The Scottish Electorate The 1997 General Election and Beyond [Hardcover]

The book draws on original academic research to discuss the outcome of the 1997 general election in Scotland and the likely future shape of Scotland's politics. It offers the most rigorous and up-to-date assessment of Scottish electoral politics that is available, setting the 1997 Scottish result in a comparative context with the rest of Britain, and in a context of changing political attitudes and behaviour since the 1970s. The 1997 General Election ranks alongside 1945 and 1979 as a turning point in the post-war United Kingdom. The overwhelming endorsement of a Scottish Parliament in the September 1997 referendum will have dramatic implications for Scottish and British politics. This book enhances understanding of these developments and analyzes the relationship between national identity and the policy agenda as Scotland moves towards a new constitutional future.PART ONE: THE POLITICAL CONTEXT Introduction: The Distinctiveness of Scottish Politics The 1997 General Election: Background, Campaign, Results, Consequences PART TWO: THE SCOTTISH ELECTORATE AND THEIR VALUES Identity and Nationality Political Values Policy Preferences PART THREE: THE SCOTTISH ELECTORATE AND THE POLITICAL SYSTEM The Scottish Electorate and the Constitution Conclusion: The Future of Scottish Politics Index

'The Scottish Electorate is a fascinating and authoritative study of Scottish politics in the momentous year that saw the near elimination of conservative Scotland and the decisive steps taken to establish the first Scottish Parliament for three centuries. As the first election to that Parliament draws ever closer, this snapshot of the electorate in its most recent times of decision will be of compelling interest to all who are curious about or interested in its next decision.' - Neil MacCormick, Professor of Public Law, University of Edinburgh

'The definitive study of what Scots think about politics as devolution approaches. Essential reading for all those interlS.