National Party of Scotland facts for kids

The National Party of Scotland (NPS) was a political party in Scotland. It was one of the groups that later formed the Scottish National Party (SNP), which is a big party in Scotland today. The NPS was the first Scottish nationalist party. This means it was the first party to push for Scotland to have more control over its own affairs, or even become an independent country.

The National Party of Scotland started in 1928. It was formed when several smaller groups joined together. These groups included the Scots National League, the Scottish National Movement, and the Glasgow University Scottish Nationalist Association. Members of these groups, and the Scottish Home Rule Association, believed that a new, independent political party was the best way to achieve "Scottish Home Rule." Home Rule meant Scotland would have more power to make its own decisions.

The NPS took part in the 1929 and 1931 national elections in the United Kingdom. They also ran in several smaller "by-elections." In 1934, the NPS joined with another group called the Scottish Party. Together, they created the Scottish National Party (SNP).

Starting the National Party of Scotland

The NPS was formed in 1928. John MacCormick from the Glasgow University Scottish Nationalist Association called a meeting. He wanted to bring together everyone who supported the idea of a political party for Scottish Home Rule. The meeting was led by Robert Bontine Cunninghame Graham. He was a politician who had been part of the Liberal Party and then the Scottish Labour Party.

The NPS was created by combining several groups. These included MacCormick's group, the Scots National League, Lewis Spence's Scots National Movement, and the Scottish Home Rule Movement. The party officially started on June 23, 1928, in Stirling, Scotland.

Key People in the NPS

The NPS was a party that leaned towards the "centre-left" in politics. This means they often supported ideas like social fairness and helping ordinary people.

A famous poet named Hugh MacDiarmid was a member of the NPS. However, he was later asked to leave because of his communist beliefs. Interestingly, he was also later kicked out of the Communist Party for being a Scottish Nationalist!

Other important people were also involved. Eric Linklater, a writer, ran as an NPS candidate in a special election in 1933. Neil Gunn, another writer, helped the NPS join with the Scottish Party.

Joining with the Scottish Party

In 1932, a group called the Scottish Party was formed. This group also wanted Home Rule for Scotland. Its members had previously been part of the Unionist Party.

John MacCormick wanted all Scottish nationalist groups to work together. He contacted the Scottish Party. The two parties started to cooperate more and more. When the Scottish Party decided to run in a special election in Kilmarnock in November 1933, the NPS supported their candidate. Finally, in 1934, the NPS and the Scottish Party officially joined together. This merger created the Scottish National Party, which is still a major political force in Scotland today.

Leaders of the National Party of Scotland

The main leader of the National Party of Scotland was Roland Muirhead. He led the party from 1928 until around 1932.

Election Results for the NPS

The National Party of Scotland took part in many elections during its short time. However, they never managed to get any of their candidates elected to the UK Parliament.

Lewis Spence was the first Scottish nationalist to run for election. He stood in a special election in 1929 and came in fourth place. He received 4.5% of the votes.

The table below shows how the NPS did in the two main national elections they contested: