The Rise of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the factors that have led to the rise of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party in Scotland. The Conservatives have recently enjoyed growing popularity in Scotland as depicted by the results of the 2017 general elections in which the party’s representatives in the House of Commons increased from 1 to 13. The research attempted to find out the role of the historical factors, current events, unionist approach, and charismatic leadership of the party in achieving increased support in Scotland. The exploratory research used literature review research design to address its research questions. Fifty five sources were collected from secondary sources, and only twenty met the sample selection criteria. The articles were then analysed through a critical review which showed interesting outcomes. One of the key findings is that the Conservative Party in Scotland took advantage of the current events and political dynamics, including the 2014 independence referendum and the 2016 Brexit, to win support from people who believe in the Union. Furthermore, the historical conservative values have been reignited by the charismatic leadership qualities of the party’s leader, Ruth Davidson. The transformational leader has taken advantage of the declining popularity of the Labour Party and the outcomes of major political events in Scotland and the UK to address the social welfare needs of the people of Scotland through a strong union.
Background
One of the most popular stories in the media and political news in the UK recently has been the resurgence of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party following six decades of less popularity than the Labour Party. Since the parliamentary elections of 1999 that followed devolution, the party has been third after the Scottish National Party and the Scottish Labour Party; although most of their seats came from the regional vote which is often proportionately allocated. However, in the parliamentary elections of May 2016, the party received more elected seats than the Labour Party, becoming the leading opposition party in Scotland (Singh, 2017). In the election, the Scottish National Party received 63 members of the Scottish Parliament and 35 members of the British parliament; while the conservative party won 31 seats in Scotland and 13 seats in the UK (Singh, 2017). The Labour Party attracted 27 Scottish and 7 British seats. The rise of the Conservative Party in Popularity may be attributed to several historical and current political issues and dynamics within the party, Scotland and the UK.
One of the factors contributing to the success of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist party is the charismatic leadership of the party leader Ruth Davidson (Middleton, 2016). Within a short period of seven years, Davidson has emerged to be one of the most effective leaders of the party. When she was elected in 2011, she became one of the youngest party leaders in the UK. Her transformational style of leadership has allowed her to work with several members of the party to achieve the party’s unionist manifesto. Although she did not start her career as a politician, she has managed to earn the trust of many followers and bring faith from supporters through honesty, transparency, understanding, and humility. She is one of the most approachable politicians in Scotland, and participates in party politics from the local to the national level.
Unionism also continues to be one of the dominant pillars of the party’s manifesto. The party believes that divisions among the people of Scotland will impact negatively on the economy. The Conservative and Unionist Party of Scotland also proposes improved social security for all people in Scotland, together with improved levels of healthcare. The party also encourages technological advancement and localization of growth to improve the economy. The party won increasing support in 2016 due to its focus on welfare, employment, health, education, and tax reforms. These ideals matched the needs of the people and depicted the party’s pragmatism.
The rise of the Conservative Party in Scotland has also been explained theoretically with the focus on conservatism, realism and unionism. While the party reserves its traditional conservative ideas, theory provides an effective way of establishing how the party has resurfaced from sixty years of oblivion. The history of the Conservative Party can also provide an understanding of how the conservatism theory can explain the rise and fall of the party. In the first elections involving the Scottish Conservative Party in 1965, the party received overwhelming support because conservatism was prevalent (Findlay and Holmes 2017, 76). The wave of liberalism and neoliberalism after the Cold War caused demise of the party. However, the recent growth of the party’s popularity could be a sign of the failing promise of liberalism, or the convergence of political thought nationally and regionally.
Problem Statement
The success of the Conservative Party of Scotland in the recent past demonstrates the changing landscape of politics in Scotland and the UK. After several years of little support, the party has suddenly risen in popularity. It rose from zero elected seat in 1999 to 35 in 2016. There is a huge constellation of factors that may have caused the growth of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party in terms of parliamentary representations and popularity. Some political observers suggest that the party has taken advantage of the current political events, while others argue that it has re-strategized with the help of a new transformative leader. Nonetheless, the question of historical evolution and convergence of political parties cannot be underestimated. The development of conservative and liberal political ideologies have significantly influenced the dynamics of politics in the UK (Findlay and Holmes, 2017). There is need for a research that explores theories and historical and current political factors to establish the reasons for the rise of the Conservative Party in Scotland. Unionism within the Conservative Party is also influencing the political and strategic decisions of the party, leading to improved public image and support. Therefore, the power of political unionism is an important issue for research.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study is to find out the factors that have led to the rise of the Conservative Party in Scotland. The paper examines the current political events in Scotland and the UK that may have influenced the growing support of the Scottish Conservative Party. Furthermore, the dissertation explores the historical development of conservatism from a realist perspective, and the influence of liberalism in the Scottish political environment. The study also explores how the unionist ideals of the Conservative Party and the charismatic qualities of its leadership may have contributed to the increasing popularity of the party.
