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

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

Presidents

Leader

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

  1. Brown, Stewart J. (October 1992). "'Echoes of Midlothian': Scottish Liberalism and the South African War, 1899-1902". The Scottish Historical Review. LXXI. JSTOR 25530538.
  2. Devine, Thomas Martin; Finlay, Richard J. (1996). Scotland in the twentieth century. Edinburgh University Press. p. 73. ISBN 978-0-7486-0839-3.
  3. Checkland, Olive; Checkland, S. G. Industry and Ethos: Scotland, 1832-1914. p. 77.

Further reading

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