish Parliament, currently Humza Yousaf who was appointed in March 2023. Nicola Sturgeon, the previous first minister, led the government since November 2014. Before Sturgeon, Alex Salmond led the SNP to an overall majority victory in the May 2011 general election. The inaugural First Minister was Donald Dewar, the leader of Scottish Labour at the time, who was Secretary of State for Scotland at its time of establishment.
First Ministers
- Donald Dewar (17 May 1999 – 11 October 2000)
- Henry McLeish (27 October 2000 – 8 November 2001)
- Jim Wallace(Acting) (8 November 2001 – 27 November 2001)
- Jack McConnell (27 November 2001 – 16 May 2007)
- Alex Salmond (17 May 2007 – 18 November 2014)
- Nicola Sturgeon (20 November 2014 – 28 March 2023)
- Humza Yousaf (29 March 2023 – present)
Deputy First Ministers
- Jim Wallace(19 May 1999 – 23 June 2005)
- Nicol Stephen (27 June 2005 – 17 May 2007)
- Nicola Sturgeon (17 May 2007 – 19 November 2014)
- John Swinney (21 November 2014 – 28 March 2023)
- Shona Robison (29 March 2023 – present)
Scottish Government International Offices
Scotland has a network of eight international offices across the world, these are located in:
- Beijing (Scottish Government Beijing Office) (British Embassy)
- Berlin (Scottish Government Berlin Office)
- Brussels (Scotland House Brussels)
- Copenhagen (Scottish Government Copenhagen Office)[26]
- Dublin (Scottish Government Dublin Office) (British Embassy)
- London (Scotland House London)
- Ottawa (Scottish Government Ottawa Office) (British High Commission)
- Paris (Scottish Government Office) (British Embassy)
- Washington DC (Scottish Government Washington DC Office) (British Embassy)[27]
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the national, unicameral legislature of Scotland. The election of a
.The Scottish Parliament sits in the
It enacts
Presiding officers
- David Steel (12 May 1999 – 7 May 2003)
- George Reid (7 May 2003 – 14 May 2007)
- Alex Fergusson(14 May 2007 – 11 May 2011)
- Tricia Marwick (11 May 2011 – 12 May 2016)
- Ken Macintosh (12 May 2016 – 13 May 2021)
- Alison Johnstone (13 May 2021 – present)
Scots Law and Judiciary
The
Scotland in the United Kingdom
Scotland is a
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Scotland is represented by
The co-existence of devolution for Scotland and its continued representation in the UK Parliament, which retains full powers over matters relating to England, raised a debate known as the West Lothian question. This questions whether Scottish (and other devolved nation) representatives should continue to have a vote on affairs that do not relate directly to Scotland. This issue was exemplified in the raise in tuition fees in England in 2004. If non-English MPs, who were mostly government MPs, had not been able to vote, then the tuition fee rise would not have been able to occur, due to a rebellion on the government benches.[32] Since 2016, this has led to the creation of the English votes for English laws process, in which Scottish MPs are not included in parts of the lawmaking process for laws that do not apply in Scotland.
