View source for Labour Party of Scotland

{{Short description|Minor Scottish political party in the 1970s}}
{{about|the Scottish National Party breakaway group from Dundee|the Scottish branch of the British Labour Party|Scottish Labour}}
{{good article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2016}}
{{Infobox political party
|country = the United Kingdom
| name = Labour Party of Scotland
|logo = 
|leader = 
|foundation = Early 1970s
|dissolution = 24 May 1973
|headquarters = [[Dundee]], Scotland
|youth_wing =
|YI chairman =
|ideology = [[Labourism]]<br />[[Scottish nationalism]]
|position = [[Left-wing politics|Left-wing]]
|international = 
|european =
|europarl =
|colours = 
|website =
|colorcode = grey 
}}
The '''Labour Party of Scotland''' was a minor [[Scottish nationalism|Scottish nationalist]] political party that was active in the early 1970s. Formed as a [[Left-wing politics|left-wing]] breakaway from [[Dundee]]'s branch of the [[Scottish National Party]] (SNP), it is perhaps best known for standing in the [[1973 Dundee East by-election|Dundee East by-election of 1973]], where its interference split the nationalist vote and probably cost the SNP a parliamentary seat as a result. The party [[1973 Dundee City Council election|contested elections]] to [[Dundee City Council]] two months later but was ultimately unsuccessful. It folded soon after, and by early 1974 most of its membership had returned to the SNP, whose campaigns on [[North Sea oil]] were proving popular with Scotland's urban electorate. It never had any official political representation.

[[William Wolfe]], then leader of the SNP, dismissed the Labour Party of Scotland's founding as opportunism on the part of local politicians. These included George MacLean, the party's most popular member, whose by-election rival [[Gordon Wilson (Scottish politician)|Gordon Wilson]] succeeded Wolfe in 1979.

==History==
===Formation===
The party was founded by disgruntled [[Scottish National Party]] (SNP) activists from [[Dundee]] as a breakaway group sometime in the early 1970s.<ref name="Boothroyd">{{harvnb|Boothroyd|2001|page=138}}</ref> [[William Wolfe]], then leader of the SNP, contended that the split had not occurred as a result of any ideological difference, instead arguing that the leaders of the new group departed to advance their own local political careers.<ref name="Lynch 127">{{harvnb|Lynch|2002|page=127}}</ref> That said, the small party has been described by historian Peter Lynch as more [[Political radicalism|radical]] than the SNP; it was broadly [[Left-wing politics|left-wing]] and strongly supportive of Scotland's [[labour movement]], as its name would suggest.<ref name="Lynch 127"/> It modeled itself on a separate [[Glasgow|Glaswegian]] group that was founded in 1971 and also called itself the "[[Labour Party of Scotland (Glasgow)|Labour Party of Scotland]]", although this faction soon refused any affiliation with the Dundee group. In spite of this, the Dundee party proceeded to develop its organisation and rented office rooms.<ref name="Scott & MacLeay">{{harvnb|Scott|MacLeay|1990|page=61}}</ref>

===By-election campaign===
Unlike its Glaswegian counterpart, which exclusively contested elections to the [[Glasgow City Council#History|Glasgow Corporation]],<ref>{{cite news|title=Labour gain four seats in Glasgow|work=The Glasgow Herald|date= 2 May 1973|page=2}}</ref> Dundee's now larger party fought for a seat in the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|United Kingdom Parliament]]. The appointment of [[George Thomson, Baron Thomson of Monifieth|George Thomson]] as a [[European Commissioner]] in January 1973 saw him vacate his constituency of [[Dundee East (UK Parliament constituency)|Dundee East]], triggering [[1973 Dundee East by-election|a by-election]] two months later.<ref>{{harvnb|Smout|1992|page=216}}</ref> The Labour Party of Scotland selected George MacLean to be its candidate,<ref name="Boothroyd"/> pitting him against [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]'s [[George Machin]], the SNP's [[Gordon Wilson (Scottish politician)|Gordon Wilson]]<ref>{{cite news|author=Clark, William|title=East Dundee voters may upset form book|work=The Glasgow Herald|date= 1 March 1973|page=3}}</ref> and [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] candidate [[William Fitzgerald (politician)|William Fitzgerald]], then [[Lord Provost of Dundee]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Tory choice for East Dundee|work=The Glasgow Herald|date= 30 November 1972|page=13}}</ref>  Nathaniel Gordon of the [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal Party]], equally optimistic, attracted [[Jeremy Thorpe]] to the city during his campaign.<ref>{{cite news|author=Clark, William|title=Dundee Tory gives pledge to yard men|work=The Glasgow Herald|date= 27 February 1973|page=3}}</ref>   In a closely fought contest, George Machin took the seat with a majority of 1,141, despite Labour's vote share declining by 15.6%. This was largely down to the strong performance of the SNP, who increased its own by 21.2%.<ref name="Craig">{{harvnb|Craig|1983|page=582}}</ref> The latter's campaign capitalised on keeping [[North Sea oil]] in Scotland to benefit people living in urban areas.<ref name="Fitjar">{{harvnb|Fitjar|2009|page=112}}</ref> A similar platform was used in the [[1973 Glasgow Govan by-election|Glasgow Govan by-election]] later that year, electing [[Margo MacDonald]] to the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]].<ref>{{harvnb|Smout|1992|page=217}}</ref><ref name="Fitjar"/>

