Search

The three candidates - Humza Yousaf, Kate Forbes and Ash Regan - had feisty exchanges, serving to highlight weaknesses in the SNP government's performance. However, Yousaf had been endorsed by most SNP parliamentarians, and the cooperation agreement between the SNP and Scottish Greens would remain in place, suggesting some stability in government. This might suggest that other pro-indy parties (the Greens, Alba) can benefit from the SNP's problems, but the SNP remains the best vehicle for achieving independence, and unionist opponents sense an opportunity. At the beginning of 2023, the Scottish National Party was on the verge of a crisis. [Extracted from the article]

Some political parties have experienced a resurgence in membership. This article seeks to explain membership surges in the Scottish National Party and Scottish Greens following the 2014 referendum on Scottish independence and an unusually movement-like campaign. Using data from a 2016–17 survey of the parties' memberships, we examine why large numbers joined these pro-independence parties following defeat in the referendum. We demonstrate that the new members had experienced a sense of belonging to a Yes movement during the campaign but were not intensely active; and reasons for joining the parties look more conventional than movement-based. We argue that the referendum created a unique platform for the parties to advertise their objectives on the constitution and other policy areas and thus attract new recruits, few of whom were seeking to maintain the participatory activities that flourished during the referendum. The minority that are active movement-oriented joiners look the least likely to be satisfied by party membership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]