"The 1997 Devolution Referendum in Scotland." However, their support in the 1997 election marginally dipped in terms of votes gained. In 1997, the SNP, the Scottish Labour Party and the Scottish Lib Dems all backed the creation of the Scottish Parliament. "The 1997 Devolution Referendum in Scotland." This is the desire of people with a common bond to … Legislative devolution (i.e. It was the second referendum held in Scotland over the question of devolution, the first being in 1979, and is to date the only major referendum to be held in any part of the United Kingdom where voters were asked two questions in the same plebiscite. [7] It was speculated that the Scottish referendum could have been postponed, but this would have required a recall of the UK Parliament and an amendment to the Referendums Act. the successful passage of the Scottish Devolution referendum on September 12, 1997, and a topic for my thesis. Next week, Wales will have its turn to speak. In Oxford University Press Journals 51, (2): 167. The SNP got 35 votes out of a … [Mitchell, James., David Denver, Charles Pattie and Hugh Bochel, 1998. Administrations of regionally devolved areas are omitted. Prime Minister Tony Blair claimed that "the era of big centralised government is over". This was a poll that the Conservative Party had to fight despite losing their "No" Campaign and having no Westminster seats in Scotland after losing the 1997 general election. [2] It was agreed to form a Scottish Constitutional Convention, made up of existing MPs and councillors. The referendum was a Labour Party manifesto commitment and was held in their first term in office after the 1997 UK general election, under the provisions of the Referendums (Scotland and Wales) Act 1997. SNP MPs will vote to protect the devolution settlement that people in Scotland overwhelmingly voted for in 1997. An SNP source said: "The system has been breached. The campaign at the time "It's Scotland's oil", played a big part in gaining the seats, and there was a general feel of optimism about the way the devolution strategy was heading. “The only way to protect and strengthen the Scottish Parliament is with independence.” A Downing Street source did not deny Mr Johnson had told MPs that devolution had been a disaster, but stressed that the remarks referred to Scottish National Party (SNP) mismanagement. The devolved Parliament convened for the first time in May 1999, following its first election. "Those countries that have devolved have proved successful because they meet the will of the people.". The 1997 United Kingdom general election was held on 1 May 1997. Did it condemn Labour’s plans for devolution? "The result exceeded all my expectations. "This is a time for change, renewal and modernity. In fact, I was in primary school at the time! Although 51.6% voted in favour, this was only 32.9% of the electorate so the Assembly was not brought into being. Turnout for the referendum was 60.4%. [1] A Campaign for a Scottish Assembly was formed afterwards to continue the campaign. For the losers, the mainly Conservative "No" camp, there was little consolation. [7], The result was "Yes-Yes": the majority voted "I agree" in favour of both proposals. 12th September 1997 - Sean Connery is thrilled with the positive outcome of the Scottish Devolution referendum and shares his hopes for the future of Scotland. [5], The official Yes campaign, Scotland Forward (styled "Scotland FORward"), was headed by the businessman Nigel Smith and came out of the groups that had previously formed the Scottish Constitutional Convention, along with the Scottish National Party. Labour MP, Tam Dalyell opposed the creation of the Parliament, but in favour of giving such a Parliament the power to raise and lower taxes on the basis that, although he opposed the Parliament as proposed by his party, if it did exist it should have tax-varying powers. There is no law-making body for any regionally devolved area. A referendum was held in 1979 under a Labour government which stipulated that a Scottish Assembly would come into being if the referendum had been supported by 50% of votes cast plus a controversial rule whereby at least 40% of the electorate had to vote in favour. Here’s what you need to know. In Oxford University Press Journals 51, (2): 166.]. Labour Leader, Tony Blair focused on transforming his party through a more centrist … Where power would be redistributed from Westminster to a Parliament in Edinburgh. Shortly afterwards, the predominantly anti-devolution-led Conservative Party won the 1979 general election. The result was formally announced at a ceremony in Edinburgh attended by the leaders of all four Scottish parties. Detail was also lacking in that the Scottish Constitutional Convention had failed to address issues such as the role of The Queen or aspects of tax-varying powers.