The Scottish Conservative Party

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

Abstract

The relative autonomy of the Scottish Conservative Party within the British Conservative Party can be traced to its beginnings as a separate entity that only merged with the UK party in the 1960s. The decline of the Scottish Conservatives since the high point of 1955 has been striking and was at its most marked during the Conservative Governments (1979–1997) when Margaret Thatcher became a potent symbol of a foreign Englishness. Scottish conservatism and, especially, Unionism is ideologically flexible, but it took its cue from the economically liberal direction of the British Conservative Party at the end of the twentieth century. Attitudes towards devolution have in general caused much more discord than its approach to economic policy. These debates pose fundamental questions about the Union and became intertwined in the 1990s with issues of Scottish distinctiveness and identity in a manner that was damaging for the Conservatives. The Scottish Conservatives’ recent revival under Ruth Davidson’s leadership poses the question of how far the party has changed its policies and approach since 1997.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationThe Oxford Handbook of Scottish Politics
EditorsMichael Keating
PublisherOxford University Press
Chapter13
Pages237-254
Number of pages18
ISBN (Electronic)9780191863776
ISBN (Print)9780198825098
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 20 Aug 2020

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • conservatism
  • devolution
  • elections
  • parties
  • Scotland

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