The Labour Party in Scotland Religion, the Union, and the Irish Dime
This book makes a timely contribution to our understanding of the dramatic political changes that have recently affected Scotland and thrown into doubt the country’s future position within the United Kingdom. Its focus is on the Labour Party and the loss
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Graham Walker
The Labour Party in Scotland
Graham Walker
The Labour Party in Scotland Religion, the Union, and the Irish Dimension
Graham Walker Queen's University Belfast Belfast, UK
ISBN 978-1-137-58843-2 ISBN 978-1-137-58844-9 DOI 10.1057/978-1-137-58844-9
(eBook)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016939219 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2016 The author(s) has/have asserted their right(s) to be identified as the author(s) of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Printed on acid-free paper This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Nature America Inc. New York
PREFACE
Writing in the aftermath of the Scottish Independence Referendum of 2014, the political journalist Iain Macwhirter asserted that the patriotism of the Scottish working class had long been held in check by a combination of the Labour Party and the Orange Order.1 This comment gestured to the significance of religious identity and of Irish influences in Scottish life, and to the feat on the part of the Labour Party in achieving support across ethno-religious lines for many decades on the basis of an appeal to class interest. This achievement strengthened Scotland’s position within a broader British political context and within the Union itself. As the historian Alvin Jackson has put it: ‘Class politics were essentially unionist politics; and Labour’s appeal to class effectively created a unionism in Scotland which transcended the endemic religious rivalries of the West [of the country].’2 Macwhirter was also hinting that the political mould was breaking up, and the electoral triumph of the Scottish National Party (SNP) in the general election of 2015 duly confirmed that this was the case. Analysis of the Referendum voting has revealed that some 57 % of Catholics voted ‘Yes’, while the corresponding figure among Church of Scotl
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