The Scottish National Party: The Transformation Leading to Power

The independence referendum that took place in Scotland in September 2014 directed international community‟s attention to the United Kingdom. It was alleged that a probable independence could both be a model to the other autonomous regions in Europe and also damage the status of the United Kingdom in the international arena. Although the “No” votes had the majority in the referendum, it was not expected that the ratio of the supporters of independence would be that high. The efforts of the Scottish National Party (SNP) in this direction were the most essential factor for both the organization of this referendum and also support, if not sufficient, which proved to be higher than expected. The party founded in 1934 had actually received unsuccessful results in elections for long years. The party, which formed a minority government in Scottish elections in 2007, succeeded to come to power alone in the elections of 2011. This article mainly aims to reveal the transformation of the party since its foundation, the causes for this transformation and its effects on vote rates. At this point, it is argued that developing policies in order to solve main problems of the people that runs parallel with the social democratic transformation of the party helped the SNP to come to power. In addition, the efforts of the party while in power for awakening the national consciousness will be scrutinized. The reasons for the “No” votes having the majority will be explored by examining the opposing arguments in the referendum process and also inferences will be made regarding the party‟s future.