Scottish Protestant League facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Scottish Protestant League
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| Abbreviation | SPL |
| Leader | Alexander Ratcliffe |
| Founder | Alexander Ratcliffe |
| Founded | 1920 |
| Dissolved | Early 1940s |
| Merged into | Scottish Democratic Fascist Party |
| Newspaper | The Vanguard |
| Ideology | Right-wing populism Religious conservatism Fascism Anti-Irish immigration Scottish Home Rule Anti-Catholicism Antisemitism (from late 1930s) |
| Political position | Far-right politics |
| Religion | Protestantism |
The Scottish Protestant League (SPL) was a political group in Scotland during the 1920s and 1930s. It was led by Alexander Ratcliffe, who started it in 1920. The SPL focused on promoting Protestant beliefs and had strong opinions about Scottish society and politics.
Contents
Starting the Scottish Protestant League
The SPL began in Edinburgh on September 28, 1920. Alexander Ratcliffe gathered people from different Protestant groups. They said their group would be "evangelical, undenominational, and non-political." They aimed to stand against ideas they saw as "anti-Scriptural."
Early Focus and Goals
Even though they said they were non-political, the group was mainly against Catholicism. This was because a group called Sinn Féin had recently held a rally in Edinburgh. The SPL wanted to respond to Sinn Féin's actions in Scotland.
Ratcliffe became a member of the Edinburgh Education Authority for a short time. This helped him get more attention. By the late 1920s, more people followed him. He even gained support from Lord Scone, a Unionist leader.
First Election Try
Ratcliffe felt there were not enough strong Protestants in the UK parliament. So, he ran in the 1929 United Kingdom general election. He chose the Stirling and Falkirk area. The current Member of Parliament (MP), Hugh Murnin, was Catholic. There had also been a disagreement in Bonnybridge about building a Catholic school.
Ratcliffe criticized Murnin for being Catholic. He also questioned the Unionist candidate, Douglas Jamieson, about his Protestant beliefs. Ratcliffe offered to step down if Jamieson promised to change the Education (Scotland) Act 1918. Jamieson refused. He lost the election to Murnin, and Ratcliffe received many votes. After this, Lord Scone left the SPL.
Growing Support and Election Wins
In 1930, Ratcliffe moved to Glasgow. He started running in local elections there.
Winning Local Council Seats
In 1931, Ratcliffe was elected as a councillor to Glasgow Corporation for the Dennistoun area. The SPL also won another seat in Dalmarnock. This seat was won by Charles Forrester, who used to be a communist. In these three areas, the SPL got a lot of votes.
In 1932, the SPL ran in eleven areas. They won one more seat in Kinning Park. They also gained 12% of all the votes cast.
Biggest Success in 1933
The year 1933 was the SPL's most successful. They ran in twenty-three areas and received over 71,000 votes. This was 23% of all the votes. The SPL did best in areas where more people voted.
In the same year, Ratcliffe briefly joined the Scottish Democratic Fascist Party. However, he left when that party became less strict about being anti-Catholic. After visiting Nazi Germany in 1939, Ratcliffe became a strong supporter of fascism.
Party's Main Ideas
The SPL's main goal was to change the Education (Scotland) Act 1918. They especially wanted to remove Section 18. This section allowed Catholic schools to be part of the state system and get money from local taxes. Their slogan was: "No Rome on the Rates!"
Other Policies
The League also wanted to stop Irish immigration to Britain. They wished to send Irish immigrants who were already in Scotland back home. They also wanted to send Irish immigrants who were receiving welfare back to Ireland.
The SPL was against cuts to teachers' pay. They wanted lower wages for top council workers. They also supported building more council homes and reducing rents and taxes. Ratcliffe also supported Scottish Home Rule. This meant Scotland would have more control over its own affairs. He wrote in the party's newspaper, Vanguard, that "if Home Rule works in Ulster, why cannot it work in Scotland?" He believed Home Rule would not harm Protestant interests in Scotland.
Connection with Ulster Unionists
The Scottish Protestant League helped inspire the creation of the Ulster Protestant League in Northern Ireland. This happened after Ratcliffe gave speeches in Northern Ireland in 1931.
Relations between the SPL and UPL were very close at first. However, things changed after an incident on May 2, 1933. SPL members Mary Radcliffe (Alexander Radcliffe's wife) and Charles Forrester visited the Northern Irish Parliament. They were given a tour by John William Nixon. During the tour, they damaged a painting.
The painting showed Pope Innocent XI celebrating King William's victory at the Battle of the Boyne. Even though it was historically correct, the SPL members thought it was disrespectful. Forrester threw red paint on the Pope in the painting. Radcliffe cut it with a knife. Both were arrested and fined. This painting had caused problems in the Northern Irish Parliament before.
Decline of the Party
From 1934, the League started to lose power. Many Protestant churches did not support it. Also, disagreements within the party caused problems. Most SPL councillors voted with the Labour party, but two voted with the Moderates.
Four councillors left the SPL because they disagreed with Ratcliffe's control. They called themselves independent Protestants. Lord Scone, who was the League's honorary President, also left the group in 1934.
In the 1934 Glasgow Corporation election, the League only had seven candidates. None of them were elected. Ratcliffe lost his own seat. The independent Protestants also lost their seats.
By the late 1930s, the League was almost gone. However, its newspaper, Vanguard, was still being published in 1939. It reported that "Hitler and the Pope are a pair...much in common...plotting together with Mussolini, also in the plot, to smash Protestantism throughout Europe." Even in March 1945, a leaflet advertising Vanguard was sent to politicians.
Alexander Ratcliffe remained active during the Second World War. In 1943, people in Parliament complained about a pamphlet he published that spread negative ideas about Jewish people. No action was taken against him. Ratcliffe died in Glasgow in 1947.
See also
- Ulster Protestant League
- Protestant Action Society
- Scottish Democratic Fascist Party