Political scientist David Boothroyd believes that the intervention of the Labour Party of Scotland in the Dundee by-election prevented a similar accomplishment by splitting the [[Scottish nationalism|nationalist]] vote. Indeed, the 1,409 votes for MacLean outnumbered Machin's majority over his SNP rival Gordon Wilson;<ref name="Boothroyd"/> Boothroyd further opines "it is questionable whether voters were clear about [the party's] origin."<ref name="Boothroyd"/> Nevertheless, the SNP's popularity in both 1973 by-elections served as a prelude to the "[[It's Scotland's oil]]" political campaign,<ref>{{harvnb|Smout|1992|pages=216–17}}</ref> which has since become synonymous with the party's economic case for [[Scottish independence]].<ref>Brocklehurst, Steven {{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-20042070|title=Who has a right to claim North Sea oil?|publisher=BBC News|date=16 April 2013|access-date=16 June 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227025356/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-20042070|archive-date=27 December 2016}}</ref>

===Council election and dissolution===
On 2 May 1973 [[1973 Dundee City Council election|elections to Dundee City Council]] commenced, with the Labour Party of Scotland fielding a total of nine candidates in eight of the city's 12 [[Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom|wards]].<ref name="Dundee Council Results"/> MacLean stood in the [[Downfield, Dundee|Downfield]] area and returned the party's best result, capturing 242 ballots and 6.1% of the vote; D. McGarry, one of two party candidates in [[Camperdown, Dundee|Camperdown]], produced the weakest, collecting 1.6% with 123 votes.<ref name="Dundee Council Results">{{cite news|title=Labour still in majority in Dundee|work=The Glasgow Herald|date= 2 May 1973|page=2}}</ref> None of the party's candidates were elected, leading to its quiet dissolution 22 days later.<ref name="Scott & MacLeay"/><ref name="Dundee Council Results"/> Such a decision was made in conjunction with the previously unaffiliated Glasgow party so that "the national movement could show a united front";<ref name="Scott & MacLeay"/> commentators [[Andrew Murray Scott]] and Iain MacLeay simply surmise "[n]either group was successful".<ref name="Scott & MacLeay"/> Dissolved by a motion with seven for and just one against, most of their members duly returned to the SNP, some becoming involved with the party's [[Pirate radio in the United Kingdom|pirate station]] [[Radio Free Scotland]].<ref name="Boothroyd"/><ref name="Scott & MacLeay"/> Without the encumbrance of the minor Dundee group, Gordon Wilson was returned as [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for Dundee East in [[February 1974 United Kingdom general election|February's general election of the following year]], concurrently serving as Depute Leader of his party.<ref>{{harvnb|Waller|1983|page=525}}</ref><ref name="Lynch 156"/> Wilson later served as Leader of the SNP from 1979 to 1990, succeeding William Wolfe.<ref>{{harvnb|Lynch|2002|page=192}}</ref><ref name="Lynch 156">{{harvnb|Lynch|2002|page=156}}</ref>

==Electoral performance==
===House of Commons===
[[File:Ekofisk (TELE.1990-2-438-3).jpg|thumb|250px|The [[Scottish National Party]] (SNP) focused its campaign on the capabilities of Scotland's [[North Sea oil]] ''(rig pictured)''.]] 
{{Election box begin no clear |
  |title=[[1973 Dundee East by-election]]<ref name="Craig"/>}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
  |party      = Labour Party (UK)
  |candidate  = [[George Machin]]
  |votes      = 14,411
  |percentage = 32.74
  |change     = -15.60
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
  |party      = Scottish National Party
  |candidate  = [[Gordon Wilson (Scottish politician)|Gordon Wilson]]
  |votes      = 13,270
  |percentage = 30.15
  |change     = +21.22
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
  |party      = Conservative Party (UK)
  |candidate  = [[William Fitzgerald (politician)|William Fitzgerald]]
  |votes      = 11,089
  |percentage = 25.19
  |change     = -17.17
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
  |party      = Scottish Liberal Party
  |candidate  = Nathaniel Gordon
  |votes      = 3,653
  |percentage = 8.30
  |change     = N/A
}}
{{Election box candidate|
  |party      = Labour Party of Scotland
  |candidate  = George MacLean
  |votes      = 1,409
  |percentage = 3.20
  |change     = N/A
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
  |party      = Independent (politician)
  |candidate  = John S. Thomson
  |votes      = 182
  |percentage = 0.41
  |change     = N/A
}}
{{Election box majority|
  |votes      = 1,141
  |percentage = 2.59
  |change     = -3.39
}}
{{Election box turnout|
  |votes      = 44,014
  |percentage = 70.0
  |change     = -5.97
}}
{{Election box hold with party link|
  |winner     = Labour Party (UK)
  |swing      = -18.41
}}
{{Election box end}}

