Scottish Unionist Party (modern)
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| Scottish Unionist Party | |
|---|---|
| Leader | Jim Doughty |
| Founded | 1986 |
| Headquarters | none |
| Political Ideology | Unionism, anti-Independance |
| Political Position | Centrist |
| International Affiliation | none |
| European Affiliation | none |
| European Parliament Group | none |
| Colours | White and Royal Blue (the colours of the Scottish Saltire) |
| Website | http://www.scottishunionistparty.co.uk |
| See also | Politics of the UK |
Disambiguation: you may be looking for Unionist Party (Scotland)
The Scottish Unionist Party (SUP) is a small political party in Scotland. It was formed in the mid 1980s by members of the Scottish Orange Order disillusioned with the the Conservative government's signing of the Anglo-Irish Agreement. Traditionally supportive of the Conservatives, these Orangemen felt that the signing of the treaty giving the Republic of Ireland a role in the government of Northern Ireland was a betrayal of Protestants and Unionists, and in response formed the modern Scottish Unionist Party.
The SUP is an ideologically Scottish Unionist party, opposing Scottish independence from the United Kingdom. It has contested a number of elections, including both the 1999 and 2003 Scottish Parliament elections. In the latter, the SUP contested only the Glasgow, Central Scotland and West of Scotland Additional Members System electoral regions, polling fairly poorly. It also contested only six local council wards in 2003, all located in the west central belt where the traditional "Orange vote" resides. In one Glasgow city centre seat, they achieved a respectable second place.
The SUP also stood for two seats at the 2001 General Election, in Glasgow Springburn and Airdrie and Shotts. The party managed to retain its deposit in the former, and almost did so in the latter. This was not so surprising in Springburn, for there was no Conservative and Unionist candidate since it was the constituency in which the Speaker was seeking re-election, but in Airdrie and Shotts, despite the presence of a Conservative and Unionist candidate, the SUP still managed to poll 4.5% of the vote.
The SUP campaigns against what it sees as anti-Protestant and anti-Unionist government policies, and opposes any moves to amend the Act of Settlement 1701, which disallows the British monarch from marrying a Catholic. The party is strongly critical of mainstream parties that they view as failing to safeguard the Act of Union 1707. This criticism extends even to the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, who they believe are not 'unionist' enough.
The name is based on that of the Ulster Unionists and other Northern Irish Unionist parties. It is potentially confusing since the Conservatives have traditionally used the title "Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party".