Research Questions
The research addresses key issues of the Conservative Party in Scotland by attempting to answer certain questions that many politicians and historians are struggling to answer today across the UK. The key questions that the dissertation will address include:
- What contributed to the rise of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party over the past 10 years?
- How have historical factors and current events affected the growth of the Conservative Party in Scotland?
- Did conservatism and liberalism play any role in promoting the rise of the popularity of the Conservative Party in Scotland?
- How has the Unionist ideology helped the Scottish Conservative Party to gain popularity?
- How has the charismatic leadership of Ruth Davidson contributed to the increased support of the Party across Scotland?
Aims and Objectives of the Study
The aim of this research is to establish the factors that have caused the rise of the Conservative Party in Scotland, and the impact of the unionist approach and charismatic leadership of the party. To achieve this aim, there are certain objectives related to the research questions that the dissertation seeks to achieve.
- To identify the causes of the popularity growth of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- To determine the roles of current and historical events in promoting the growth of the Conservative Party in Scotland
- To establish the effects of liberalism and conservatism on the rise of the Conservative Party in Scotland over the recent past.
- To find out how the unionist approach has helped the Scottish Conservative Party to gain popularity
- To determine the contribution of the charismatic leadership of Ruth Davidson to the increasing support of the Scottish Conservative Party
Significance of the Study
Understanding the historical and current political dynamics of Scotland helps support decision making in future political discourse of the country. The Conservative Party is an important case because it has recently experienced significant success which can be a good lesson for other political parties and leaders across the UK. The study also helps politicians to understand how history, party manifestos, theory, and ideologies can be used to strengthen political parties and win support from the electorates. Furthermore, the research creates awareness of the current political environment of Scotland to help political agents and government leaders to understand the current factors that shape the political landscape of the country. It enables decision makers and leaders within political parties to gain knowledge about workable plans and ideas for the progress of their parties.
This dissertation is also important for students of political science and other related courses because it provides a theoretical, empirical and practical basis for understanding politics. The study also informs future research by providing information about the rise of the Conservative Party of Scotland to popularity. The current research derives information from a wide range of secondary sources to generate new ideas that can be used by future research to improve knowledge in Scottish politics and the Conservative Party in particular. Therefore, this study plays significant role in building practical and theoretical knowledge in politics, leadership, and policy implementation.
Detailed Plan
This dissertation is organized in five chapters: introduction, literature review, methodology, analysis and discussions, and conclusion and recommendations. The introduction consists of background information on the topic, statement of the problem, purpose of the study, research questions, aims and objectives, and significance of the study. The next section will be the literature review which is divided into introduction, theoretical and empirical literature, and conclusion. The analysis and discussion section will be a deep analysis of literature using historical discourse analysis, conservatism versus Liberalism, the role of unionist manifesto, and the charismatic leadership of the party. Finally, the conclusion will summarize all the study findings in light with the study objectives and research questions; and provide recommendations for political parties, decision makers, and future research.
Literature Review
This chapter addresses the relevant and background literature on the topic to identify a theoretical and empirical foundation for the study. The existing literature is examined in relation to the development of Conservative Parties in Scotland and the UK. Conservatism is highly related to realism; and conservative are parties often pragmatic and realistic. Based on the hypothesis that liberalism may have influenced the rise and fall of the Conservative Party, it is also necessary to study the theories of liberalism, and the empirical understanding of the dynamics of liberal political movements in the UK. The literature review will have three sections – historical background, theories related to the research questions, and empirical literature. These sections are further divided into subsections to enhance insightful review of existing literature.
Historical Background
In this section, we trace the development of Conservative Party and its ideals in Scotland and the UK using existing literature to understand how the party has survived the political climate of Europe over several decades. It is important to note, however, that the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party of Scotland is a Scottish branch of the Conservative Party of the UK. Historically, the Conservative Party has been battling for supremacy with the Labour Party. The two parties have been exhibiting contrasting ideologies over the years, although there is an emerging notion of convergence among political parties in the UK. Perhaps the idea stems from the fact that Scotland has been predominantly liberal since 1832 election reforms, when the Whig and Scottish Liberal Party ascended into power. According to Hepburn (2010, p.55), Scotland has a latent appeal for liberalism. As early as the 1800, the Liberal Party was dominant in Scottish politics. Although there was an existing Conservative Party in Scotland, it did not make any significant progress because the Liberal Party had won the people’s support significantly.
The Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party has its origins in the split of the Liberal Party of the UK in 1886. Following the separation, the Liberal Unionists left the Liberal Party to form an independent party led by Joseph Chamberlain. Meanwhile, the Tory or Conservative Party existed; but it did not have any significant influence on the political environment of Scotland. The turning point of the Scottish Conservative politics occurred in 1912 when the Liberal Unionists officially merged with the British Conservative Party (Hepburn 2010, p.65). The alliance broke the dominance of liberalism in Scotland, and the Scottish Unionist Party became the Conservative Party in Scotland. However, some candidates supporting the Conservative Party continued to vie for political seats through the Liberal Unionist Party due to the appeal of liberal ethos in Scotland.
The most important principle that separated the Unionist Party from the Liberal Party in Scotland was autonomy. The Liberalists advocated for free markets, independence, and individual rights. On the other hand the unionists supported the imperial unity derived from the Irish Home Rule in 1800. This ideology seemed to Conservative idea of ‘leave things the way they are’. The unionists wanted Ireland to remain united with the British Empire rather than becoming independent (Findlay and Holmes 2017, p.67). The party also believed that the Irish independence would lead to the disintegration of the British Empire. Similarly, the British Conservative Party believed in maintaining the status quo. Conservatives often want to avoid changes because they may cause problems; it is better to leave the current system as it is. If the system is working, why change it?
Although the Scottish Unionist Party was linked to the Conservative and Unionist Party in England and Whales, its ideals were threaded with liberal traditions and belief systems to appeal to the dominant liberal minds of Scotland. The Party successfully addressed the needs and wishes of the majority working class by demonstrating the connection between the unionist party, the empire, and the local industry. The Unionists also emphasized the unity of all social classes as the necessary impetus for unionism. Nonetheless, the Scottish Unionist Party advocated for protectionism and Protestantism to appeal to the working class. Due to the appeal to the working class, the Unionist Party achieved significant success between 1912 and 1932 (Hepburn 2010, p.87). In the elections of 1931, the party won 66% of the seats in the Scottish Parliament, the highest percentage of unionist representation in history.
The Scottish Unionist Party enjoyed significant popularity between 1912 and 1965, compared to the pre-1886 Conservative Party and the post-1965 Conservative and Unionist Party. The unity between Conservatives and Liberal Unionists supported by a strong ideology of social and national unity led to increasing strength within the party. Following the departure of unionists, the popularity and appeal of the Liberal Party declined. In this regard, the former liberal electorates found a new haven in the Scottish Unionist Party, although the Scottish National Party was also benefiting from the fallout in the Liberal Party (Czapiewski 2016, p.95). The Labour Party also became a threat to the growth of the Unionist Party; but the unionists succeeded in using propaganda to create a negative image of the Labour Party as a socialist party that possess a threat to the Middle Class.
Theoretical Framework
The dynamics of conservative politics in Scotland and the UK can be explained through conservatism and realism theories as opposed to liberalism. Some theorists and political observers have posited that conservative and liberal thoughts tend towards convergence in the modern politics. This perspective can be demonstrated by the coalition between the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats in the UK in 2010. However, conservative ideologies remain to be basically based on realism and pragmatism rather than liberalism. Although the Conservative Party seems to be adopting some policies that reflect liberal stance, it does not completely abandon its roots. Perhaps the parties waffle around liberalism and conservatism is the cause of its rise and fall in the UK and Scotland.
Conservatism and Realism
Conservatism is one of the political ideologies of the modern era. Others include liberalism and socialism. Conservatives provide prescriptions that oppose the liberal ideals of human reason and perfectibility. Conservatism emphasizes experience rather than reason, and promotes practicality as well as authority rather freedom. Gray (1995, p.78) suggests that conservatism appeals to tradition and addresses the problems of modernity. Conservatism is also a centre-right ideology proposed by political theorists to occupy the political space between fascism and liberalism. The theory appeals to the living tradition that often encourages minimal political reforms. It is opposed to revolution and liberalization of institutions.
One of the theoretical perspectives of conservatism is the broad sense of social attitude which demonstrates the human tendency to resist change and rely on habitual action. According to Beiser, one of the proponents of the broad sense of conservatism, suggests that the German Nazi’s social attitude is a good example of broad conservatism. In a narrower sense, Beiser (1992, p.281) perceives conservatism as an expression of self-conscious resistance to enlightenment.
