A History of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Parties - by David Torrance (Paperback)

About the Book

How have the Scottish Conservatives influenced Scottish politics?

Book Synopsis

The Scottish Unionist Party was the dominant party of inter-war Scotland, and while its electoral fortunes declined with the rise of the Labour and Scottish National parties during the 1960s, it remained a significant force in Scotland after its 1965 rebranding as the Scottish Conservative Party. More recently, it experienced a modest electoral revival under the leadership of Ruth Davidson (2011-19). Yet while aspects of the party's history have received attention from historians and political scientists, it remains relatively neglected, with most publications either out of print or out of date. Strikingly, there exists no up-to-date, accessible single-volume history of the party from its origins in the late nineteenth century until present. Furthermore, a lot of Scottish Conservative history is coloured by mythology and political prejudice. This volume, the second in a series of Scottish party histories, plugs this significant gap in the literature.

From the Back Cover

Explores how the Scottish Conservative and Unionist parties have influenced the political landscape in Scotland between 1868 and 2021 The Scottish Unionist Party was the dominant party of inter-war Scotland, and while its electoral fortunes declined with the rise of the Labour and Scottish National parties during the 1960s, it remained a central force in Scottish politics after its 1965 rebranding as the Scottish Conservative Party. More recently, it experienced a modest electoral revival under the leadership of Ruth Davidson (2011-19). Yet while aspects of the party's history have received attention from historians and political scientists, it remains relatively neglected, with most publications on the subject either out-of-print or out-of-date. Furthermore, some of the literature is often coloured by mythology. Strikingly, there exists no up-to-date, accessible single-volume history of the party from its origins in the late 19th century until the present. Organised chronologically, this history is revealed as David Torrance focuses on party structure, relations between the Scottish and UK parties, the deployment of 'nationalist' arguments, and strategic approaches used after the 1960s to recover electorally and pursue constitutional aims such as devolution for Scotland. Drawing on archival sources, as well as pamphlets, media coverage and interviews, Torrance charts Scottish Conservative organisation, ideology, personnel and electoral performance over the past century and a half. Key features and benefits  The first academic history of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist parties and the only single-volume account  Addresses a significant gap in the historical and political science literature on the party  Examines the party's rising popularity between the 1920s and 1950s as well as its decline  Draws on extensive research from newspaper archives and interviews with key participants in Scottish Conservative politics David Torrance is a constitutional specialist at the House of Commons Library. Prior to that, he was a freelance journalist, broadcaster and writer for almost 20 years. As a columnist with the Herald newspaper, he was one of the leading commentators on Scottish and UK politics during the 2014 independence and 2016 Brexit referendums. As the author or editor of more than 20 books, he has published unauthorised biographies of the former SNP leaders and First Ministers Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon. He also has a PhD in history and political science.

Review Quotes

Drawing on various secondary works, archival sources, and interviews, Torrance weaves together a narrative that not only recounts the parties' historical trajectories but also places their roles within the broader landscape of Scottish politics. ... a thorough overview of Scottish Conservative and Unionist politics.--M. K. Thompson, Pittsburg State University "CHOICE"

This is a lucidly written study covering almost two centuries of Conservative and Unionist politics in Scotland. It provides an insightful guide to ideology and policy; party organisation; leadership; electoral fortunes; and support base. It also illuminates the particular political challenges involved in the defence of a multi-national Union.

--Graham Walker, Queen's University Belfast

This is the most comprehensive and thoroughly researched work on the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Parties. Written in an accessible style, David Torrance synthesises an impressive range of secondary sources and uses primary material to make a fascinating, original contribution to our understanding of Conservativism, Unionism, Scottish politics and history.

--James Mitchell, University of Edinburgh

About the Author

Dr David Torrance is a constitutional expert at the House of Commons Library. Prior to that, he was a freelance journalist, broadcaster and writer for almost 20 years. As a columnist with the Herald newspaper, he was one of the leading commentators on Scottish and UK politics during the 2014 independence and 2016 Brexit referendums, while as the author or editor of almost 20 books, he has published unauthorised biographies of the SNP leaders and First Ministers Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon. He has a PhD in history and political science.