Scottish Democratic Fascist Party facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Scottish Democratic Fascist Party
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| Abbreviation | SDFP |
| Leader | William Weir Gilmour |
| Founded | 1933 |
| Headquarters | Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Newspaper | Commonwealth |
| Ideology | Fascism Scottish nationalism Scottish independence Fascist corporatism Anti-Catholicism Anti-Irish sentiment Anti-capitalism Anti-communism Antisemitism |
| Political position | Far-right |
| Religion | Protestantism |
The Scottish Democratic Fascist Party (SDFP) was a political group in Scotland. It was also known as the Scottish Fascist Democratic Party. This party was started in 1933 by William Weir Gilmour and Major Hume Sleigh. They formed it from the Scottish part of an earlier group called the New Party.
Contents
What the Party Believed
The Scottish Democratic Fascist Party had a set of main ideas. These ideas were written down in their party rules.
Key Ideas of the SDFP
- They wanted Scotland to be completely independent and govern itself.
- They aimed to create a "Scottish Corporate Commonwealth." This meant they wanted a system where different parts of society, like workers and businesses, would work together.
- They wanted a Scottish Parliament. This parliament would be based on people representing different industries.
- They also wanted to set up a permanent office for the British Empire and its colonies.
- The party wanted to stop people from Ireland moving to Scotland.
- They also wanted to remove Catholic religious groups and their members from Scotland.
- They wanted to cancel a law from 1918. This law allowed Catholic schools to be part of the state school system. These schools received money from taxes.
Rules for Joining
No Catholics were allowed to join the SDFP. The party said this was because they were "Scotland First." They believed Catholics were loyal to the Pope, not to Scotland.
The party claimed they did not want to create a dictatorship. A dictatorship is when one person or a small group has total power.
Party Security
The SDFP had a group called the "Defence Corp." This group helped keep order at party meetings. Members of the Defence Corp wore black shirts. Other party members wore blue shirts as their uniform.
Later in 1933, the party changed some of its rules. They removed some of the strong anti-Catholic ideas. Because of this, Alexander Ratcliffe left the party. He was the leader of the Scottish Protestant League. The Scottish Democratic Fascist Party stopped existing soon after this.
The Party's Newspaper
The SDFP had its own monthly newspaper called Commonwealth. The first issue came out on June 12, 1933. However, only two issues were ever printed. The party did not gain much support from the public.
How They Related to Other Groups
The SDFP came from Oswald Mosley's New Party. But the SDFP often disagreed with Mosley's larger group. This group was called the British Union of Fascists (BUF). Their main disagreement was about Catholicism.
Differences with the BUF
The BUF allowed Catholics to join their party. Many Catholics were members of the BUF, especially in northern England. This was very different from the SDFP.
William Weir Gilmour, the SDFP leader, strongly criticized the BUF. He said the BUF was "run by Roman Catholics, organised by Roman Catholics, in the interests of Roman Catholics." Gilmour later thought that the SDFP's strong anti-Catholic views might have hurt fascism in Scotland. He believed it stopped potential Catholic members from joining.
