Scottish Party
Encyclopedia
The Scottish Party was formed in 1930 by a group of members of the Unionist Party who favoured the establishment of a Dominion
Scottish Parliament
within the British Empire and Commonwealth
. They differed with the existing National Party of Scotland
(NPS) on the grounds that their Scottish independence
was ambiguous about the Empire, and also disagreed with the left-of-centre platform of the NPS.
The Scottish Party initially acted more as a think-tank than an active political party, but received overtures from the founder of the NPS, John MacCormick
, to merge with the NPS to unify the elements of the Scottish independence movement. The party's candidate for the November 1933 by-election
in Kilmarnock
received NPS backing, and this co-operation concluded with the merger of the two parties in 1934 to become the Scottish National Party
.
A minor, though unrelated, political party of the same name was founded in 2004 by a former member of the Scottish National Party, and changed its name to the Free Scotland Party
shortly thereafter.
Dominion
A dominion, often Dominion, refers to one of a group of autonomous polities that were nominally under British sovereignty, constituting the British Empire and British Commonwealth, beginning in the latter part of the 19th century. They have included Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland,...
Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
within the British Empire and Commonwealth
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
. They differed with the existing National Party of Scotland
National Party of Scotland
The National Party of Scotland was a political party in Scotland and a forerunner of the current Scottish National Party.The NPS was formed in 1928 after John MacCormick of the Glasgow University Scottish Nationalist Association called a meeting of all those favouring the establishment of a party...
(NPS) on the grounds that their Scottish independence
Scottish independence
Scottish independence is a political ambition of political parties, advocacy groups and individuals for Scotland to secede from the United Kingdom and become an independent sovereign state, separate from England, Wales and Northern Ireland....
was ambiguous about the Empire, and also disagreed with the left-of-centre platform of the NPS.
The Scottish Party initially acted more as a think-tank than an active political party, but received overtures from the founder of the NPS, John MacCormick
John MacCormick
John MacDonald MacCormick was a lawyer and advocate of Home Rule in Scotland.-Early life:...
, to merge with the NPS to unify the elements of the Scottish independence movement. The party's candidate for the November 1933 by-election
Kilmarnock by-election, 1933
The Kilmarnock by-election, 1933 was a by-election held on 2 November 1933 for the British House of Commons constituency of Kilmarnock in Ayrshire.- Vacancy :...
in Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock (UK Parliament constituency)
Kilmarnock was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1983. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
received NPS backing, and this co-operation concluded with the merger of the two parties in 1934 to become the Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
.
A minor, though unrelated, political party of the same name was founded in 2004 by a former member of the Scottish National Party, and changed its name to the Free Scotland Party
Free Scotland Party
The Free Scotland Party is a minor political party in Scotland that stands for an independent Scotland, independent of both the United Kingdom and the European Union....
shortly thereafter.