1997 Scottish devolution referendum

The Scottish devolution referendum of 1997 was a pre-legislative referendum held in Scotland on 11 September 1997 over whether there was support for the creation of a Scottish Parliament with devolved powers, and whether the Parliament should have tax-varying powers. The result was "Yes–Yes": a majority voted in favour of both proposals, and the Parliament was established following an election in 1999. Turnout for the referendum was 60.4%.

Scottish devolution referendum, 1997

11 September 1997 (1997-09-11)

Do you agree that there should be a Scottish Parliament as proposed by the Government?
Results
Choice
Votes  %
Yes 1,775,045 74.29%
No 614,400 25.71%
Valid votes 2,389,445 99.92%
Invalid or blank votes 11,986 0.50%
Total votes 2,391,268 100.00%
Registered voters/turnout 3,973,673 60.18%

Results by Council areas
Saturation of colour reflects the strength of the Yes vote in each Council area.
Scottish devolution referendum, 1997
11 September 1997

Do you agree that a Scottish Parliament should have tax-raising powers as proposed by the Government?
Results
Choice
Votes  %
Yes 1,512,889 63.48%
No 870,263 36.52%
Valid votes 2,383,152 99.66%
Invalid or blank votes 19,013 0.80%
Total votes 2,391,268 100.00%
Registered voters/turnout 3,973,673 60.18%

Results by Council areas
Saturation of colour reflects the strength of the Yes vote in each Council area.

The referendum was a Labour Party manifesto commitment and was held in their first term in office after the 1997 general election, under the provisions of the Referendums (Scotland and Wales) Act 1997. It was the second referendum held in Scotland over the question of devolution, the first being in 1979, and is to date the only major referendum to be held in any part of the United Kingdom where voters were asked two questions in the same plebiscite.

Background

Logo used by the Yes Campaign.

A referendum was held in 1979 under a Labour government which stipulated that a Scottish Assembly would come into being if the referendum had been supported by 50% of votes cast plus a controversial rule whereby at least 40% of the electorate had to vote in favour. Although 51.6% voted in favour, this was only 32.9% of the electorate so the Assembly was not brought into being. Shortly afterwards, the predominantly anti-devolution-led Conservative Party won the 1979 general election.

Logo used by the No Campaign.

That government put devolution to one side but it was a policy area that remained on the agenda of the Labour Party.[1] A Campaign for a Scottish Assembly was formed afterwards to continue the campaign. They brought together a committee of "prominent Scots" who drafted the document "A Claim of Right for Scotland".[2] The "Claim" was published in 1988 and signed by most Scottish politicians, local councils, trade unions and churches.[2] It was agreed to form a Scottish Constitutional Convention, made up of existing MPs and councillors.

The Labour Party included the establishment of a Scottish Parliament in its manifesto for the 1997 general election, which they won with a landslide majority of 179.[1]

Referendum questions

The electorate was asked to vote on two sets of statements which corresponded to both proposals.[3]

On the first ballot paper the following appeared:

Parliament has decided to consult people in Scotland on the Government's proposals for a Scottish Parliament:

I agree there should be a Scottish Parliament

or

I do not agree there should be a Scottish Parliament

(To be marked by a single (X))

On the second ballot paper the following appeared:

Parliament has decided to consult people in Scotland on the Government's proposals for a Scottish Parliament to have tax varying powers:

I agree that a Scottish Parliament should have tax-varying powers

or

I do not agree that a Scottish Parliament should have tax-varying powers

(To be marked by a single (X))

Campaign

Scottish Labour, the SNP, Scottish Liberal Democrats, and Scottish Greens campaigned for a "Yes" vote for both proposals whilst the Scottish Conservatives opposed both proposals. Labour MP Tam Dalyell opposed the creation of the Parliament, but accepted that it should have tax-varying powers if it were to be established.[4]

The official Yes campaign, Scotland Forward (styled "Scotland FORward"), was headed by the businessman Nigel Smith and came out of the groups that had previously formed the Scottish Constitutional Convention, along with the Scottish National Party. It was supported by the Labour, SNP, Liberal Democrat and Green parties.[5]

The official No campaign, Think Twice, was headed by Brian Monteith, a former employee of the Conservative MP Michael Forsyth. Board members included Donald Findlay, QC, Rector of the University of St Andrews and vice-chairman of Rangers F.C., and senior Conservative peer Lord Fraser. However, it struggled to get much business support as they were wary of opposing a project that had such support from the new government which had a large majority.[5]