===Local government===
[[File:Downfield, Dundee - geograph.org.uk - 10706.jpg|thumb|250px|The party's best local election result was in the [[Dundee]] suburb of [[Downfield, Dundee|Downfield]] ''(pictured)''.]] 
{|class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+ [[1973 Dundee City Council election]]<ref name="Dundee Council Results"/>
! Ward !! Candidate !! No. of votes !! % of vote!! Outcome  
|-
|Caird ||J. Fairweather ||134 ||3.5 ||{{n/a|Defeated}}
|-
|[[Camperdown, Dundee|Camperdown]] ||I. M. Donaldson||227 ||3.0 ||{{n/a|Defeated}}
|-
|Camperdown ||D. McGarry||123 ||1.6 ||{{n/a|Defeated}}
|-
|[[Barony of Craigie#Lands|Craigie]] ||G. McKenzie ||209 ||4.6 ||{{n/a|Defeated}}
|-
|[[Douglas, Dundee|Douglas]] ||H. Dunning ||94 ||2.0 ||{{n/a|Defeated}}
|-
|[[Downfield, Dundee|Downfield]] ||G. MacLean ||242 ||6.1 ||{{n/a|Defeated}}
|-
|Harbour ||L. MacQueen ||81 ||2.8 ||{{n/a|Defeated}}
|-
|[[Hilltown, Dundee|Hilltown]] ||J. Alexander ||57 ||2.6 ||{{n/a|Defeated}}
|-
|[[Lochee]] ||D. McTaggart ||112 ||2.3 ||{{n/a|Defeated}}
|}

==References==
===Footnotes===
{{Reflist|30em}}

===Bibliography===
{{Refbegin}}
*{{Cite book |last=Boothroyd |first=David |title=Politico's Guide to the History of British Political Parties|year=2001|location=London|publisher=Politico's Publishing|isbn=1-902301-59-5}}
*{{Cite book |last=Craig|first=Frederick Walter Scott|authorlink=F. W. S. Craig|title=British Parliamentary Election Results, 1950–1973|year=1983|edition=2|location=London|publisher=Parliamentary Research Services|isbn=978-0-90-017827-6}}
*{{Cite book |last=Fitjar |first=Rune Dahl |title=The Rise of Regionalism: Causes of Regional Mobilization in Western Europe |year=2009|location=London|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-13-520330-6 }}
*{{Cite book |last=Lynch |first=Peter |title=SNP: The History of the Scottish National Party|year=2002|location=Cardiff|publisher=Welsh Academic Press|isbn=978-1-86-057003-2 }}
*{{Cite book |last1=Scott|first1=Andrew Murray|authorlink1= Andrew Murray Scott|last2=MacLeay|first2=Iain|title=Britain's Secret War: Tartan Terrorism and the Anglo-American State|year=1990|location=Edinburgh|publisher=Mainstream Publishing|isbn=978-1-85-158306-5}}
*{{Cite book |last=Smout |first=T. Christopher |authorlink=Christopher Smout|title=Scotland and the Sea|year=1992|location=Maryland|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-0-85-976338-7}}
*{{Cite book |last=Waller |first=Robert|authorlink=Robert Waller (pundit)|title=The Almanac of British Politics|year=1983|edition=2|location=London|publisher=Croom Helm|isbn=0-7099-2789-4}}
{{Refend}}
{{Defunct political parties in Scotland}}
{{Portal bar|Politics|United Kingdom|Organized Labour|Scotland}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1970s establishments in Scotland]]
[[Category:1973 disestablishments in Scotland]]
[[Category:Defunct nationalist parties]]
[[Category:Defunct political parties in Scotland]]
[[Category:Labour parties in Scotland]]
[[Category:Left-wing nationalist parties]]
[[Category:Locally based political parties in Scotland]]
[[Category:Political parties disestablished in 1973]]
[[Category:Political parties established in the 1970s]]
[[Category:Politics of Dundee]]
[[Category:Scottish National Party]]
[[Category:Scottish nationalist parties]]