“Deindustrialisation and the Economic Case for Scottish Independence since the 1960s”

Ewan Gibbs

University of Glasgow

Abstract: Abstract: Scottish independence became part of mainstream political debate during the 1960s and 1970s. Growing support for independence was contextualised by mounting concerns over the performance of Scotland’s economy and the popularisation of Nationalist perspectives which held the Union had become a barrier to achieving balanced prosperity and economic renewal. Along with a quantitative account of Scotland’s labour market, this paper presents highly original source base of archives related to the Scottish National Party (SNP) and interviews with nationalist politicians, economists, party activists and others who have shaped the economic case for independence. The findings suggest that deindustrialisation – the sustained contraction of employment in manufacturing and mining – was formative to arguments for independence during the second half of the twentieth century. Job losses in coal mining and steelmaking reinforced Nationalist criticisms of economic centralisation and the perceived mismanagement of Scotland’s economy from London. Furthermore, these experiences compounded the sense that Scotland’s natural resources such as coal, oil and renewables, were not being exploited for the benefit of Scottish workers and communities. The conclusion suggests that there has been a reorientation in civic engagement in Scotland’s former industrial regions. Whilst nationalism initially animated struggles against workplace closures, the foundation of a Scottish Parliament has anchored a reorientation towards a distinctive Scottish national polity and away from older forms of trade union minded British labour movement politics.

For further information on the seminar please contact Andrew McLean amclean16@qub.ac.uk