[12]. Raymond Robertson, chairman of the Scottish Tories, said his party would campaign vigorously at the 1999 elections. "Alex Salmond, the SNP leader, persuaded his party to accept Labour’s policy of devolution by explaining that supporting the ‘Yes’ campaign in the Referendum of 1997 was simply a means of providing the building blocks for independence. The political backdrop of campaigning focused on public opinion towards a change in government. Scottish Secretary Donald Dewar, the author of the Government's devolution white paper, said it ended once and for all the arguments about Scotland's desire for some form of home rule. "We will shortly begin work on our manifesto but I can say right now that its centrepiece will be the pursuit of an independent Scotland. That government put devolution to one side but it was a policy area that remained on the agenda of the Labour Party. The second nation-wide referendum on Scottish devolution was held on Thursday 11 September 1997. The whole system of change will speed up." Scottish Labour, the SNP, Scottish Liberal Democrats, and Scottish Greens campaigned for a "Yes" vote for both proposals whilst the Conservatives opposed both proposals. More votes were cast for the first question than the second in all regions (except Fife), with substantially more spoilt ballots for the second question, perhaps due to voter confusion over the two papers. But now, in the 2020s I hope to finally give anti-devolution Scots a voice, and shake up the cosy Holyrood establishment that has gone unchallenged for far too long. I believe that we now have the chance to build a modern constitution for the whole of the United Kingdom. In 1997, the people of Scotland voted overwhelmingly – by 74 per cent to 26 per cent – to establish this Scottish Parliament. In the referendum, on 1 March 1979, Scotland voted in favour of devolution by 52% to 48% - but only 32.9% of the electorate had joined the majority. The Labour Party included the establishment of a Scottish Parliament in its manifesto for the 1997 general election, which they won with a landslide majority of 179. Do you agree that there should be a Scottish Parliament as proposed by the Government? Devolution is a complex development influenced by economics and nationalism. Professor Tom Devine, academic at the University of Edinburgh, dubbed the referendum result "the most significant development in Scottish political history since the Union of 1707". This article seeks to highlight the differences between devolution to Scotland and devolution to Wales through the example of the 1997 referendums. the power to make, amend and repeal laws in areas predetermined by Parliament) has only existed since 1997. Mr Blair, attempting to drum up support for a Yes vote in next week's referendum on Welsh devolution, placed the Scottish result in the context of a complete overhaul of the British constitution. Originally published in the Guardian on 13 September 1997: SNP sees victory in devolution referendum as first step towards full independence for Scotland However, it struggled to get much business support as they were wary of opposing a project that had such support from the new government which had a large majority. Scottish Parliament Constituencies and Electoral Regions, Referendums (Scotland and Wales) Act 1997, The most influential document this century, "Referendum Campaign Is Suspended As A Mark Of Respect", Results of Devolution Referendums 1979 & 1997, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-41189455, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-scotland-41228211/scottish-devolution-vote-from-the-archive, Greater London Authority (Referendum) Act 1998, Ministry of Justice - Devolution Directorate-General, Office of the Advocate General for Scotland, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1997_Scottish_devolution_referendum&oldid=999206636, September 1997 events in the United Kingdom, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Northern Ireland-related legislation of the UK Parliament. In response to the majority voting for "Yes" to both proposals, the UK Parliament passed the Scotland Act 1998. [6], The official No campaign, Think Twice, was headed by Brian Monteith, a former employee of the Conservative MP, Michael Forsyth. Elections will be held early in 1999 and the parliament will begin operation in January 2000 with a full legislative programme that is almost certain to include land reform. Jim Wallace, leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, part of the pro-devolution alliance, dismissed the SNP argument and pointed to the success of devolution in Catalonia and Bavaria. The SNP (Scots Nationalist Party) had originally not supported the idea of devolution. [4] Two council areas had an overall "Yes-No" result - Dumfries & Galloway and Orkney. On the second ballot paper the following appeared: Parliament has decided to consult people in Scotland on the Government's proposals for a Scottish Parliament to have tax varying powers: Scottish Labour, the SNP, Scottish Liberal Democrats, and Scottish Greens campaigned for a "Yes" vote for both proposals whilst the Conservatives opposed both proposals. Since devolution Labour has been eviscerated by the SNP, an outcome that is hard to believe would have happened had Holyrood not been available for the SNP … In Oxford University Press Journals 51, (2): 166. The "No" campaign did not share this optimism and feared that this vote was