The narrow conservatism also depicts the Aristotelian scepticism on human reason. According to Aristotle, politics and morality do not need special experts or reasoning as opposed to natural sciences; hence human experiences should be the defining source of knowledge. Nonetheless, Pocock (1989, p.220) argues that the concept of legal precedence in the English Common Law supports the self-conscious theory of conservatism, which limits political decisions to lived experience rather than progressive ideals. Hoppit (2000, p.196) also suggests, “To maintain the Established Form of Government, is the First and Highest Duty of Men Acting in Society”. David Hume also argued that the established means is better than the reasoning about the ends. This prophetic view from an ancient philosopher is later depicted in the French Revolution.
Despite the relationship between conservatism and tradition, some theorists and political commentators have argued that obscurantism does not reject modernity. In fact, Burke and David Hume support changes and the use of reason in sciences; but they explain conservatism squarely in political perspective. Indeed, conservatism is modernism because it aspires to deal with present situations and address current challenges. Kekes (1997, p.368) rejects the priori value-commitments, and proposes that experience should be used to make gradual improvements and human progress through tried and tested programmes. Nevertheless, conservatives oppose the use of abstract propositions in specific circumstances. In fact, circumstances determine political principles (Cobban 1960, p.65). Liberals and socialists advocate for the use of practical rationality and universal prescriptions; but conservatives propose that political decisions must be made according to particular circumstances. Therefore, conservatism is related to philosophical particularism which asserts that general principles should not be applied to specific situations.
Theorists have also found a correlation between conservatism and realism. According to Gamble (2012, p.153), conservatism is a practice. On the other hand, realism is based on the assumption that political action must be based on power and interests. Nation-states must pursue national interests, and political rules should use the available resources to maintain their power. In this regard, realists believe in the use of force to preserve decentralised and authoritarian system. As the state pursues national interests, political agents agree to preserve the national autonomy and recognize a higher authority (Morgenthau 1978, p.12). Realists also accept relative rather than absolute power. In this regard, nation-states should enforce agreements that promote national interests or maintain a desirable political order.
Liberalism
Burke’s critique of the French Revolution demonstrates the opposition of Liberalism as opposed to Conservatism. Honderich (2005, p.6) the French Revolution reflected the European enlightenment of the 18th century which supported the establishment of political and ethical ideals that appealed to reason rather than traditional beliefs. The French Revolution reinforced the enlightened perception through the support for capitalism and industrialization. The French Revolution and the European Enlightenment envisage the liberation of human spirit and the use of logical reasoning instead of mere feudal authority. The enlightened reason of the liberalist breeds social and political reform; but the conservative views reason with scepticism.
Liberalism in politics promotes the protection of individual rights and freedoms of citizens. According to (Hoppit (2000, p.198), the government should play the role of protecting individuals from harm by others. However, when the government becomes a threat to individual liberties, it encourages anarchy; and the people can demand for radical change through a revolution. To prevent the executive leaders from abusing its power, different branches of government have been developed to enhance the separation of power and create checks and balances. The judiciary and the legislature offer oversight roles to check the activities of the executives; and ensure that the rights of individuals are protected. Therefore, liberalists view politics as a tool of liberating the human individual from group customs and authority. Waldron (1993, p.76) suggests that Liberal parties emancipate the individual; hence it promotes individuality in the society.
Liberalism is also based on the idea of institutionalised competition which encourages democracy and free market economies. For example, the competition between political parties in elections, or between traders in the market, encourage a dynamic social order which develops the potential of the individual (Waldron 1993, p.89). The competitive market also leads to social reforms and change; and the role of the government in this case is to promote equality and justice. Government regulations are used to encourage fair competition. The adversarial belief system in the liberal school of thought is also based on the idea that human beings are capable of thinking and making independent choices. Therefore, the government should allow individuals to make their decisions and make independent choices in a free and fair environment. Thus, liberalism encourages political agents to settle disputes through diplomatic discussions and dialogue as opposed to feudalism and traditional norms and settlements.
Empirical Perspectives on the Scottish Conservative Party
Although a wide range of theories provide the basis for understanding the political dynamics of Scotland, current studies and documentations about the Scottish Conservative Party may help in providing a practical view of the political experiences of the party in the recent past. For example, authors and scholars have documented research and reports about the charismatic leadership of Ruth Davidson, the party’s manifesto, and the effects of the unionist ideologies of the party.
One of the critical factors leading to the transformation of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party in the recent past is the leadership approach of the young charismatic leader, Ruth Davidson who has been the party’s leader since 2011. Ruth was a Territorial Army officer and a BBC journalist before joining politics. She first elected as party leader at the age of 33 in 2011; and since she became a leader of the Conservative Party, the party has grown rapidly in popularity. As a young politician, Davidson set herself apart from other Conservatives such as Margaret Thatcher who have insisted on the maintenance of traditional approaches and the status quo.
