Decade of cries to stop the world, we want to get on
Pivotal decade for politics saw Labour consolidate and the SNP emerge from the shadows, finds David Mclean
It was a pivotal time for Scottish politics, in which Labour consolidated its power, the Tories offered the carrot of devolution and the SNP emerged from the shadows to become a potent force capable of causing upsets.
Bolstered by an increasingly formidable Scottish Office and a string of successes, most notably Winnie Ewing’s landmark Hamilton byelection victory, the 1960s was the decade the Scottish National Party truly came to prominence.
Party membership soared during those ten years, from under 2,000 in 1960 to an estimated 70,000 at the start of 1968.
Held by Labour’s Alexander Wilson, a former coal-miner, the Hamilton seat had been considered one of the safest in the land, but the SNP’S Winifred Ewing, a young Glasgow solicitor, unexpectedly swept to victory, securing 46.1 per cent of the vote. The historic win meant the SNP had won their first seat in the Commons since the end of the Second World War.
In the aftermath of her victory, Ewing was famously quoted as saying: “Stop the world, Scotland wants to get on!”.
But, while the SNP had cause to celebrate, it was Labour who possessed the strongest hand in Scotland, where the electorate, particularly in industrial communities, was among the most left leaning to be found anywhere in the British Isles.
Labour’s promotion of socialism and its strong affiliations with trade unions up and down the country, saw it become the party of choice among the working classes.
On a UK level, it was Labour’s golden age, with Harold Wilson leading the country as prime minister for six years from 1964 and securing a clear majority in 1966.
However, Labour knew it had its work cut out to remain on top in Scotland. More and more Scots were calling for home rule and a devolved Scottish assembly and suddenly Scottish nationalism became a pressing matter for Westminster.
Worried their popularity was dipping to alarmingly low levels north of the border, the Conservative Party made moves to halt the rise of the SNP and appease those who felt Scotland was being sold short. Party leader Ted Heath was well aware of the threat from nationalism.