a catalyst towards the break-up of the Union. On the first ballot paper the following appeared: Parliament has decided to consult people in Scotland on the Government's proposals for a Scottish Parliament: This page was last edited on 9 January 2021, at 00:44. This established a Scottish Parliament for the first time since the adjournment of the pre-Union Parliament of Scotland in 1707. May 1997 Labour's manifesto presents the devolution policy for the May 1997 general election based on the SCC report and commits to holding a referendum on the establishment of a Scottish parliament.. September 11th 1997 Scotland goes to the polls for the referendum and 44.87 per cent of voters agree that there should be a Scottish parliament. I have no doubt we will achieve that aim within my own lifetime," the 42-year-old SNP leader said. "<15> The future of Scotland, though, remains in the hands of the electorate. The turn-out of 60.1% was greater than pro-devolutionists had hoped for. "The 1997 Devolution Referendum in Scotland." The incumbent governing Conservative Party led by Prime Minister John Major was defeated in a landslide by the Labour Party led by Tony Blair.. But Mr Salmond, who has already stated his intention to lead the nationalists in the new parliament, said last night that he would seek a mandate to establish a separate Scottish state. Mr Salmond's forecast of further constitutional upheaval was immediately countered by Tony Blair, who told a crowd of Labour Party workers in Edinburgh that the overwhelming vote in favour of devolution would cement rather than break up the 290-year-old union between England and Scotland. Like all voters currently under the age of forty, I was too young to vote in the devolution referendum of 1997. However, they put their political differences aside immediately after the vote in celebration. Though the referendums were both held in September 1997 and they were both victories for the ‘Yes’ side, the projects on offer were different, so that the referendum campaigns, and even the questions asked, were different too. Mitchell, James et al, 1998. Devolution in the UK is bound up with the idea of NATIONALISM. A majority voted 'I agree' in every local council, apart from in Dumfries & Galloway[9] and Orkney.[10]. 73 Scottish Devolution (1997-9) Starting Point According to the philosopher George Santayana’s well-known maxim, “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”.1 More than most, politicians and civil servants are often thought to be weak at learning the lessons of past failures, but in the case of Scottish devolution Despite this, the SNP's calls for independence soon reignited with SNP leader Alex Salmond claiming that there would be an independent Scotland within his lifetime. The 1997 Devolution Referendum. .mw-parser-output .block-indent{padding-left:3em;padding-right:0;overflow:hidden}. Did the SNP’s 1997 manifesto endorse or welcome or approve of devolution? Scottish parliament: FOR - 74.3% AGAINST - 25.7%, SNP sees victory in devolution referendum as first step towards full independence for Scotland, Alex Salmond, leader of the SNP, in 1999. The result was "Yes–Yes": a majority voted in favour of both proposals, and the Parliament was established following an election in 1999. These two parties issued a statement in March 1997 stating they would support each other on the issue of devolution for Scotland and Wales. ... Public votes about devolution were held in 1997 in Scotland and Wales, and in … It was the New Labour landslide in 1997 which swept the Conservatives out of Scotland and paved the way for the rise of Alex Salmond’s SNP. Yes it did. [12] As well as the "Yes" campaign leader stated "it does, I hope, end much argument and dispute". I do not agree that there should be a Scottish Parliament, I do not agree that a Scottish Parliament should have tax-varying powers. [13], When the Secretary of State for Scotland, Donald Dewar, went back to London to implement the referendum result, he found the Whitehall civil service unwilling to give up powers and doubting that matters over and above those previously handled by the Scottish Office (such as education, health, transport, police and housing) should be politically devolved. [3], The electorate was asked to vote on two sets of statements which corresponded to both proposals.[4]. These are the SNP’s words, taken from page 9 of that manifesto: New Labour’s scheme for a Scottish Assembly [sic] is … [2] The "Claim" was published in 1988 and signed by most Scottish politicians, local councils, trade unions and churches. [6], Campaigning in the referendum was suspended between the death and funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales. May 1997 Tony Blair and New Labour win a landslide, sweeping the Conservatives out of Scottish seats and promising devolution. Committing himself to devolving powers from Westminster to all parts of the UK, he said: "This is a good day for Scotland and a good day for the United Kingdom too. It was the second time in two decades that Scottish voters went to the polls to decide whether they wanted some form of decentralisation. Although the SNP will not be drawn on a target date for independence, there will be a push to achieve it before the symbolically important date of 2007, exactly 300 years after Scotland lost its independence. [8], Votes in favour of tax-varying powers still commanded significant majority, when compared to establishing the Parliament per se. After the war, Labour reigned unchallenged, which is why, in 1997, it drew up a devolution settlement on the assumption that Scotland would always be its fiefdom. 