Scottish representation in the Commons
Year | Conservative[a] | Labour | Scottish National | Liberal Democrats[b] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seats | Votes | Seats | Votes | Seats | Votes | Seats | Votes | ||
2019 | 6 | 25.1% | 1 | 18.6% | 48 | 45.0% | 4 | 9.5% | |
2017 | 13 | 28.6% | 7 | 27.1% | 35 | 39.6% | 4 | 6.8% | |
2015 | 1 | 14.9% | 1 | 24.3% | 56 | 50.0% | 1 | 7.5% | |
2010 | 1 | 16.7% | 41 | 42.0% | 6 | 19.9% | 11 | 18.9% | |
2005 | 1 | 15.8% | 41 | 39.5% | 6 | 17.7% | 11 | 22.6% | |
2001 | 1 | 15.6% | 56 | 43.9% | 5 | 20.1% | 10 | 16.4% | |
1997 | 0 | 17.5% | 56 | 41.0% | 6 | 22.0% | 10 | 13.0% | |
1992 | 11 | 25.7% | 49 | 34.4% | 3 | 21.5% | 9 | 13.1% | |
1987 | 10 | 24.0% | 50 | 38.7% | 3 | 14.0% | 9 | 19.3% | |
1983 | 21 | 28.4% | 40 | 33.2% | 2 | 11.8% | 8 | 24.5% | |
1979 | 22 | 31.4% | 44 | 38.6% | 2 | 17.3% | 3 | 9.0% | |
Oct 1974 | 16 | 24.7% | 41 | 33.1% | 11 | 30.4% | 3 | 8.3% | |
Feb 1974 | 21 | 32.9% | 40 | 34.6% | 7 | 21.9% | 3 | 7.9% | |
1970 | 23 | 38.0% | 44 | 44.5% | 1 | 11.4% | 3 | 5.5% | |
1966 | 20 | 37.6% | 46 | 47.7% | 0 | 5.0% | 5 | 6.7% | |
1964 | 24 | 37.3% | 43 | 46.9% | 0 | 2.4% | 4 | 7.6% | |
1959 | 31 | 47.3% | 38 | 46.7% | 0 | 0.8% | 1 | 4.8% | |
1955 | 36 | 50.1% | 34 | 46.7% | 0 | 0.5% | 1 | 1.9% | |
1951 | 35 | 48.6% | 35 | 48.0% | 0 | 0.3% | 1 | 2.8% | |
1945 | 27 | 40.3% | 37 | 47.9% | 0 | 1.3% | 0 | 5.6% | |
1935 | 43 | 49.8% | 20 | 36.8% | 0 | 1.1% | 3 | 6.7% | |
1931 | 57 | 55.4% | 7 | 32.6% | 0 | 1.0% | 7 | 8.6% | |
1929 | 20 | 35.9% | 36 | 42.3% | 0 | 0.2% | 13 | 18.1% | |
1924 | 36 | 40.7% | 26 | 41.1% | – | – | 8 | 16.6% | |
1923 | 14 | 31.6% | 34 | 35.9% | – | – | 22 | 28.4% | |
1922 | 13 | 25.1% | 29 | 32.2% | – | – | 27 | 39.2% | |
1918 | 30 | 32.8% | 6 | 22.9% | – | – | 33 | 34.1% |
For UK general elections, Scotland is divided into 59
Since 1945, Scottish seats have altered the final result of a general election four times. Without Scottish seats: in 1964, the Conservatives would have been the largest party rather than Labour; in February 1974, the Conservatives would have been the largest party but without a majority rather than Labour; in October 1974, Labour would no longer have won its majority and in 2010, the Conservatives would have won an outright majority and would not have needed to form a coalition with the Liberal Democrats.[34]
Until the
As of the 2021, the current representation of Scottish seats in the Commons, according to party allegiance, is:
- Scottish National Party: 45
- Scottish Conservatives: 6
- Scottish Liberal Democrats: 4
- Alba Party: 2
- Scottish Labour: 1
- Independent: 1
Historic representation
- List of MPs for constituencies in Scotland (1955–1959)
- List of MPs for constituencies in Scotland (1959–1964)
- List of MPs for constituencies in Scotland (1964–1966)
- List of MPs for constituencies in Scotland (1966–1970)
- List of MPs for constituencies in Scotland (1970–February 1974)
- List of MPs for constituencies in Scotland (February 1974–October 1974)
- List of MPs for constituencies in Scotland (October 1974–1979)
- List of MPs for constituencies in Scotland (February 1974–October 1974)
- List of MPs for constituencies in Scotland (1970–February 1974)
- List of MPs for constituencies in Scotland (1966–1970)
- List of MPs for constituencies in Scotland (1964–1966)
- List of MPs for constituencies in Scotland (1959–1964)
- List of MPs for constituencies in Scotland (1955–1959)
Scottish Lords
In 2015, twelve of the 92 hereditary peers with seats in the
Political appointees include:
|
|
Former Lords Advocate include:[35]
- James Mackay, Baron Mackay of Clashfern (former Lord Advocate and Lord Chancellor)
- Colin Boyd, Baron Boyd of Duncansby (former Lord Advocate; currently disqualified)
Scottish hereditary peers include:
- Thomas Galbraith, 2nd Baron Strathclyde (former Leader of the House of Lords)[35]
- Charles Hay, 16th Earl of Kinnoull (chair of the European Union Committee)[35]
- Alexander Scrymgeour, 12th Earl of Dundee (former member of the House of Commons and former lord-in-waiting)
- Under-Secretary of State for Scotland)[35]
- Scotland Office)
- Patrick Boyle, 10th Earl of Glasgow
- John Sinclair, 3rd Viscount Thurso
- Richard Scott, 10th Duke of Buccleuch
Between the Acts of Union 1707 and the Peerage Act 1963, peers with titles in the
Local government
For the purposes of local government in Scotland, the country has been divided into 32 council areas since the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994. Since the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, which also abolished the shires of Scotland, the country has been subdivided into community councils. Though retained for statistical purposes, the civil parishes in Scotland were abolished for administrative purposes in the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1929.
