Voting for a Scottish Government - 9780719081088

In 2007, Labour lost an election in Scotland for the first time in half a century and the SNP went on to form the Scottish Government. This book explains why. It is based on a unique three-wave survey of the Scottish electorate and can truly be described as the first full-scale Scottish national election study. As such, the book is notable not only for its innovative methodology but also because theories and concepts are taken from the recent electoral studies literature and applied to Scotland. Other questions investigated include the impact of campaigning and of the party leaders (at both Scottish and British level) on the election outcome. In addition, for the first time in the UK context, a special study is made of the causes and consequences of rejected ballots - the large number of which at the election in question caused a media outcry.

'The 2007 Scottish Parliament Elections brought Labour's decades-long predominance in the country's political life to an end. This comprehensive book uses innovative survey data to ask why that happened. The importance of the outcome to UK politics more widely, and to the understanding of different electoral systems, makes this seminal analysis required reading for all interested in the future shape and direction of Britain's polity.'