When Parties Trap Movements: The Struggle over Independence for Scotland

• In Event: Party Activists, Party Members, and Intra-Party Democracy

Abstract

This study examines how the contemporary grassroots struggle over independence for Scotland from the United Kingdom has been shaped by the institutions of the Scottish party system, its leading parties, the loyalties of activists to parties, and the strategic logics that have emerged from these interactions. We argue that emergent logics have constrained activists to pursue electorally based approaches within Scotland (as opposed to outsider approaches), which have ultimately proved non-viable. This analysis builds on the idea of party capture but departs from it by focusing on the disciplining effects of parties over movements (rather than over individuals, as in party capture theory). In doing so, the work expands understandings about the potential range of party-movement interactions. Evidence is synthesized from four types of sources: (1) original surveys of activists participating in pro- and anti-independence rallies; (2) public opinion surveys in Scotland and the United Kingdom more broadly; (3) elite interviews with activist leader; and (4) content analysis of historical newspapers.

Author

• Michael T. Heaney, University of Glasgow