A History of the Scottish Liberals and Liberal Democrats - Paperback

by David Torrance (Author)

The Scottish Liberal Party was the dominant party of Victorian Scotland. While its electoral fortunes declined with the rise of the Labour and (Scottish) Unionist parties during the 1920s, it remained a significant 'third' force in an increasingly crowded 'Scottish political system', particularly during the latter half of the 20th century. This was especially true following its 1988 merger with the Social Democratic Party to form the Scottish Liberal Democrats, when it helped shape the modern devolution settlement via the Scottish Constitutional Convention.
This book examines both parties via a chronological presentation of their histories. Each chapter includes themes such as organisation, relations between the Scottish and UK parties, the deployment of 'nationalist' arguments and rhetoric, and strategic approaches (after 1922) to recover electorally and pursue certain constitutional aims including devolution for Scotland. It also presents a detailed examination of the party's record in devolved and Westminster government after 1999.

Back Jacket

How has Scottish Liberal Party's organisation, ideology and electoral performance developed over the past two centuries? The Scottish Liberal Party was the dominant party of Victorian Scotland. While its electoral fortunes declined with the rise of the Labour and (Scottish) Unionist parties during the 1920s, it remained a significant 'third' force in an increasingly crowded 'Scottish political system', particularly during the latter half of the 20th century. This was especially true following its 1988 merger with the Social Democratic Party to form the Scottish Liberal Democrats, when it helped shape the modern devolution settlement via the Scottish Constitutional Convention. This book examines both parties via a chronological presentation of their histories. Each chapter includes themes such as organisation, relations between the Scottish and UK parties, the deployment of 'nationalist' arguments and rhetoric, and strategic approaches (after 1922) to recover electorally and pursue certain constitutional aims including devolution for Scotland. It also presents a detailed examination of the party's record in devolved and Westminster government after 1999. David Torrance is the author of more than a dozen books on Scottish and UK politics, including, Standing up for Scotland: Nationalist Unionism and Scottish Party Politics, 1884-2014 (Edinburgh University Press, 2020). He was formerly a freelance broadcaster and journalist, which included a weekly column for The Herald newspaper between 2013 and 2018.

Author Biography

Dr David Torrance is a constitutional expert at the House of Commons Library. Prior to that, he was a freelance journalist, broadcaster and writer for almost 20 years. As a columnist with the Herald newspaper, he was one of the leading commentators on Scottish and UK politics during the 2014 independence and 2016 Brexit referendums, while as the author or editor of almost 20 books, he has published unauthorised biographies of the SNP leaders and First Ministers Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon. He has a PhD in history and political science.