The Scottish National Party (SNP; Scottish Gaelic: Pàrtaidh Nàiseanta na h-Alba; Scots: Scottis Naitional Pairtie) is a social-democratic[5][6] political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom.
The SNP was founded in 1934, and has had continuous parliamentary representation since Winnie Ewing's groundbreaking victory at the 1967 Hamilton by-election.[7]
In the 2007 Scottish Parliamentary election, the SNP became the largest political party in the Scottish Parliament for the first time, governing as a minority administration, with party leader Alex Salmond as First Minister of Scotland. At the 2011 Scottish Parliamentary election, the SNP won a landslide victory[8] and became the first party to form a majority government in the Scottish Parliament since its resumption in 1999.[9]
The SNP currently holds 6 of 59 Scottish seats in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom and 2 of 6 Scottish seats in the European Parliament. The SNP is also currently the largest group in Scottish local government and, in coalition, forms 12 out of 32 local administrations.
The SNP was formed in 1934 from the merger of the National Party of Scotland and the Scottish Party. Professor Douglas Young, who was the leader of the Scottish National Party from 1942 to 1945 fought for the Scottish people to refuse conscription and his activities were popularly vilified as undermining the British war effort against the Axis powers. Young was imprisoned for refusing to be conscripted.
The SNP first won a parliamentary seat at the Motherwell by-election in 1945, but Dr Robert McIntyre MP lost the seat at the general election three months later. They next won a seat in 1967, when Winnie Ewing was the surprise winner of a by-election in the previously safe Labour seat of Hamilton. This brought the SNP to national prominence, leading to the establishment of the Kilbrandon Commission.
The high point in a British General Elections thus far was when the SNP polled almost a third of all votes in Scotland at the October 1974 general election and returned 11 MPs to Westminster, to date the most MPs it has had, although its representation was reduced significantly in the 1979 general election.[10]
In the 2007 Scottish Parliamentary election the SNP emerged as the largest party with 47 seats, narrowly ousting the Scottish Labour Party with 46 seats and Alex Salmond became Scottish First Minister.
Between 2007 and 2011, the Scottish Green Party supported the appointment of the SNP government under an agreement which also specified areas of common policy and gave the Greens input to the budget process and convenorship of the parliamentary committee on transport, infrastructure and climate change.
In May 2011 the SNP won an overall majority in the Scottish Parliament with 69 seats. Overall majorities are unusual in the Additional Member system that is used for elections to the Scottish Parliament, which was specially designed by the Labour UK government in 1999 to prevent any party gaining overall control of the parliament."[11]
The SNP consists of local branches of party members. Those branches then form an association in the constituency they represent (unless there is only one branch in the constituency, in which case it forms a constituency branch rather than a constituency association). There are also eight regional associations, to which the branches and constituency associations can send delegates.
The SNP's policy structure is developed at its annual national conference and its regular national council meetings. There are also regular meetings of its national assembly, at which detailed discussion (but not finalising) of party policy takes place.
The party has an active youth wing, the Young Scots for Independence, as well as a student wing, the Federation of Student Nationalists. There is also an SNP Trade Union Group. There is an independently-owned monthly newspaper, The Scots Independent, which is highly supportive of the party.
The SNP's leadership is vested in its National Executive Committee (NEC) which is made up of the party's elected office bearers and six elected members (voted for at conference). The SNP parliamentarians (Scottish, Westminster and European) and councillors have representation on the NEC, as do the Trade Union Group, the youth wing and the student wing.
According to accounts filed with the Electoral Commission for the year ending 2010, the party had a membership of 16232,[12] up from 15,097 in 2008 and 9,450 in 2003.[13] In 2004 the party had income of approximately £1,300,000 (including bequests of just under £300,000) and expenditure of about £1,000,000.
The SNP's policy base is mostly in the mainstream European social-democratic mould. For example, among its policies are a commitment to unilateral nuclear disarmament, progressive personal taxation, the eradication of poverty, free state education including support grants for higher education students and a pay increase for nurses. It is also committed to an independent Scotland being a full member state of the European Union, to the country joining the Euro currency at the appropriate exchange rate and is against membership of NATO (however this remains controversial).
Contrary to the expectations of many outside the party, the SNP is not expressly republican, and its general view is that this is an issue secondary to that of Scottish independence. Many SNP members are republicans, however, and both the party student and youth wings are expressly so.
In August 2009 as part of its third legislative term in the Scottish Parliament, the Government proposes to debate the Scottish referendum bill 2010, which would set out a planned referendum for 30th[14] November 2010 on the issue of Scottish independence. It was not however expected to pass, due to opposition from all the major opposition parties in the Parliament.[15][16]
Although the SNP has a representative majority of centre-left politicians, this has not always been the case. Almost from the party's foundation there have been internal ideological tensions. This was largely a product of the way in which the centre-left National Party of Scotland amalgamated with the centre-right Scottish Party. Nowadays, ideological tensions within the SNP have been partially resolved.
