Adapting to Multi-Level Politics: The Political Parties and the General Election in Scotland

Abstract

General Elections have always been very British affairs. As contests to decide which party will form the next UK government, they have tended to accentuate the British dimension of politics throughout the country. This British contest dominates the campaign in Scotland as elsewhere, but it coincides with a distinctively Scottish dimension. A distinctive party system and the need to defend or re-negotiate Scotland's place in the Union has ensured that, alongside the British election, a parallel election takes place between the parties in Scotland. The contest in Scotland is principally concerned with determining which party can best represent Scottish interests and get the best deal for Scotland in the UK. This has been closely related to the politics of Union and of Scottish home rule and, from 1974-1997, British elections in Scotland commonly reflected a battle between parties purporting to represent the best channel for voicing Scotland's demands for selfgovernment. The balance between the British and Scottish dimension in General Elections has varied over time, but since devolution, the British character of General Elections in Scotland has become more prevalent. The establishment of the Scottish Parliament has (perhaps temporarily) removed the home rule issue from the British election contest. Although a Scottish dimension remains, particularly with respect to the parallel contest between the Scottish parties, the campaign in Scotland in 2005 was less distinctive than in previous General Elections over recent years. The issues that dominated the party campaigns in Scotland were also prevalent in the election campaign south of the border. Yet, the Scottish Parliament has fundamentally altered the context