The Research On The Scottish National Party

In September 2014, the Scotland independence referendum attracted the attention of the whole world, which makes the Scottish National Party(SNP) to be known by the world. And in the 2015 UK general election, the SNP's meteoric rise is an important symbol of it starting to impact on Scotland, British and whole politics arena in the western world. SNP was formally established in 1934, and current leader is Ms.Nicola Sturgeon. In the first decades SNP virtually invisible, and in the 20 th century1960's, SNP formally ascended to the British political stage. Depending on the political struggle of British mainstream parties, supported by the "Thatcherism" and "New Labour" reform, the British Decentralization movement and gradually continual surging of Scotland nationalism sentiment, SNP began to rise sharply and keep advantages in the election. In the 2015 general election, SNP became the third party in British political stage, and began to become an important force to influence the British internal and external policies, economic and social development.The SNP has a relatively mature political philosophy, and a very well established organization structure, with praising highly of "the Scottish independence" and social democratic political ideas which is similar to Labour Party's traditional “centre left-wing” political philosophy. In terms of its specific characteristics, the SNP has the characteristics of non-violence in promoting the nationalist movement, the effective youth political mobilization, relatively rare "pro-European" stance, as well as the inherited from Labour Party's traditional "progressive" political label. The SNP's development and expansion occurs simultaneously with the decline of the British national strength and three times nationalism wave in the 20 th century, more with domestic complex party politics, economic recession, cultural identity,Decentralization movement, and North Sea oil development, all of which has the inseparable common role. The development of the SNP has brought influence which cannot be ignored on the international community and UK, especially on the shake of British traditional two-party political system, the stimulate of "West Lothian question",the cripple of the British national identification again, and for the Britain's national security, especially nuclear power's future and so on, with gradually changing many Britain's traditional value which remained in the lasted hundreds of years. Therefore,research on SNP not only provide a new point of view for understanding the British current political, economic, social or other factors, and through the analysis ofchanges of British politics, it is also has a important theoretical and practical significance to analyze the current British political situation, the future economic development and even the national identity reestablishment and the integrity of British territory and sovereignty. At the same time it has a certain significant enlightenment to our country's unity and common prosperity.This paper is mainly divided into four parts:The first part, it starting from the concept of ethnicity and nationalism to the nationalist party's define, and leads to an introduction of the SNP's general information, illustrate the SNP to "seek the Scottish independence" as the core ideal,and promoting the centre-left political idea of "social democracy" at the same time, as well as its internal organization structure and its own distinctive features.The second part, of the paper elaborated the SNP's four phases of the development process since its establishment, and representatively lists some important historical periods of the SNP's performance in the election. And then, from Britain to Europe, more detailed combing the prompted the SNP development of its political,economic, electoral system, party leaders, the waves of nationalism, European integration and so on, thus having a more insightful understanding to the development of the SNP and throughout the UK political, economic and social transformation as a whole.The third part mainly analyzes the SNP's development impact on Britain's domestic two-party system, Decentralization, national identity and national security,but also related to the stimulation of similar nationalist movement in the world.The fourth part focused on prospect of SNP's future development. It is pointed out that in spite of facing the internal and external difficulties, the SNP are still able to maintain its development trend to the future, and even have the possibility of reaching the "independent" goal under certain special conditions. But it is unlikely to dominate the British politics, because the UK Independence Party(UKIP) is actually the real threat to the current Britain politics and national unity.