However, by the 1960s, the party was starting to become defined ideologically. It had by then established a National Assembly which allowed for discussion of policy and was producing papers on a host of policy issues that could be described as based on social democracy. Also, the emergence of William Wolfe (universally known as Billy) as a leading figure played a huge role in the SNP defining itself as a left-of-centre and social-democratic party. He recognised the need to do this to challenge the dominant political position of the Scottish Labour Party.
He achieved this in a number of ways: establishing the SNP Trade Union Group; promoting centre-left policies; and identifying the SNP with labour campaigns (such as the Upper-Clyde Shipbuilders Work-in and the attempt of the workers at the Scottish Daily Express to run as a cooperative). It was during Wolfe's period as SNP leader in the 1970s that the SNP became clearly identified as a social-democratic political party.
There were some ideological tensions in the 1970s SNP. The party leadership under Wolfe was determined to stay on the left of the Scottish political spectrum and be in a position to challenge the Labour Party. However, the party's MPs, mostly representing seats won from the Scottish Conservatives, were less keen to have the SNP viewed as a centre-left alternative to Labour, for fear of losing their seats back to the Conservatives.
There were further ideological and internal struggles after 1979 with the 79 Group attempting to move the SNP further to the left, away from being what could be described a 'social-democratic' party, to an expressly 'socialist' party. 79 Group members including current leader, Alex Salmond, were expelled from the party. This produced a response in the shape of the Campaign for Nationalism in Scotland from those who wanted the SNP to remain a 'broad church', apart from arguments of left vs. right.
The 1980s saw the SNP further define itself as a party of the political left, for example running campaigns against the poll tax. It developed this platform to the stage it is at now: a clear, moderate, centre-left political party. This has itself not gone without internal criticism from the left of the party who believe that in modern years the party has become too moderate.
The ideological tensions inside the SNP are further complicated by the arguments between the so-called SNP gradualists and SNP fundamentalists. In essence, gradualists seek to advance Scotland to independence through further devolution, in a 'step-by-step' strategy. They tend to be in the moderate left grouping, although much of the 79 Group was gradualist in approach. However, this 79 Group gradualism was as much a reaction against the fundamentalists of the day, many of whom believed the SNP should not take a clear left or right position.
This grouping of "neo-fundamentalists" have their roots within the camp of the former high-profile Labour Party MP Jim Sillars who left Labour to form the short-lived Scottish Labour Party in 1976 (the party had no connection with the UK Labour Party or the current Scottish Labour group in the Scottish Parliament). Sillars eventually joined the SNP, winning the Govan, Glasgow, by-election in 1988 to become an SNP MP. He lost the Westminster seat at the 1992 general election and expressed his disappointment by calling the Scottish people 'Ninety minute patriots'.
The SNP retains close links with Plaid Cymru, its counterpart in Wales. MPs of both parties co-operate closely with each other. They work as a single group within the House of Commons, and were involved in joint campaigning during the 2005 General Election campaign. Both the SNP and Plaid Cymru are members of the European Free Alliance (EFA), a European political party for regionalist national-level political parties. The EFA co-operates with the larger European Green Party to form the Group of The Greens–European Free Alliance in the European Parliament.
Prior to its affiliation with The Greens–European Free Alliance, the SNP had previously been allied with the European Progressive Democrats (until 1984), Rainbow Group (1989-1994) and European Radical Alliance (1994-1999).
