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1979 Scottish devolution referendum

1 March 1979
Do you want the Provisions of the Scotland Act 1978 to be put into effect?
Results
Choice Votes % Yes 1,230,937 51.62% No 1,153,502 48.38% Valid votes 2,384,439 99.87% Invalid or blank votes 3,133 0.13% Total votes 2,387,572 100.00% Registered voters/turnout 3,747,112 63.72%
Results by local voting area Yes:      50–60% No:      50–60%      60–70%      70-80%

A post-legislative referendum was held in Scotland in 1979 to decide whether there was a sufficient support for a Scottish Assembly proposed in the Scotland Act 1978 among the Scottish electorate. This was an act to create a devolved deliberative assembly for Scotland. A majority (51.6%) of voters supported the proposal, but an amendment to the Act stipulated that it would be repealed if less than 40% of the total electorate voted in favour. As there was a turnout of 64% the "Yes" vote represented only 32.9% of the registered electorate, and the act was subsequently repealed.

A second referendum to create a devolved legislature in Scotland was held in 1997 under a newly elected Labour government, which led to the enactment of the Scotland Act 1998 and the creation of a devolved Scottish Parliament in 1999.

Background

This article is part of a series within the Politics of the United Kingdom on the
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National and regional referendums held within the United Kingdom and its constituent countries
Northern Ireland border poll     1973 EC membership referendum     1975 Scottish devolution referendum     1979 Welsh devolution referendum     1979 Scottish devolution referendum     1997 Welsh devolution referendum     1997 Greater London Authority referendum     1998 NI Good Friday Agreement referendum     1998 NE England devolution referendum     2004 Welsh devolution referendum     2011 Alternative Vote referendum     2011 Scottish independence referendum     2014 EU membership referendum     2016     * UK-wide referendums in bold
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Kilbrandon Commission

Following the Scottish National Party gaining its first peacetime MP in the 1967 Hamilton by-election and Plaid Cymru's first win at the 1966 Carmarthen by-election in Wales, the United Kingdom government set up the Royal Commission on the Constitution, referred to as the Kilbrandon Commission, in 1969. The royal commission was intended to look at the constitutional structure of the United Kingdom and consider changes that should be made. The final report was published in 1973.

The commission examined various models of devolution, federalism and confederalism, on top of the break-up of the UK into separate sovereign states.

In relation to Scotland, eight of the commission's members supported a Scottish Assembly, via a devolved structure. It would recommended that the assembly would have around 100 members, elected under single transferable vote from multi-member constituencies. The assembly would obtain powers in the areas of education, environment, health, home affairs, legal matters and social services, while agriculture, fisheries and food would be divided between the assembly and the UK government.

Previous Legislation

After returning to power with a minority government in February 1974 election, Harold Wilson's Labour government published a white paper entitled Democracy and Devolution: Proposals for Scotland and Wales, published in September 1974. The party gained a narrow majority of three seats in the election in October.

By 1976, the Labour government, now led by James Callaghan, had lost its parliamentary majority entirely following a series of adverse by-election results. To provide a stable majority in the House of Commons, the government made an agreement with the Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru whereby, in return for their support in Commons votes, the government would instigate legislation to devolve political powers from Westminster to Scotland and Wales.

The Scotland and Wales Bill was subsequently introduced in November 1976, but the government struggled to get the legislation through parliament. The Conservative opposition opposed its second reading, and on the first day of committee 350 amendments were put down. Progress slowed to a crawl. In February 1977, the Bill's cabinet sponsor Michael Foot tabled a guillotine motion to attempt to halt the delays. The motion was rejected and the government was forced to withdraw the Bill.

Scotland Act 1978

The government returned to the issue of devolution in November 1977. Separate bills for Scotland and Wales were published and support from the Liberals was obtained. In spite of continued opposition requiring another guillotine motion, the Bills were passed. During the passage of the Scotland Act 1978 through Parliament, an amendment introduced by Labour MP George Cunningham added a requirement that the bill had to be approved by 40% of the total registered electorate, as well as a simple majority (50% + 1).

