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The Scottish National Party

Published 1 January 1979
W. A. Roger Mullin
Citations12

Abstract

Increasing electoral support in recent years for the Scottish National Party (SNP) had created a major challenge, not only to the main UK parties operating in Scotland, but also to the legitimacy of the United Kingdom. Why, in an advanced industrial society, apparently with a long established and legitimated system of government, a nationalist party should emerge to threaten the established political order is a problem still awaiting a comprehensive answer. Whatever the reason, one thing is clear: the SNP has been able to mobilise the nationalist aspirations and discontents of the Scottish electorate to a remarkable degree, through a party structure and ideology which has proved able to attract more new political activists and to campaign more effectively than any other major party in Scotland in recent times.

Keywords

Social SciencesArts and Humanities