| Portfolio | SNP Spokesperson |
|---|---|
| Westminster Group Leader Defence and Foreign Affairs |
Angus Robertson MP |
| Deputy Group Leader and Chief Whip HM Treasury and Economic Affairs |
Stewart Hosie MP |
| Culture and Sport; Constitution | Peter Wishart MP |
| Business; Energy and Climate Change | Michael Weir MP |
| Transport; Constitutional Reform | Angus MacNeil MP |
| Fisheries; International Development; Women; Work and Pensions | Eilidh Whiteford MP |
| Portfolio | SNP Spokesperson |
|---|---|
| President of the Scottish National Party Fisheries; Regional Development |
Ian Hudghton MEP |
| Agriculture and Rural Development | Alyn Smith MEP |
The SNP has more than 360 councillors in Local Government elected from the Scottish local elections, 2007.[17]
| Election[18] | Percentage of Scottish vote | Seats won | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 General Election | 1.1% | 0 seats | |
| 1945 General Election | 1.2% | 0 seats | |
| 1950 General Election | 0.4% | 0 seats | |
| 1951 General Election | 0.3% | 0 seats | |
| 1955 General Election | 0.5% | 0 seats | |
| 1959 General Election | 0.5% | 0 seats | |
| 1964 General Election | 2.4% | 0 seats | |
| 1966 General Election | 5.0% | 0 seats | |
| 1970 General Election | 11.4% | 1 seat | |
| 1974 General Election (Feb) | 21.9% | 7 seats | |
| 1974 General Election (Oct) | 30.4% | 11 seats | High water mark, until 2007. Increased presence contributed to Labour holding a devolution referendum in 1979. |
| 1974 Regional Council Election | 12.6% | 18 seats | |
| 1974 District Council Election | 12.4% | 62 seats | |
| 1977 District Council Election | 24.2% | 170 seats | |
| 1978 Regional Council Election | 20.9% | 18 seats | |
| 1979 General Election | 17.3% | 2 seats | Poor performance compared to the two 1974 elections caused internal ructions during the 1980s. |
| 1979 European Parliament Election | 19.4% | 1 seat | |
| 1980 District Council Election | 15.5% | 54 seats | |
| 1982 Regional Council Election | 13.4% | 23 seats | |
| 1983 General Election | 11.7% | 2 seats | |
| 1984 District Council Election | 11.7% | 59 seats | |
| 1984 European Parliament Election | 17.8% | 1 seat | |
| 1986 Regional Council Election | 18.2 % | 36 seats | |
| 1987 General Election | 14.0% | 3 seats | |
| 1988 District Council Election | 21.3% | 113 seats | |
| 1989 European Parliament Election | 25.6% | 1 seat | |
| 1990 Regional Council Election | 21.8% | 42 seats | |
| 1992 General Election | 21.5% | 3 seats | |
| 1992 District Council Election | 24.3% | 150 seats | |
| 1994 European Parliament Election | 32.6% | 2 seats | |
| 1994 Regional Council Election | 26.8% | 73 seats | |
| 1995 Council Areas Election | 26.1% | 181 seats | |
| 1997 General Election | 22.1% | 6 seats | |
| 1999 Scottish Parliament Election | 28.7% | 35 seats (including 7 First Past the Post seats) | First election to the re-constituted Scottish Parliament. Finished second to Labour and became the official opposition to the coalition of Labour and Liberal Democrats. |
| 1999 Council Areas Election | 28.9% | 201 seats | |
| 1999 European Parliament Election | 27.2% | 2 seats | |
| 2001 General Election | 20.1% | 5 seats | |
| 2003 Scottish Parliament Election | 23.8% | 27 seats (including 9 First Past the Post seats) | |
| 2003 Council Areas Election | 24.1% | 181 seats | |
| 2004 European Parliament Election | 19.7% | 2 seats | |
| 2005 General Election | 17.7% | 6 seats | |
| 2007 Scottish Parliament Election | 32.9% | 47 seats (including 21 First Past the Post seats) | Largest party in the Scottish Parliament; formed the Scottish Government. |
| 2007 Council Areas Election | 29.7% (of seats) | 363 seats | Largest party in local government (first ever Scottish local elections to be held under the Single Transferable Vote). |
| 2009 European Parliament Election | 29.1% | 2 seats | The first European Parliament elections in which the SNP won the most votes within Scotland[19] |
| 2010 General Election | 19.9% | 6 seats | |
| 2011 Scottish Parliament Election | 45.4% | 69 seats (including 53 First Past the Post seats) | Formed the first majority Scottish Government. |
The SNP have been charged with being Anglophobic. In 2000, the Labour Party said that two SNP members of the Scottish Parliament were anti-English after they "registered their support for Germany's (2006 Football World Cup) bid on its official website".[20] The SNP responded that they "have no position on where the World Cup is held" and that it was "silly to describe the website entry as anti-English".[20]
Prominent figures in Scottish politics such as Labour's George Foulkes, Baron Foulkes of Cumnock and the Liberal Democrats' Jamie Stone[21] (and subsequently Danny Alexander - the current Chief Secretary to the Treasury) have publicly apologised for calling the SNP "xenophobic". SNP MSP Ian McKee has by contrast pointed out his own status in the Scottish Parliament chamber as an Englishman[22] as evidence of there being no such anti-English feeling. Indeed, McKee is one of six SNP MSPs born in England, along with other prominent figures such as Christine Grahame and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning Mike Russell.
The party has been criticised over a £500,000 donation from the socially conservative transport businessman Brian Souter. One month later, in April 2007, the SNP's commitment (made at the party's 2006 conference) to re-regulate the bus network was not included in their 2007 manifesto, although the SNP denies any direct link.[23] Opposition politicians suggested that the donation and policy shift were linked and that it was a case of "cash for policies", although no official accusations have been made.[24]
Brian Souter went on to make a further donation of £125,000 to the SNP, making him their single biggest donor.[25] Souter made approaches to the SNP government for a £3 million subsidy for his company, Stagecoach, to develop a hovercraft service between Kirkcaldy and Portobello in Scotland.[26] The service had already received subsidy from the previous Labour administration for the pilot scheme, but was put on hold pending "clarification" of the public sector's involvement.[27]
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