Campaigning in the referendum was suspended between the death and funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales.[6] It was speculated that the Scottish referendum could have been postponed, but this would have required a recall of the UK Parliament and an amendment to the Referendums Act.[6][7]

Opinion polling

Polling on the establishment of a Scottish Parliament[8][9][10]
Date(s)
conducted
Pollster Client Sample
size
Yes No Don't
know
Lead
11 Sep 1997 1997 devolution referendum 74.3% 25.7% N/A 48.6%
10 Sep 1997 ICM The Scotsman 63% 25% 12% 38%
8 Sep 1997 MORI STV 67% 22% 11% 45%
7 Sep 1997 NOP The Sunday Times 63% 21% 16% 42%
7 Sep 1997 ICM The Scotsman 1,010 60% 25% 15% 35%
6–7 Sep 1997 System Three The Herald 1,039 61% 20% 19% 41%
21–26 Aug 1997 System Three The Herald 1,039 61% 23% 16% 38%
24–29 Jul 1997 System Three The Herald 1,024 65% 19% 16% 46%
26 Jun1 Jul 1997 System Three The Herald 978 68% 21% 10% 47%
22–27 May 1997 System Three The Herald 1,024 64% 21% 15% 43%
Polling on the establishment of a Scottish Parliament with tax-varying power[8][9][10]
Date(s)
conducted
Pollster Client Sample
size
Yes No Don't
know
Lead
11 Sep 1997 1997 devolution referendum 63.5% 36.5% N/A 27.0%
10 Sep 1997 ICM The Scotsman 48% 40% 12% 8%
8 Sep 1997 MORI STV 45% 31% 24% 14%
7 Sep 1997 NOP The Sunday Times 51% 34% 15% 17%
7 Sep 1997 ICM The Scotsman 1,010 45% 38% 17% 7%
6–7 Sep 1997 System Three The Herald 1,039 45% 31% 24% 14%
21–26 Aug 1997 System Three The Herald 1,039 47% 32% 21% 15%
24–29 Jul 1997 System Three The Herald 1,024 54% 27% 18% 27%
26 Jun1 Jul 1997 System Three The Herald 978 56% 26% 18% 30%
22–27 May 1997 System Three The Herald 1,024 53% 28% 19% 25%

Results

The result was "Yes-Yes": the majority voted "I agree" in favour of both proposals.[3] Two council areas had an overall "Yes-No" result – Dumfries and Galloway and Orkney. More votes were cast for the first question than the second in all regions (except Fife), with substantially more spoilt ballots for the second question, perhaps due to voter confusion over the two papers.[11]

Question 1

Map showing results by council.
  80–90% Yes
  70–80% Yes
  60–70% Yes
1997 Scottish devolution referendum
(Question 1)
Choice Votes  %
I agree there should be a Scottish Parliament 1,775,045 74.29
I do not agree that there should be a Scottish Parliament 614,200 25.71
Valid votes 2,389,445 99.50
Invalid or blank votes 11,986 0.50
Total votes 2,401,431 100.00
Registered voters/turnout 3,973,673 60.43
Question 1 results (excluding invalid votes)
Agree
1,775,045 (74.3%)
Disagree
614,400 (25.7%)

50%

By council area

Council area Votes Proportion of votes
Agree Disagree Agree Disagree
Aberdeen City 65,035 25,580 71.8% 28.2%
Aberdeenshire 61,621 34,878 63.9% 36.1%
Angus 33,571 18,350 64.7% 35.3%
Argyll and Bute 30,452 14,796 67.3% 32.7%
Clackmannanshire 18,790 4,706 80.0% 20.0%
Dumfries and Galloway 44,619 28,863 60.7% 39.3%
Dundee City 49,252 15,553 76.0% 24.0%
East Ayrshire 49,131 11,426 81.1% 18.9%
East Dunbartonshire 40,917 17,725 69.8% 30.2%
East Lothian 33,525 11,665 74.2% 25.8%
East Renfrewshire 28,253 17,573 61.7% 38.3%
City of Edinburgh 155,900 60,832 71.9% 28.1%
Falkirk 55,642 13,953 80.0% 20.0%
Fife 125,668 39,517 76.1% 23.9%
Glasgow City 204,269 40,106 83.6% 16.4%
Highland 72,551 27,431 72.6% 27.4%
Inverclyde 31,680 8,945 78.0% 22.0%
Midlothian 31,681 7,979 79.9% 20.1%
Moray 24,822 12,122 67.2% 32.8%
North Ayrshire 51,304 15,931 76.3% 23.7%
North Lanarkshire 123,063 26,010 82.6% 17.4%
Perth and Kinross 40,344 24,998 61.7% 38.3%
Renfrewshire 68,711 18,213 79.0% 21.0%
Scottish Borders 33,855 20,060 62.8% 37.2%
South Ayrshire 40,161 19,909 66.9% 33.1%
South Lanarkshire 114,908 32,762 77.8% 22.2%
Stirling 29,190 13,440 68.5% 31.5%
West Dunbartonshire 39,051 7,058 84.7% 15.3%
West Lothian 56,923 14,614 79.6% 20.4%
Na h-Eileanan Siar (Western Isles) 9,977 2,589 79.4% 20.6%
Orkney 4,749 3,541 57.3% 42.7%
Shetland 5,430 3,275 62.4% 37.6%