Local government in Scotland is organised into 32
Scottish councils co-operate through, and are represented collectively by, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA).
There are currently 1,227 councillors in total, each paid a part-time salary for the undertaking of their duties. Each authority elects a
There are in total 32 councils, the largest being the Glasgow City Council with more than 600,000 inhabitants, the smallest, Orkney Islands Council, with fewer than 20,000 people. See Subdivisions of Scotland for a list of the council areas.
The most recent local elections in Scotland were held in 2022 and the next local elections are scheduled for 2027.
Community councils
Community councils represent the interests of local people. Local authorities have a statutory duty to consult community councils on planning, development and other issues directly affecting that local community. However, the community council has no direct say in the delivery of services. In many areas they do not function at all, but some work very effectively at improving their local area.[36]
Political parties
Scottish National Party (SNP): The current party forming the
Scottish Conservatives and Unionist Party: The Unionist Party was allied with the UK Conservative Party until 1965, when the
Scottish Labour Party: In the course of the twentieth century, Scottish Labour rose to prominence as Scotland's main political force.[45] The party was established to represent the interests of workers and trade unionists. From 1999 to 2007, they operated as the senior partners in a coalition Scottish Executive. They lost power in 2007 when the SNP won a plurality of seats and entered a period of dramatic decline,[46] losing all but one of their seats in the 2015 UK election[47] and falling to third place in the 2016 Scottish election.[48] The 2017 UK election produced a mixed result for the party as it gained six seat and increased its vote by 2.8% but the party came in third behind the SNP and Scottish Conservatives. In the 2021 Scottish Parliament elections, they got 19.8% of the vote, winning 22 seats.[44]
Liberal Democrats: The Scottish Liberal Democrats were the junior partners in the 1999 to 2007 coalition Scottish Executive. The party has lost much of its electoral presence in Scotland since the UK Liberal Democrats entered into a coalition government with the UK Conservative Party in 2010. In the 2015 UK election they were reduced from 12 seats to one seat, and since the 2016 Scottish Parliament election they have had the fifth highest number of MSPs (five), unchanged on 2011.In the 2021 Scottish Parliament elections, they got 6% of the vote, winning 4 seats.[44]
Scottish Green Party: The
See also
- Elections in Scotland
- Electoral systems in Scotland
- Politics of Aberdeen
- Politics of Dundee
- Politics of Edinburgh
- Politics of Glasgow
- Politics of the Highland council area
- Royal Commission on the Constitution (United Kingdom)
- Scottish media
- Scottish national identity
Notes
- ^ 1918: Includes Coalition Conservative
1931–1935: Includes National government parties
1945: Includes National Liberal Party and National Independents
1945–1970: Includes National Liberal and Conservative candidates - Liberal Party
1918: Includes Coalition Liberals
1922: Includes National Liberal Party
1931: Includes Independent Liberals
1983–1987: SDP–Liberal Alliance
1992–Present: Liberal Democrats
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(help) - . Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- S2CID 158102633.
- ^ "Election 2015 - BBC News". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- ^ Carrell, Severin; Brooks, Libby (6 May 2016). "SNP win stops short of majority as Scottish Labour finishes third". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- ^ "Agreement with Scottish Green Party". www.gov.scot. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- ^ "Scottish Greens back historic government deal". BBC News. 27 August 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
External links
- Text of the Scotland Act 1998 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.