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1997 Scottish devolution referendum

Measure creating a devolved Scottish Parliament

Field	Value
name	1997 Scottish devolution referendum
title	Do you agree that there should be a Scottish Parliament as proposed by the Government?
country	Scotland
flag_year	1997
location	Scotland
previous_year	1979
previous_referendum	1979 Scottish devolution referendum
date
yes	1,775,045
no	614,400
total	2,391,268
invalid	11,986
electorate	3,973,673
map	Scottish devolution referendum, 1997 Question 1.svg
map_caption	Results by local voting area
Yes:

Yes:
Yes:
No:

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%.

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.

That government put devolution to one side but it was a policy area that remained on the agenda of the Labour Party. 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". The "Claim" was published in 1988 and signed by most Scottish politicians, local councils, trade unions and churches. 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.

Referendum questions

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

On the first ballot paper the following appeared:

or (To be marked by a single (X))}}

On the second ballot paper the following appeared:

or (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.

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.

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, 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.

Campaigning in the referendum was suspended between the death and funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales. 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.

Opinion polling

Date(s)
conducted	Pollster	Client	Sample
size	Yes	No	Don't
know	Lead
{{opdrts	11	Sep	1997	year}}	1997 devolution referendum	–	74.3%	25.7%	N/A	48.6%
{{opdrts	10	Sep	1997	year}}	ICM	The Scotsman	–	63%	25%	12%
{{opdrts	8	Sep	1997	year}}	MORI	STV	–	67%	22%	11%
{{opdrts	7	Sep	1997	year}}	NOP	The Sunday Times	–	63%	21%	16%
{{opdrts	7	Sep	1997	year}}	ICM	The Scotsman	1,010	60%	25%	15%
	System Three	The Herald	1,039	61%	20%	19%	41%
	System Three	The Herald	1,039	61%	23%	16%	38%
	System Three	The Herald	1,024	65%	19%	16%	46%
	System Three	The Herald	978	68%	21%	10%	47%
	System Three	The Herald	1,024	64%	21%	15%	43%

Date(s)
conducted	Pollster	Client	Sample
size	Yes	No	Don't
know	Lead
{{opdrts	11	Sep	1997	year}}	1997 devolution referendum	–	63.5%	36.5%	N/A	27.0%
{{opdrts	10	Sep	1997	year}}	ICM	The Scotsman	–	48%	40%	12%
{{opdrts	8	Sep	1997	year}}	MORI	STV	–	45%	31%	24%
{{opdrts	7	Sep	1997	year}}	NOP	The Sunday Times	–	51%	34%	15%
{{opdrts	7	Sep	1997	year}}	ICM	The Scotsman	1,010	45%	38%	17%
	System Three	The Herald	1,039	45%	31%	24%	14%
	System Three	The Herald	1,039	47%	32%	21%	15%
	System Three	The Herald	1,024	54%	27%	18%	27%
	System Three	The Herald	978	56%	26%	18%	30%
	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. 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.

Question 1

Map showing results by council:<br />'''Yes''':

|right|180px]]

(Question 1)

By council area

Council area	Votes	Proportion of votes	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:<br />'''Yes''':

No:

|right|180px]]

(Question 2)

▲

By council area

Council area	Votes	Proportion of votes	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 and Orkney.

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. 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". Prime Minister Tony Blair claimed that "the era of big centralised government is over".

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.

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.

References

Scott, Paul H.. "The most influential document this century". [[The Herald (Glasgow).
(1998). "The 1997 Devolution Referendum in Scotland". Parliamentary Affairs.
"Scottish Referendum Live – The Results". BBC.
"Dissent Within the Labour Party". BBC.
"BBC Briefing". BBC.
"Referendum Campaign Is Suspended As A Mark Of Respect". BBC.
Nutt, Kathleen. (21 February 2021). "Secret files reveal William Hague asked Tony Blair to suspend devolution vote". [[The National (Scotland).
(1998). "The 1997 Scottish Referendum: an Analysis of the Results". Scottish Affairs.
(1997). "Scottish Polls". BBC Politics 97.
(1997). "ICM Research / The Scotsman Scottish Opinion Poll – September 1997".
Dewdney, Richard. (10 November 1997). "Results of Devolution Referendums 1979 & 1997". [[House of Commons Library]].
(1997). "Result – Dumfries and Galloway". [[BBC News]].
(1997). "Result – Orkney Islands". [[BBC News]].
Mitchell, James et al, 1998. "The 1997 Devolution Referendum in Scotland." In Oxford University Press Journals 51, (2): 166.
Kerr, Andrew. (8 September 2017). "Scottish devolution referendum: The birth of a parliament". [[BBC News]].
(11 September 2017). "Scottish devolution vote from the archive". [[BBC News]].

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