2. Labour MP, Tam Dalyell opposed the creation of the Parliament, but in favour of giving such a Parliament the power to raise and lower taxes on the basis that, although he opposed the Parliament as proposed by his party, if it did exist it should have tax-varying powers. — The SNP (@theSNP) May 18, 2018. The Tory government refuses to remove the power grab. The Scottish referendum of 1979 was a post-legislative referendum to decide whether there was a sufficient support for a Scottish Assembly proposed in the Scotland Act 1978 among the Scottish electorate. By … 1997: four months after the 1997 Labour victory, a referendum is held in Scotland on devolution and it received the support of the majority of those who voted. This referendum returned almost 75% in favour of a Scottish Parliament. Dewar won the argument that the legislation would contain no “glass ceiling” on Scotland’s aspirations and progress to independence if people wanted it – intrinsic to the SNP being full-heartedly behind the devolution proposals in the 1997 referendum. With the discovery of North Sea oil in the mid-1970s, the SNP claimed success by winning 11 seats in the 1974 general elections. Work is already under way on a detailed Scottish parliament bill which will be introduced and given its second reading before Christmas. They brought together a committee of "prominent Scots" who drafted the document "A Claim of Right for Scotland". ... image caption Alex Salmond and the SNP had initially been suspicious of the devolution … The EU Withdrawal Bill makes a grab for these powers, returning them to Westminster not Holyrood. Mhairi Black, the SNP’s shadow Scotland Office spokesperson, said: “Fast forward from 1997 and the opponents of devolution today are ramping up efforts to actively undermine it at every opportunity. In a vote which presaged the biggest shake-up of British politics since the Irish Free State was established in 1922, 74.3% of the electorate backed a Scottish parliament, with 63.5% in favour of it having tax-raising powers. ", Mr Blair then flew to Wales, where he told a crowd in Cardiff: "Yesterday Scotland spoke. Scotland can look forward to a beginning for a new millennium," he said. ... On devolution, there is an explicit power grab – a blatant acknowledgment that the UK Government is going to reserve the devolved policy area of state aid. Board members included Donald Findlay, a QC, Rector of the University of St Andrews and vice-chairman of Rangers F.C., and senior Conservative peer, Lord Fraser. I ask you to come out then.". JOHN MAJOR warned back in 1997 that devolution in Scotland would eventually led to calls for Scottish independence, according to archived reports. This is the way forward. It was supported by the Labour, SNP, Liberal Democrat and Green parties. 1999: elections held for the new Scottish Parliament. [11] The Scotland Act 1998 also created the Scottish Executive, later to become known as the Scottish Government. The era of big, centralised government is over. 3. All 32 of Scotland's voting regions supported the parliament, with only two - Dumfries and Galloway and Orkney - voting marginally against the tax powers. However, until the political mechanisms, meaning dominant political parties and political elites, harness these two components, devolution cannot occur. Tony Blair agreed with Boris Johnson that devolution was mistake amid SNP independence bid TONY BLAIR admitted devolution was a mistake in a … Mitchell, James et al, 1998. No it did not. The SNP and Labour have both criticised the prime minister. The results show clear majorities for … Photograph: Murdo Macleod. Scottish nationalist leader Alex Salmond delivered an apocalyptic prophecy yesterday that Scotland will be independent in his lifetime after a sweeping referendum result that transformed the British political landscape. Do you agree that a Scottish Parliament should have tax-raising powers as proposed by the Government? [13], The "Yes" campaign leaders Donald Dewar (Scottish Labour Party) and Alex Salmond (Scottish National Party) held different views over the devolution proposal. A look back at the Scottish devolution referendum in 1997 as the 20th anniversary approaches. Following initial public votes on devolution in 1997, Scotland has had its powers extended in 2012 and in 2014. But Scottish Labour then imploded. The Scottish devolution referendum of 1997 was a pre-legislative referendum held in Scotland on Thursday 11 September 1997 over whether there was support for the creation of a Scottish Parliament with devolved powers, and whether the Parliament should have tax-varying powers.
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