Scottish National Party Snp Leaders

By any measure, the story of the Scottish National Party is an extraordinary one. Forced to endure decades of electoral irrelevance since its creation in the 1930s, during which it often found itself grappling with internal debate on strategy, and rebellion from within its own ranks, the SNP virtually swept the board in the 2015 general election, winning all but three of Scotland's fifty-nine seats in Westminster. What's more, under the current leadership of Nicola Sturgeon, the SNP has never been a more important force in the landscape of British politics. The leaders who have stood at its helm during this tumultuous eighty-year history - from Sir Alexander MacEwen to Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond - have steered the SNP vessel with varying degrees of success, but there is no doubt that all have contributed to the shape, purpose and ultimate goal of the party of government we see today. The latest addition to the acclaimed British Political Leaders series, Scottish National Party Leaders examines each of these senior figures for the first time, and is essential reading for anyone curious about how this former fringe party evolved into a political phenomenon, changing not only the face of Scottish politics, but British politics as well.

Based on an unprecedented survey of the entire membership and over 80 elite interviews The Scottish National Party is the definitive account of the nature of the SNP following its election as a party of government for the first time in its eighty year history.

The Scottish National Party arrived dramatically in British politics in the 1970s. Now, with devolution, it has emerged as the main opposition party in the Scottish Parliament. SNP: The Scottish National Party explores the party's fortunes from its formation in the 1930s to its performance in the new Parliament. Peter Lynch traces the course of modern Scottish Nationalism, the personalities and the politics that have brought the SNP to this pivotal point in history. Through a range of documentary sources and interviews he provides the inside story of the party's campaign for independence. The book also examines the SNP's electoral prospects in the 2003 Scottish election as the party seeks sufficient support to launch an independence referendum. This book is a timely history of the party that has been the driving force behind constitutional change in Scotland.

Based on an unprecedented survey of the entire membership and over 80 elite interviews The Scottish National Party is the definitive account of the nature of the SNP following its election as a party of government for the first time in its eighty year history.

For most of the time that the Scottish National Party (SNP) has existed, public attitudes towards it have ranged from indifference to hostility or bafflement. Until fairly recently it was hardly taken seriously as a political grouping and was largely ignored. All this changed in May, 2015, when in the General Election for the Westminster Parliament, the SNP won 56 of 59 seats in a historic landslide. It is generally acknowledged that much of the credit for this victory goes to Scotland's chief minister, Nicola Sturgeon, who far outmatched any of the other political leaders in pre-election debates. Paradoxically, it appears to have been the campaign and the aftermath of the previous referendum on Scottish Independence in which the "no's" won, that led to a phenomenal rise in SNP membership. With the defeat of the Labour and Liberal Democrat parties, the SNP now replaces the latter as the third force in Westminster politics. Scottish Independence now seems nearer than ever.

The Scottish National Party has played a significant role in the politics of Scotland in the last forty years. In particular it has contributed to and shaped the impact and dynamics of devolution. This collection brings together academics, writers, commentators and analysts of Scottish politics to address the nature of the SNP: its position in Scotland, its influence on devolution, its role as a minority administration and its relationship with other institutions in Scotland, the UK and Europe.

Even before soaring to the apparently impossible challenge of an outright majority at Holyrood in 2011, the Scottish National Party had long dominated the political narrative in Scotland. With the independence referendum in 2014 and their near clean sweep in the general election the following year, the full force of the SNP's power was felt throughout the UK. Now, with the party's rivals still trailing limply in their wake, this new account by two established SNP-watchers explains just how they have stormed to victory, changing the face of Scottish - and British - politics for ever. Tracing the path from grassroots party of protest to professional, highly centralised electoral machine, Rob Johns and James Mitchell explore the differing leadership styles and often radical shifts in the party's image, from 'tartan Tories' to self-styled anti-austerity crusaders. Along the way, they analyse the internal battles between the leadership, members and activists; map the changing profile of the average SNP voter; and outline the new challenges that have come with increased electoral success. Engaging, impartial and above all insightful, Takeover charts the rise and rise of Scotland's biggest party and asks: where now for the SNP in the wake of a historic third successive victory?

This is the first comprehensive account of the formation of the Scottish National Party, and it explains the peculiar circumstances in the inter-war era which gave rise to this phenomenon. The text fills a vacuum in one of the most under-researched periods of Scottish history, while its topicality is heightened and spread by contemporary interest in European nationalism. The book is essential reading for students of Scottish history, British political history, politics and Scottish Studies from senior school level onwards. The introductory chapter examines in depth the role of the Scottish Home Rule Association in Scottish politics in the period after the First World War up to the time of its collapse and the formation of the Scottish National Party in 1928. Subsequent chapters comprise detailed accounts of the Scottish National League 1920–28, the National Party of Scotland 1928–33, the formation of the Scottish National Party, the 'Wilderness Years' 1933–39, and the impact of the SNP on Scottish political development during the Second World War. The role of nationalism in Scottish political development is assessed, and the author demonstrates how this period was crucial to the formation of modern Scottish nationalism, and how important this development has been in determining the response of Unionist politicians.