Political Parties in Scotland facts for kids
Most political parties in Scotland can be put into two groups: Unionists and Nationalists. Nationalists want Scotland to become an independent country and to stop being part of the United Kingdom whereas Unionists want Scotland to stay in the United Kingdom.
Parties Currently Represented
The following parties are parties represented at either the British House of Commons, the Scottish Parliament and/or the European Parliament.
| Party | UK House of Commons members out of 59 | Scottish Parliament members out of 129 | European Parliament members out of 6 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scottish National Party (SNP) | 6 | 64 | 2 | A centre-left party which promotes social democracy and Scottish Independence. |
| Scottish Labour Party | 41 | 38 | 2 | A centre-left party which promotes social democracy, democratic socialism and Scottish unionism. |
| Scottish Conservative Party | 1 | 15 | 1 | A centre-right party which promotes conservatism and strong British unionism. |
| Scottish Liberal Democrats | 11 | 5 | 1 | A centre-left party which promotes liberalism, progressivism, federalism and British unionism. |
| Scottish Green Party | 0 | 2 | 0 | A left-wing party which promotes environmentalism, socialism and Scottish Independence. |
Parties formerly represented in the Scottish Parliament
- Scottish Senior Citizens Unity Party - 1 MSP from 2003-2007
- Scottish Socialist Party - 6 MSPs elected in 2003, 4 at dissolution of last parliament in 2007
- Solidarity - 2 Scottish Socialist MSPs changed parties in 2006 when this party was formed and lost their seats in 2007
Minor Parties in Scotland
These are parties who contested the 2007 Scottish Parliament election but did not gain representation
- Scottish Christian Party - A right-wing party that endorses traditional Christian values.
- British National Party (BNP) - A far-right UK-wide party which promotes policies of anti-immigration, right-wing populism, Euroscepticism and Third position economics.
- Christian Peoples Alliance - A centrist party that promotes Christian democracy.
- UK Independence Party (UKIP) - A right-wing UK-wide party which promotes taking the UK out of the European Union as well as having conservative and populist policies.
- Scottish Unionist Party - A centre-right protestant party which promotes abolishing the Scottish parliament.
- Free Scotland Party - A party in favour of an independent Scotland free from both the United Kingdom and the European Union.
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