Question 2

Map showing results by council.
  70–80% Yes
  60–70% Yes
  50–60% Yes
  <50% Yes
Scottish devolution referendum, 1997
(Question 2)
Choice Votes  %
I agree that a Scottish Parliament should have tax-varying powers 1,512,889 63.48
I do not agree that a Scottish Parliament should have tax-varying powers 870,263 36.52
Valid votes 2,383,152 99.21
Invalid or blank votes 19,013 0.79
Total votes 2,402,165 100.00
Registered voters/turnout 3,973,673 60.45
Question 2 referendum results (without spoiled ballots):
Agree:
1,512,889 (63.5%)
Disagree:
870,263 (36.5%)

By council area

Council area Votes Proportion of votes
Agree Disagree Agree Disagree
Aberdeen City 54,320 35,709 60.3% 39.7%
Aberdeenshire 50,295 45,929 52.3% 47.7%
Angus 27,641 24,089 53.4% 46.6%
Argyll and Bute 25,746 19,429 57.0% 43.0%
Clackmannanshire 16,112 7,355 68.7% 31.3%
Dumfries and Galloway 35,737 37,499 48.8% 51.2%
Dundee City 42,304 22,280 65.5% 34.5%
East Ayrshire 42,559 17,824 70.5% 29.5%
East Dunbartonshire 34,576 23,914 59.1% 40.9%
East Lothian 28,152 16,765 62.7% 37.3%
East Renfrewshire 23,580 22,153 51.6% 48.4%
City of Edinburgh 133,843 82,188 62.0% 38.0%
Falkirk 48,064 21,403 69.2% 30.8%
Fife 108,021 58,987 64.7% 35.3%
Glasgow City 182,589 60,842 75.0% 25.0%
Highland 61,359 37,525 62.1% 37.9%
Inverclyde 27,194 13,277 67.2% 32.8%
Midlothian 26,776 12,762 67.7% 32.3%
Moray 19,326 17,344 52.7% 47.3%
North Ayrshire 43,990 22,991 65.7% 34.3%
North Lanarkshire 107,288 41,372 72.2% 27.8%
Perth and Kinross 33,398 31,709 51.3% 48.7%
Renfrewshire 55,075 31,537 63.6% 36.4%
Scottish Borders 27,284 26,487 50.7% 49.3%
South Ayrshire 33,679 26,217 56.2% 43.8%
South Lanarkshire 99,587 47,708 67.6% 32.4%
Stirling 25,044 17,487 58.9% 41.1%
West Dunbartonshire 34,408 11,628 74.7% 25.3%
West Lothian 47,990 23,354 67.3% 32.7%
Na h-Eileanan Siar (Western Isles) 8,557 3,947 68.4% 31.6%
Orkney 3,917 4,344 47.4% 52.6%
Shetland 4,478 4,198 51.6% 48.4%

Votes in favour of tax-varying powers still commanded significant majority, when compared to establishing the Parliament per se. A majority voted 'I agree' in every local council, apart from in Dumfries & Galloway[12] and Orkney.[13]

Overall turnout by council area

Council area Turnout
Aberdeen City 53.7%
Aberdeenshire 57.0%
Angus 60.2%
Argyll & Bute 65.0%
Clackmannanshire 66.1%
Dumfries & Galloway 63.4%
Dundee City 55.7%
East Ayrshire 64.8%
East Dunbartonshire 72.2%
East Lothian 65.0%
East Renfrewshire 68.2%
City of Edinburgh 60.1%
Falkirk 63.7%
Fife 60.7%
Glasgow City 51.6%
Highland 60.3%
Inverclyde 60.4%
Midlothian 65.1%
Moray 57.8%
North Ayrshire 63.4%
North Lanarkshire 60.8%
Perth & Kinross 63.5%
Renfrewshire 62.8%
Scottish Borders 64.8%
South Ayrshire 66.7%
South Lanarkshire 63.1%
Stirling 65.8%
West Dunbartonshire 63.7%
West Lothian 60.4%
Na h-Eileanan Siar (Western Isles) 55.8%
Orkney 53.5%
Shetland 51.5%

Outcome

In response to the majority voting for "Yes" to both proposals, the UK Parliament passed the Scotland Act 1998. This established a Scottish Parliament for the first time since the adjournment of the pre-Union Parliament of Scotland in 1707. The devolved Parliament convened for the first time in May 1999, following its first election. This was a poll that the Conservative Party had to fight despite losing their "No" Campaign and having no Westminster seats in Scotland after losing the 1997 general election.[14] The Scotland Act 1998 also created the Scottish Executive, later to become known as the Scottish Government.

Reaction to the result

Professor Tom Devine, academic at the University of Edinburgh, dubbed the referendum result "the most significant development in Scottish political history since the Union of 1707".[15] As well as the "Yes" campaign leader stated "it does, I hope, end much argument and dispute". Prime Minister Tony Blair claimed that "the era of big centralised government is over".[16]

The "Yes" campaign leaders Donald Dewar (Scottish Labour) and Alex Salmond (Scottish National Party) held different views over the devolution proposal. However, they put their political differences aside immediately after the vote in celebration. Despite this, the SNP's calls for independence soon reignited with SNP leader Alex Salmond claiming that there would be an independent Scotland within his lifetime. The "No" campaign did not share this optimism and feared that this vote was a catalyst towards the break-up of the Union.[16]

When the Secretary of State for Scotland, Donald Dewar, went back to London to implement the referendum result, he found the Whitehall civil service unwilling to give up powers and doubting that matters over and above those previously handled by the Scottish Office (such as education, health, transport, police and housing) should be politically devolved. Detail was also lacking in that the Scottish Constitutional Convention had failed to address issues such as the role of The Queen or aspects of tax-varying powers.[15]

See also

References

  1. Mitchell, J.; Denver, D.; Pattie, C.; Bochel, H. (1998). "The 1997 Devolution Referendum in Scotland". Parliamentary Affairs. 51 (2): 166–181. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.pa.a028782.
  2. Scott, Paul H. "The most influential document this century". The Herald. Archived from the original on 28 December 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. "Scottish Referendum Live – The Results". BBC News. BBC. Archived from the original on 14 April 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
  4. "Dissent Within the Labour Party". BBC News. BBC. Archived from the original on 23 November 2004. Retrieved 31 August 2007.
  5. "BBC Briefing". BBC News. BBC. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  6. "Referendum Campaign Is Suspended As A Mark Of Respect". BBC News. BBC. Archived from the original on 31 December 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  7. Nutt, Kathleen (21 February 2021). "Secret files reveal William Hague asked Tony Blair to suspend devolution vote". The National. Archived from the original on 22 July 2021. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  8. Pattie, Charles; Denver, David; Mitchell, James; Bochel, Hugh (1998). "The 1997 Scottish Referendum: an Analysis of the Results". Scottish Affairs. 22: 8. doi:10.3366/scot.1998.0002. ISSN 0966-0356. Archived from the original on 16 June 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2021. closed access
  9. "Scottish Polls". BBC Politics 97. 1997. Archived from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  10. "ICM Research / The Scotsman Scottish Opinion Poll – September 1997" (PDF). ICM Research. 1997. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 March 2016.
  11. Dewdney, Richard (10 November 1997). "Results of Devolution Referendums 1979 & 1997". House of Commons Library. Research Paper No 97/113. Archived from the original on 24 February 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  12. "Result – Dumfries and Galloway". BBC News. 1997. Archived from the original on 15 May 2019. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  13. "Result – Orkney Islands". BBC News. 1997. Archived from the original on 15 May 2019. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  14. Mitchell, James et al, 1998. "The 1997 Devolution Referendum in Scotland." In Oxford University Press Journals 51, (2): 166.
  15. Kerr, Andrew (8 September 2017). "Scottish devolution referendum: The birth of a parliament". BBC News. Archived from the original on 29 January 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
  16. "Scottish devolution vote from the archive". BBC News. 11 September 2017. Archived from the original on 23 November 2017. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
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