The Revolt Against Satellization in Scotland and Wales

Abstract

One of the most striking political trends in Britain in recent years is the resurgence of the Celtic nations of Scotland and Wales. This manifests itself in the almost meteoric rise of the Scottish National Party and of Plaid Cymru (the Welsh National Party). Both parties have in recent years become an increasingly significant political force at the local government level; their entry onto the national political scene dates from the Carmarthen by-election of July, 1966, and the Hamilton by-election of October, 1967. In the Carmarthen by-election the Plaid Cymru candidate, Gwynfor Evans, captured a traditionally safe Labour seat with a majority over the Labour candidate of some 2,500 (as a result of the doubling of the Plaid Cymru vote); in the Hamilton by-election the Scottish National candidate, Mrs. Winifred Ewing, captured the seat in a landslide victory which converted a Labour majority of 16,576 into a Scottish National majority of 1,799.This article can also be found at the Monthly Review website, where most recent articles are published in full.Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.