Scottish nationalism

   Scotland used to be a distinct nation with its own parliament before the Act of Union in 1707. Thereafter, a feeling developed among some Scots that their culture, history and language which gave their country a distinct identity were being neglected. Proud of their history and distinctiveness, they wanted their nation to be recognised as a separate state. The campaign for self-government, involving the creation of a Scottish Parliament meeting in Edinburgh, was on their political agenda for much of the twentieth century, for they saw it as the most effective means of meeting distinctively Scottish needs.

   Scottish nationalism became high profile in United Kingdom politics in the 1960s, although the Scottish National Party had been arguing the nationalist case for many years before that decade. Particular causes of the upsurge in national feeling included: dissatisfaction with the performance of central government which was seen as remote and uncaring; economic discontent – the conviction that Scotland suffered from unfair burdens, bearing the worst impact of economic recession and suffering from industrial decline, high unemployment, poor housing and an infrastructure in need of regeneration; and in the 1970s, the discovery of ‘Scotland’s oil’, which fuelled their belief that Scotland could be a viable independent state.