RISE – Scotland's Left Alliance facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
RISE – Scotland's Left Alliance
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| Leader | Jonathon Shafi |
| Founded | 29 August 2015 |
| Dissolved | 6 November 2020 |
| Headquarters | 11 Moorfield Road Blantyre G72 0RH |
| Ideology | Anti-capitalism Eco-socialism Scottish independence Scottish republicanism |
| Political position | Left-wing |
| Colours | Orange, red and white |
RISE – Scotland's Left Alliance was a left-wing group that worked together in elections. It was also a political party. It was formed before the 2016 Scottish Parliament general election.
The name RISE was a special kind of acronym. It stood for Respect, Independence, Socialism, and Environmentalism. The party officially registered its full name as 'RISE - Respect, Independence, Socialism and Environmentalism'. The group stopped being a registered party in November 2020.
RISE was officially started at a meeting in Glasgow on August 29, 2015. The Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) joined RISE for the 2016 election. RISE had candidates in all parts of Scotland for that election, but none of them won a seat.
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How RISE Started and Grew
After the vote for Scottish independence in 2014, a group called the Scottish Left Project began online. It was a place for people with left-wing ideas to share them. Its website had a statement signed by 22 activists, and others were asked to sign it too.
Some of the first people to sign were from the International Socialist Group. Key figures from this group, Cat Boyd and Jonathon Shafi, became important spokespeople for the Scottish Left Project. Some members of the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) also signed. The statement asked for a "co-ordinated socialist challenge" in the 2016 elections. It also talked about getting ideas from many people and checking Scotland's finances.
The SSP later joined talks to create an election group with others from the Scottish Left Project. Some important SSP members, like Frances Curran, wanted to be part of this new group. However, other members, like Allan Grogan and Liam McLaughlan, felt it was not the right way to build a strong left-wing group.
In July 2015, another group called the Republican Communist Network also supported the idea of RISE.
On June 7, 2015, a newspaper called The Sunday Herald announced that the new election group would be named RISE – Scotland's Left Alliance. The first big meeting was held in Glasgow on Saturday, August 29.
Speakers at this first meeting included author Alan Bissett, SSP spokesperson Colin Fox, and independent politician Jean Urquhart.
Another meeting was planned for December to decide on RISE's policies and how it would be set up. At this meeting, they announced they would have candidates in all areas of Scotland.
The Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) worked with RISE for the 2016 Scottish Parliament election. However, the SSP remained its own independent political party.
In December 2015, former Scottish National Party (SNP) leader Jim Sillars said he would vote for the SNP in his local area. But he would vote for RISE in the regional part of the election. He specifically mentioned supporting Colin Fox if he was on the RISE list.
In early 2016, RISE announced its candidates for seven regions. One candidate later left the group.
In April 2016, RISE released its manifesto. A manifesto is a document that explains what a political party believes in and what it plans to do if elected. RISE's manifesto talked about an independent Scottish republic without Trident nuclear weapons.
Election Results and What Happened Next
In the 2016 election, RISE received 10,911 votes across Scotland. None of their candidates were elected to the Scottish Parliament. After this, the SSP decided to focus more on growing its own party instead of working with RISE.
In September 2016, RISE announced plans to make politics easier to understand for everyone. This included holding regular political-themed dance events and launching a new website. In May 2017, RISE had one candidate in a local election in Motherwell West, but they did not win.
In October 2017, RISE helped create Conter. This was a website for anti-capitalists in Scotland from different political groups. Its editorial board included socialists who supported RISE, Labour, the Scottish Greens, the SSP, and others. The editor, Jonathan Rimmer, said the site would not have one party's view. He encouraged socialists to discuss ideas in a friendly way.
On November 6, 2020, RISE was officially removed from the list of registered political parties by the Electoral Commission.
How RISE Performed in Elections
Scottish Parliament Elections
| Election | # of 2nd votes | % of 2nd vote | # of overall seats won | +/- | Position | Outcome | Notes |
| 2016 | 10,911 | 0.5 (#9) |
0 / 129
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 0 |
N/A | Not in Parliament |
Related Topics
- List of advocates of republicanism in the United Kingdom
- RISE (Ireland)
