We now turn to a consideration of the political focus on national identity and nationalism in Scottish manifestos issued for British General Elections from the 1970s onwards. We specifically employ a quantitative framework, allowing the measurement of political and nationalist positioning of the four major parties on two spectrums, measuring the past forty years. In addition, a consideration of specific aspects employing appeals to a sense of national identity (Scottishness or Britishness) is undertaken. As political documents the manifestos seek to project a stance on the nationalist-unionist debate – a stance that allows the parties to create a sense of ‘them’ and ‘us’. Crucially, this sense of identity is both political and national. Parties are (obviously) seeking votes for the election in question, but at the same time the projection of national identity within the manifestos also has an influence on the overall nature of Scottishness. As parties look to create an ideological, political platform in Scotland, this platform also impacts, and is impacted upon by, the sense of national identity in Scotland.

Scotland Apart

The political and electoral activity that takes place within Scotland as well as the Scottish party system display significant differences from the wider British system of which it is a part. These differences are evident today in areas such as electoral results and opportunities for mainstream (and lesser) political parties. There is a much wider spectrum of political parties operating in Scotland at an elected level, or with the opportunity to gain representation at that level.