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The Problems

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In Their Words

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Elections 2003 

May 1st, 2003

The people of Scotland went to the polls on a rainy first of May this year. As the results came through, it became apparent that Labour had scraped to victory with a total of 50 seats, despite losing votes in many areas. The SNP came in second with 27 total seats, destined to become the official opposition of the Scottish government for another four years. Labour will wheel and deal with the Liberal Democrats to form another coalition.

What Happened?

The results largely benefited the small parties of Scotland, including the Scottish Socialist Party and the Scottish Green Party, who, in getting the number of votes and seats they did, influenced the performance of the main parties. Despite a terrible track record in the last four years, including advocating war in Iraq without consulting the Scottish people and doing nothing to save the Scottish fishing industry that is currently in crisis, the Scottish Labour Party were returned to parliament with the largest number of seats. And despite running a professional and highly praised campaign, the SNP failed to win the required amount of seats to govern.  

The SNP Continues the Fight

John Swinney on May 4th insisted his party would not dump its goal of Scottish independence. And he slapped down speculation that the SNP might have to consider settling for Scotland winning more autonomy but remaining part of the UK. "Under no circumstances," Mr Swinney told BBC Radio Scotland's Eye to Eye programme. "I joined the SNP at the age of 15, I have devoted my adult life to the winning of Scottish independence. And I'm not going to change the SNP's fundamental direction towards Scottish independence. I believe in independence, I believe independence is the only way in which our parliament will have the power to deliver a prosperous economy, to get people out of poverty, to guarantee we have a safe and secure environment, and that we have a place for Scotland in the world. That's what independence means to me, and it's as relevant today as it has ever been.

Mr. Swinney argued his party fought an election campaign that had won praise from commentators but voters had not yet been ready to view it as a party of government. "The party got caught in a transition from being a party that attracted many protest votes in the 1999 and previous elections, to becoming a party of government," he said. This transition was one the SNP had yet to make, he said. "I am absolutely serious about delivering Scottish independence, and we will not deliver Scottish independence simply by being a protest party. We have to deliver Scottish independence from a position of strength - which is in government, in office." He also said the party had to strengthen its political organization on the ground, and to "rejuvenate" itself at local level. He said he had already launched moves to bring about better participation for individual party members, moves to expand the membership of the party, and other internal changes.

As it currently stands, Scotland is no more than a mere region of a member state in the eyes of the European Union. It has no international voice, no control over its defense or security, no say at "the big table" of nations. This must change if Scotland is to flourish in the future. And only the Scottish National Party is willing to make that change happen. The other parties in Scotland - Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats - are all content to watch the nation of Scotland slip further away from releasing its full potential. 

Help the SNP win in 2007 by joining the party and supporting it with a donation.

Resources

Scottish National Party - official website for news, campaign information, manifesto, and to donate.

Official SNP Campaign Site

Releaseourpotential.com

Latest Election News (scotsman.com)

Latest Election News (The Herald)

Results Map - complete results

How the Electoral System in Scotland works