Unlike Thatcher, Davidson was from a working class society, and she challenged the established elites and conventional belief systems. For example, she is open to express her sex identity as a lesbian. In fact, she has courageously stated that the rights of LGBTs are more important to her than the Conservative Party (Smith, 2017). Historically, Britain has been intolerant with homosexuality in the past century. In the Northern Ireland, same-sex marriage is still illegal, and Davidson is pushing for its legalization. Therefore, Davidson has stood out as a unique conservative with liberal ideologies. She is ready to challenge the established systems and fight for the rights of individuals and minority groups; yet she is proud to be a conservative and helps the party to grow. Robinson and Kerr (2017, p.1) suggest that the emergence of women leadership in the major political parties in Scotland within the past few years can be attributed to the effects of socio-political approaches that tend to replace naturalism and universalism.
Davidson believes in the unity of the Kingdom as Margaret Thatcher did. However, the later had anti-Scottish attitudes which hampered the growth of the unionist party in Scotland. As the Labour Party pushed for devolution since 1970s, Thatcher hanged on to the strength in the unity of her party and the country. During the referendum of 1979, Thatcher managed to lead the Scottish Conservatives and some SNP leaders to vote against devolution as proposed by the Labour government with a promise of a better alternative (Czapiewski 2016, p.88). She also promised the reduced power of government, increased respect for individual rights, and independence of citizens. However, she never fulfilled her promise, and continued to oppose any form of Scottish devolution after becoming the Prime Minister. Nonetheless, Thatcher was a strong supporter of nationalism. She demonstrated an open scepticism about the European Union, and advocated for the sovereignty of the United Kingdom.
Due to the strong opposition to the independence of Scotland, Thatcher received significant rebellion. She was opened accused of lacking concern for Scotland. Davidson seems to follow on the same footsteps of Thatcher; but she gives a better alternative of individual rights and liberties to the citizens, which is fulfilled through her relentless commitment to LGBT rights. The Conservative’s manifesto of 2017 provides for the economic empowerment of citizens as well as respect for the rights of Scottish people. Nonetheless, unionism has become important ideology that has strengthened the Conservative Party of Scotland. Kidd (2008, p.95) argues that the number of opponents to unionism increased since late 20th century. However, the support for secession only remains in theory because pro-unionists won with over 50% in the 2014 referendum organized by the majority party, Scottish National Party.
Unionists seem to be winning the battle over the nationalists because increased number of Scottish Conservative representatives in the House of Commons (13) gives the Conservative Party in the UK a majority status (Tannam 2016, p.5). Furthermore, the Democratic Unionist Party of Ireland (10) add the numbers for the Conservatives. Therefore, the occurrence of a successful nationalist referendum is highly unlikely, and the Conservative Party will hang on to the pro-unionist success of the 2014 referendum with the exceptional leadership of Davidson.
Research Methodology
Research Design
Effective research requires a good research design to gather sufficient and reliable data for analysis and interpretation. A research design refers to the arrangement of the processes and requirements for collecting, arranging, measuring and analysis of data to achieve the purpose of the study. It provides a conceptual structure for the study. It highlights the steps that will be undertaken in the research from the identifying the research questions and hypothesis to the final analysis and interpretation of data. The design also specifies the types of information required for the study, and the sources of data. It acts as a plan to support a smooth flow of research operations to achieve the objectives of the study. The design of this research is produced in a way that it minimises bias and increases reliability of the data collected.
This study takes the form of exploratory or formulative research because it explores the existing literature and ideas concerning a socio-political phenomenon. An exploratory research formulates a problem for the purpose of provide an accurate investigation. The paper aims to examine the ideas of conservatism in Scotland to understand the rationale for the rise of the Conservative Party. According to Kothari (2004, p.36), an appropriate research design for exploratory studies should be flexible to allow the researcher to look at different elements and wide varieties of options and ideas regarding the problem or issue under study. In this regard, the procedure for gathering data may change as new perspectives are identified in the course of the research.
Methods of Collecting Data
The current study uses a survey of literature to formulate the problem and collect data to address the problem. According to Kothari (2004, p.36), a literature review method is important for an exploratory research that uses secondary sources of data. This research reviews the hypothesis and thesis statements of other authors. Literature review involves building upon work that has already been done to address current problem. The researcher applies theories and concepts from other sources to the topic under study. The sources of data include books, journal articles, reports, and news articles addressing the topic. To collect secondary data, the author must consider the reliability and suitability of the sources. The sources that are appropriate for one enquiry may not necessarily be suitably applicable for another study.
