Scottish Liberal Democrats facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Scottish Liberal Democrats Pàrtaidh Libearalach Deamocratach na h-Alba
Leader	Alex Cole-Hamilton
Deputy Leader	Wendy Chamberlain
President	Willie Wilson
Chief Executive	Paul Trollope
Founded	8 March 1988; 37 years ago (1988-03-08)
Headquarters	4 Clifton Terrace Edinburgh EH12 5DR
Youth wing	Scottish Young Liberals
Membership (December 2020)	4,185
Ideology	Liberalism Social liberalism British federalism British unionism Pro-Europeanism
Political position	Centre to centre-left
National affiliation	Liberal Democrats
European affiliation	Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
International affiliation	Liberal International
Colours	Yellow
Slogan	"For a fair deal for Scotland"
House of Commons (Scottish seats)	6 / 57
Scottish Parliament	5 / 129
Local government in Scotland	86 / 1,227
Councils led in Scotland	1 / 32
Politics of Scotland Political parties

The Scottish Liberal Democrats is a political party in Scotland. It is part of the main Liberal Democrats party in the United Kingdom. A political party is a group of people with similar ideas about how a country should be run. They work to get their members elected to make laws.

The party believes in liberalism, which focuses on protecting and increasing the freedom of individuals. They also support federalism, the idea that Scotland should have more power to make its own decisions while remaining part of the UK.

The Scottish Liberal Democrats are one of three state parties within the UK Liberal Democrats, along with the Welsh Liberal Democrats and the English Liberal Democrats.

History of the Party

How the Party Began

The Scottish Liberal Democrats party was created on 3 March 1988. It was formed when two other parties, the Scottish Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party in Scotland, decided to merge and become one.

From the beginning, the party's main goal was to create a Scottish Parliament. They wanted Scotland to have its own government to handle Scottish issues. They worked with other groups like Scottish Labour and the Scottish Greens to make this happen. In 1997, they successfully campaigned for a "Yes-Yes" vote in a referendum, which led to the creation of the Scottish Parliament.

1999–2007: Sharing Power with Labour

In the first Scottish Parliament elections in 1999, the Liberal Democrats won 17 seats. This was enough for them to form a coalition government with the Scottish Labour party. A coalition is when two or more parties agree to work together to govern.

The party's leader, Jim Wallace, became the Deputy First Minister of Scotland. During this time, the party helped introduce some of its key ideas as law. These included making university education more affordable for students and providing free personal care for elderly people. They also changed the voting system for local council elections to one they had long supported, called the single transferable vote.

2007–2011: Working in Opposition

In the 2007 election, the party won 16 seats, one less than before. The Scottish National Party (SNP) won the most seats but not enough to rule alone. The Liberal Democrats could have formed a coalition with the SNP. However, they disagreed with the SNP's main policy of holding a referendum on Scottish independence.

Because of this disagreement, the Liberal Democrats decided not to join the government. Instead, they became an opposition party. An opposition party's job is to check the work of the government and suggest different ideas. In 2008, Tavish Scott was elected as the new party leader.

2011–2021: A Difficult Decade

The 2011 Scottish Parliament election was very difficult for the party. They lost many seats, ending up with just five. Many people believe this was because voters were unhappy with the UK Liberal Democrats being in a coalition government with the Conservative Party in London. After this result, Willie Rennie became the new leader.

The party continued to face challenges. In the 2015 UK general election, they lost 10 of their 11 Members of Parliament (MPs), with only Alistair Carmichael keeping his seat. However, they started to recover in the 2017 UK general election, winning back three seats to have four MPs in total.

In the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, the party won four seats. This meant they dropped below the five-seat level needed to be officially recognised as a main party group in Parliament. After this election, Willie Rennie stepped down, and Alex Cole-Hamilton became the new leader.

2022–Present: A Period of Rebuilding

Under Alex Cole-Hamilton's leadership, the party has focused on rebuilding. In the 2022 local council elections, they increased their number of councillors from 67 to 87.

In the 2024 UK general election, the party had its best result since 2010. They won six seats in Scotland. This was seen as a sign that the party was starting to regain support from voters.

What the Party Believes In

The Scottish Liberal Democrats describe their main goal as creating a "fair, free and open society." They believe that no one should be held back by poverty, lack of education, or being forced to conform.

Here are some of their key ideas:

• More Powers for Scotland: They want the Scottish Parliament to have more control over issues like energy, broadcasting, and some taxes, as part of a federal UK.
• Support for the NHS: They want to improve health services, especially mental health support for young people.
• Protecting the Environment: They have plans to tackle climate change, such as investing in renewable energy and making homes more energy-efficient.
• A Strong Economy: They want to help families with the cost of living and support small businesses.
• Internationalism: The party is pro-European and campaigned for the UK to remain in the European Union.

How the Party is Organized

The Scottish Liberal Democrats are a federal party, which means power is shared. Local party groups across Scotland are in charge of campaigning in their areas and choosing candidates for elections.

The party holds two conferences each year where members can discuss and vote on party policy. The day-to-day running of the party is handled by an Executive Committee, which includes the party leader and other senior members.

Party Leaders

No.	Image	Name	Term start	Term end
1		Malcolm Bruce	3 March 1988	18 April 1992
2		Jim Wallace	18 April 1992	23 June 2005
3		Nicol Stephen	23 June 2005	2 July 2008
Acting		Michael Moore	2 July 2008	26 August 2008
4		Tavish Scott	26 August 2008	7 May 2011
5		Willie Rennie	17 May 2011	20 July 2021
Acting		Alistair Carmichael	20 July 2021	20 August 2021
6		Alex Cole-Hamilton	20 August 2021	Incumbent

Elected Representatives

Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs)

Members of the UK Parliament (MPs)

See also

• English Liberal Democrats
• Welsh Liberal Democrats
• Northern Ireland Liberal Democrats