Scottish Liberal Party
| Scottish Liberal Party | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1859 |
| Dissolved | 3 March 1988 |
| Merged into | Scottish Liberal Democrats |
| Ideology |
Liberalism Social liberalism |
| National affiliation | Liberal Party |
|
Politics of Scotland Political parties Elections | |
The Scottish Liberal Party was the dominant political party of Victorian Scotland,[1] and although its importance declined with the rise of the Labour and Unionist parties during the 20th century,[2] it was still a significant, albeit much reduced force when it finally merged with the Social Democratic Party in Scotland, to form the Scottish Liberal Democrats in 1988.
The party reached its low point during the 1950s, when Jo Grimond was the sole Scottish Liberal MP in the House of Commons, but it gained a partial revival in the 1964 general election when it gained three further MPs, George Mackie, Russell Johnston and Alasdair Mackenzie. A further gain came the following year with David Steel's victory at the Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles by-election. Steel went on to become a pivotal figure in the development of Scottish devolution, in partnership with John Smith, Donald Dewar and other key Labour and Liberal figures.
The Victorian Liberal party in Scotland was not always ideologically unified, and was faced with many internal divisions, particularly amongst the more conservative Whiggish elements of the party who were largely based in Edinburgh & the east, and the more western and Glasgow based radical Liberals.[3]
Leadership
Chairmen
- William Baird, 1933-1935
- Philip Kerr, 11th Marquess of Lothian, 1935-1940
- Louise Glen-Coats, 1946-1948
- L. T. M. Gray, 1948-?
- John G. Wilson, 1952-1954
- Charles Hampton Johnston, 1954-1956
- John Bannerman, 1956–1964
- George Mackie, 1965–1970
- Russell Johnston, 1970–1973
- Robert L. Smith, 1973-1975
- Menzies Campbell, 1975–1977
- Terry Grieve, 1977-1980
- Fred McDermid, 1980-1982
- Ross Finnie, 1982-1986
- John Lawrie, 1986-1987
- Christopher Mason, 1987-1988
Presidents
- Archibald Sinclair, 1st Viscount Thurso, 1946–1965
- Andrew Murray, 1960–1961 (alongside Sinclair)
- John Bannerman, 1963-1969 (served at times alongside Sinclair)
- Ray Bannerman, 1969-1976
- Robert L. Smith, 1976-
- George Mackie, 1983–1988
Leader
- Until 1973, the party was led by the president.
- Russell Johnston, 1973-1988
Electoral performance
This chart shows the electoral results of the Scottish Liberal Party, from its first election in 1859, to its last in 1983. Total number of seats, and vote percentage, is for Scotland only.
| Election | Vote % | Seats | Outcome of election |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1859 | 66.4 | 40 / 53 |
Liberal Victory |
| 1865 | 85.4 | 42 / 53 |
Liberal Victory |
| 1868 | 82.5 | 51 / 58 |
Liberal Victory |
| 1874 | 68.4 | 40 / 58 |
Conservative Victory |
| 1880 | 70.1 | 52 / 58 |
Liberal Victory |
| 1885 | 53.3 | 51 / 70 |
Liberal Victory (Liberal Prime Minister sat for Scottish seat) |
| 1886 | 53.6 | 43 / 70 |
Conservative & Liberal Unionist Victory |
| 1892 | 53.9 | 51 / 70 |
Liberal Hung Parliament (Liberal Prime Minister sat for Scottish seat) |
| 1895 | 51.7 | 39 / 70 |
Conservative & Liberal Unionist Victory |
| 1900 | 50.2 | 34 / 70 |
Conservative & Liberal Unionist Victory |
| 1906 | 56.4 | 58 / 70 |
Liberal Victory (Liberal Prime Minister sat for Scottish seat) |
| 1910 (January) | 54.2 | 58 / 70 |
Liberal Hung Parliament (Liberal Prime Minister sat for Scottish seat) |
| 1910 (December) | 53.6 | 57 / 70 |
Liberal Hung Parliament (Liberal Prime Minister sat for Scottish seat) |
| 1918 | Official Liberal 15.0 Coalition Liberal 19.1 |
Official Liberal 8 / 71 Coalition Liberal 25 / 71 |
'Coalition' Conservative Hung Parliament / 'Coalition' Liberal Victory |
| 1922 | Official Liberal 21.5 National Liberal 17.7 |
Official Liberal 15 / 71 National Liberal 12 / 71 |
Conservative Victory |
| 1923 | 28.4 | 22 / 71 |
Conservative Hung Parliament |
| 1924 | 16.6 | 8 / 71 |
Conservative Victory |
| 1929 | 18.1 | 13 / 71 |
Labour Hung Parliament |
| 1931 | 8.6 | 7 / 71 |
Conservative Victory |
| 1935 | 6.7 | 3 / 71 |
National Government (Conservative) Victory |
| 1945 | 5.6 | 0 / 71 |
Labour Victory |
| 1950 | 6.6 | 2 / 71 |
Labour Victory |
| 1951 | 2.7 | 1 / 71 |
Conservative Victory |
| 1955 | 1.9 | 1 / 71 |
Conservative Victory |
| 1959 | 4.1 | 1 / 71 |
Conservative Victory |
| 1964 | 7.6 | 4 / 71 |
Labour Victory |
| 1966 | 6.8 | 5 / 71 |
Labour Victory |
| 1970 | 5.5 | 3 / 71 |
Conservative Victory |
| February 1974 | 7.9 | 3 / 71 |
Labour Hung Parliament |
| October 1974 | 8.3 | 3 / 71 |
Labour Victory |
| 1979 | 9.0 | 3 / 71 |
Conservative Victory |
References
- ↑ Brown, Stewart J. (October 1992). "'Echoes of Midlothian': Scottish Liberalism and the South African War, 1899-1902". The Scottish Historical Review LXXI. JSTOR 25530538.
- ↑ Devine, Thomas Martin; Finlay, Richard J. (1996). Scotland in the twentieth century. Edinburgh University Press. p. 73. ISBN 978-0-7486-0839-3.
- ↑ Checkland, Olive; Checkland, S. G. Industry and Ethos: Scotland, 1832-1914. p. 77.
Further reading
- Constitution and rules of the Scottish Liberal Association. Scottish Liberal Association. 18??. p. 8. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - Scottish Liberal Party (1970). Scottish self-government: the views of the Scottish Liberal party. Scottish Liberal Party. ISBN 978-0-902381-04-9.