The 2011 Scottish Conservative Party Leadership Election: Dilemmas for Statewide Parties in Regional Contexts

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract / Description of output

The 2011 Scottish Conservative leadership election presented the party with two radically different visions for the future. The Scottish Conservatives rejected Murdo Fraser's plan to create a new independent Scottish Party of the centre right and elected Ruth Davidson, who promised to reform the party within the UK Conservative Party. The Conservatives' rejection of a radical break with the past suggests they will continue along a path of incremental change and supports an institutionalist analysis of party adaptation to devolution. This article explores why Davidson won and examines some of the implications for the Scottish and UK Conservative parties. The centre-periphery tension played out during the campaign is a dilemma for all territorial branches of statewide parties but poses especially difficult problems for the Conservatives because of the tension between unionist and centre-right agendas.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)306-327
JournalParliamentary Affairs
Volume67
Issue number2
Early online date19 Jul 2012
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2014

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • Scottish Conservative Party
  • Conservative Party
  • Sub-state parties
  • Devolution
  • Party leadership elections

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