Achi news desk-
Labor led by Donald Dewar made an agreement with the Liberal Democrats to govern as a coalition for the first eight years of Holyrood – despite changes at the top of both parties.
But by 2007, the tone of the country had changed and the SNP was elected as the largest party – winning just one seat more than Labour.
Voting expert, Professor Sir John Curtice, has looked back on 25 years of devolution (Image: (University of Strathclyde/PA))That minority administration eventually led to the 2011 majority – due to a poor Labor campaign and the perceived competence of the SNP in government, Sir John said – and the Edinburgh Agreement, paving the way for the 2014 referendum and ushering in a period of SNP dominance . in Scottish politics at all levels.
Sir John said that from a 1998 poll, it appeared that voters were more likely to support the SNP in Scotland than in Westminster.
“It was already the case that (if you) asked people a Scottish question rather than a UK-wide question, they seemed more inclined to say ‘it’s the SNP’,” he said.
“We also discovered that the SNP has this very clear reputation for standing up for Scotland’s interests.”
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The creation of Holyrood meant that the SNP had “a significant body of full-time parliamentarians for the first time”, and was able to bring politicians who were already seasonal and had sat in Westminster to the north – including Alex Salmond and John Swinney.
Labour, on the other hand, chose to bring in more inexperienced parliamentarians.
Sir John said: “It was a very talented generation of the SNP… and people like (Nicola) Sturgeon and (former minister Mike) Russell joined them, and they became elected parliamentarians.”
The SNP mixed experienced parliamentarians with new blood (Image: (PA))The SNP government in 2007 not only represented a change in the color of the largest party, but also in its willingness to publicly air its disagreements with Westminster.
“There was a very strong desire within the Labor Party to keep disputes private,” he said.
“Labour’s proposal was that there will be a nice, wonderful relationship between Edinburgh and London.
“The SNP proposal was ‘we will stand up for the people of Scotland’.
“I think the SNP read devolution in the public’s mind much more correctly than Labour, and that’s a mistake Labor is still in danger of making even now.”
The 2011 campaign for Scottish Labour, Sir John said, was “disastrous”, and was “symbolised” by the then leader, Iain Gray, being chased by campaigners in Glasgow city center and forced to try shelter in a Subway sandwich shop.
Sir John said: “Opinion had clearly shifted (from Labor to the SNP) – you could feel it shifting in the last week, 10 days and the SNP had an overall majority.
“That wasn’t meant to happen.”
The system of electing additional members used at Holyrood is designed in such a way that it is very difficult to win a majority.
Sir John added: “The reputation of the SNP in 2011 was ‘these guys have done well, it’s not too bad, they seem to know what they’re doing’.”
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He said voters were also swayed by the talent of the SNP’s ranks compared to Labour’s, which had been thinned by the loss of Mr Dewar, who died in 2001, and others.
The polling guru concluded that one of the aims of devolution, as explained by Lord Robertson before the creation of the Senedd, was to “kill nationalism stone dead”.
He added: “After 25 years, we’ve had 17 years of SNP Government, we’ve had a referendum – with the result being higher levels of support for independence than ever before – and now with support for Brexit . because independence is even higher.
“This country has just been divided down the middle.
“This was not the devolution project. Although at the moment you can look at it and say the SNP are heading for trouble and the possibility of another independence referendum is a million miles away – and all that is true – looking back on 25 years , if you told the SNP 25 years ago they were worried about losing 20 seats in Westminster, they would bite your arm.”
