Scottish Political Parties and the 2014 Independence Referendum

Overview

Voters in Scotland face a fundamental choice about their future at the independence referendum on September 18, 2014, and political parties are key actors in this process. Though this referendum saw the launch of umbrella campaign groups - 'Yes Scotland' and 'Better Together' - political parties remained central to the campaign. The parties shaped the nature of the referendum in government, and they provided leadership, resources, activists. and expertise to the campaign. Additionally, the parties were major producers of political discourse throughout Scotland's contemporary referendum experience. Though the referendum offers a simple 'Yes/No' choice on the ballot, some voters may also use party loyalty as a short-cut guide to understanding the issues and their decision. This book analyzes the referendum roles and activities of the Conservatives, Scottish Green Party, Labor, Liberal Democrats, Scottish National Party, and Scottish Socialist Party during the campaign. It places the independence referendum in an international context through the examination of other sovereignty referendums. The book also looks at the emergence of new organizations, such as 'Radical Independence' and 'National Collective.' Finally, it adopts the Essex School of discourse analysis to examine the contested nature of political discourse around the referendum. [Subject: Politics, Scottish Studies]