The Scottish National Party has secured an overall majority in the Scottish Parliament, triggering a fresh round of uncertainty regarding Scotland’s place in the United Kingdom.

Because Members of the Scottish Parliament are elected by a combination of first-past-the-post and proportional representation, there has never been a majority government in Scotland since devolution in 1999.  But the SNP went on to win 69 out of 129 seats, a net gain of 23 seats from the last Parliament in which the SNP formed a minority government.

Many of the SNP’s gains were at the expense of Labour and several prominent Labour MSPs, including finance spokesman Andy Kerr and former minister Tom McCabe, lost their seats.  The BBC quoted Professor John Curtice of Strathclyde University as saying that Labour’s performance in Scotland was the worst for 80 years.  Not surprisingly, Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray has announced that he will be stepping down in the autumn.

Why then did Labour, the party that brought devolution to Scotland in 1999, fare so badly?  Many commentators lay the blame on a lackluster campaign by Iain Gray that saw Labour adopt several SNP policies as their own.  The narrowing policy divide between the two parties focused attention on the leaders’ personalities, and Gray was widely seen as less charismatic than SNP leader Alex Salmond.  Labour’s cause was also hindered by embarrassing footage of Gray taking cover in a Subway sandwich shop in order to avoid the ire of protestors.

Labour was not the only party to feel the pain on election night.  The Liberal Democrats suffered a net loss of 12 seats and are now down to just five MSPs.  Their coalition partners in the UK Government, the Conservatives, fared slightly better and won 15 seats, a net loss of five.

Salmond has promised to hold a referendum on Scottish independence during the second half of the five year Parliament.  But it may be too early to sound the death knell of the United Kingdom since recent polls indicate that only a minority of Scots support full-fledged independence.  Salmond will likely face an uphill battle as he tries to convince the Scottish people that Scotland would be better off outside the United Kingdom.  The Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, and Labour are united in their opposition to independence and can be counted on to campaign forcefully against the SNP in the run up to a referendum.  Since a ‘no’ vote would be a huge embarrassment, Salmond will have to choose the timing of the referendum carefully.

Share This

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

About the author

Jason Loch
Originally from the east coast, I now live among the Cheeseheads of the Badger State. I came here for a PhD in history but I loved it so much here that I decided to stay even after I realized that a career in academia wasn't for me. I'm passionate about history (especially ancient history) and politics (both British and American). During the few months of the year that we don't have several feet of snow on the ground, I love to get outdoors and enjoy the fresh air. I also love to write and I'm currently working on a historical fantasy novel set in ancient Egypt.

Related Posts

Eric Deggans Confirms Own Bias in Race Baiter Part I

When the Central Florida Association of Black Journalists (CFABJ) invited author and journalist Eric Deggans to discuss his new book, Race Baiter: How the News Media Wield Dangerous Power to Divide a Nation, at their monthly...

Conservative Group Supports Same Sex Marriage

Washington, U.S.A. -- On July 10, Freedom to Marry, the campaign to win marriage nationwide, launched Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry, a new campaign to highlight and build support for the freedom to marry among...

UK Government Cancels Key Vote on Lords Reform

Britain’s Conservative/Liberal Democrat government faced a humiliating setback on July 10 when ministers had to cancel a key vote on their flagship plans to reform the House of Lords. The government wants to replace...