The Strange Death of Labour Scotland

by Hassan, Gerry; Shaw, Eric

• ISBN13: 9780748640027
• ISBN10: 0748640029
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-06-20
• Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

Summary

The Scottish Labour Party is in an unprecedented position. Having been the leading party in Scotland for fifty years it lost an election and office to the SNP in 2007.This book addresses, examines and analyses the last thirty years of Scottish Labour, from the arrival of Thatcherism in 1979 to the aftermath of the party's defeat in the 2007 Scottish Parliament elections. It asks fundamental questions about the nature of Scottish Labour, its dominance of Scottish politics, the wider politics of Scotland, and whether the decline is irreversible.Covering both contemporary events and recent history, it draws on extensive research including archival sources and interviews with some of the key participants in Scottish Labour.

Author Biography

Gerry Hassan is one of Scotland's foremost political commentators and writers, regularly appearing in the Scottish, British and international media. He is the author and editor of over a dozen books on Scottish and British politics, including The Modern SNP (Edinburgh University Press, 2009). Eric Shaw is a Senior Lecturer in Politics at the University of Stirling and a highly regarded expert on the Labour Party. He is author of four books on the Labour Party, including Losing Labour's Soul? (2007).

Table of Contents

List of Tables	p. vii
Acknowledgements	p. viii
Introduction: The Strange Death of 'Labour Scotland'	p. 1
The 'Myth' of 'Labour Scotland'	p. 5
The Context of Scottish Labour: The Opposition Years
Fighting for What Really Matters: The Politics of Scottish Labour 1979-87	p. 21
'What Do You Do When Democracy Fails You?'-'The Scottish Dimension' and Thatcherism	p. 43
Northern Discomfort: Scottish Labour, New Labour and the Coming of Blair	p. 63
The Context of Scottish Labour: Devolution Days
The High Tide of New Labour, New Scotland	p. 81
Scottish Labour and 'the Early Days of a Better Nation'	p. 96
The Politics of Stability and the Slow Demise of New Labour	p. 109
A Different Political Landscape: Scottish Labour in a Cold Climate	p. 126
Scottish Labour in Power
How Distinctive is Scottish Labour? The Cases of Education and Health	p. 153
Ideology, Institutions and the Programmatic Trajectory of Scottish Labour	p. 169
The Paradox of Free Personal Care for the Elderly	p. 187
Dynamics of Scottish Labour
Still the People's Party? Scottish Voting Behaviour and the Scottish Party System	p. 203
The Evolution of Scottish Labour	p. 222
The Internal Politics of Scottish Labour	p. 245
Power and Policy-making	p. 262
Power in the Scottish Labour Party: The Case of Candidate Selection	p. 277
The Territorial Dimensions of Labour	p. 299
Conclusion: The Forward March of Scottish Labour Halted?	p. 316
References	p. 333
Index	p. 354
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