Proposed Assembly

Had the Scotland Act 1978 entered force, it would have created a Scottish Assembly with limited legislative powers. There would have been a Scottish Executive headed by a "First Secretary", taking over some of the functions of the Secretary of State for Scotland. Meetings of the Scottish Assembly would have been held at the Old Royal High School in Regent Road, Edinburgh. The former school hall was adapted for use by the Scottish Assembly, including the installation of microphones and new olive-green leather seating. Members would have been elected by the "first past the post" system.

The Scottish Assembly would have had the power to introduce primary legislation to be known as "Measures" (rather than Acts) within defined areas of competence. This form of legislation would not receive royal assent like Acts of Parliament do. Instead, the legislation is signed via an Order in Council, which the monarch signs and appends to the assembly measure once passed. Some new offices would have been created, such as a Comptroller and Auditor General for Scotland.

The areas of responsibility included:

• Education
• The environment
• Health
• Home affairs
• Legal matters
• Social services

Responsibility for agriculture, fisheries and food would have been divided between the Assembly and the United Kingdom government, while the latter would have retained control of electricity supply.

Opinion polling

1. Exit poll.
2. The sample was made up of voters in Scotland and Wales.
3. Number of people who said they did not vote.

Result

Do you want the provisions of the Scotland Act 1978 to be put into effect?

Choice	Votes	%
Yes	1,230,937	51.62
No	1,153,502	48.38
Valid votes	2,384,439	99.87
Invalid or blank votes	3,133	0.13
Total votes	2,387,582	100.00
Registered voters/turnout	3,747,112	63.72
Source: House of Commons Library

Aftermath

The result was a majority in favour of devolution. A total of 1,230,937 (51.6%) voted at the referendum in favour of an Assembly, a majority of about 77,400 over those voting against. However, this total represented only 32.9% of the registered electorate as a whole. The Labour government held that the Act's requirements had not been met, and that devolution would therefore not be introduced for Scotland.

In the wake of the referendum the disappointed supporters of the bill conducted a protest campaign under the slogan "Scotland said 'yes'", officially launched in a Glasgow hotel on 7 March 1979. In particular, the Scottish National Party (SNP) carried out a survey of the electoral register in the Edinburgh Central constituency. This appeared to show that the register was so out of date that even in an area where major support for a "yes" vote might be expected, achievement of 40% of the electorate was virtually unattainable. This was because the majority of electors lived in older tenements or newer Council blocks of flats where flat numbers were not specified. The work of electoral registration staff to obtain an accurate current register was almost impossible.

Under the terms of the Act, it could then be repealed by a Statutory instrument to be approved by Parliament. The government's decision to abandon devolution led the SNP to withdraw its support for the Labour government. It was in a minority in Parliament and had relied on deals with the smaller parties, including the SNP, for its survival. After establishing that the Liberals and the SNP would vote against the government in a confidence motion, the Conservative opposition tabled a motion on 28 March. The government was defeated by one vote, and a UK general election was subsequently called. This was won by the Conservatives, and Parliament voted to repeal the Act on 20 June 1979.

A second referendum to create a devolved legislature in Scotland was held in 1997 under a newly elected Labour government, which led to the enactment of the Scotland Act 1998 and the creation of a devolved Scottish Parliament in 1999.

See also

• 1997 Scottish devolution referendum
• 2014 Scottish independence referendum
• Scottish independence
• Referendums in the United Kingdom
• Scottish Assembly
• Royal Commission on the Constitution (United Kingdom)
• 1979 Welsh devolution referendum

Notes

1. The percentage of the electorate voting Yes was 32.5% on an unadjusted basis. After the electoral roll was adjusted for 40,200 ineligible voters (deaths; students and nurses registered at more than one address; prisoners), the % of the electorate voting Yes for the purposes of the Act was 32.9%.

References

1. ^ "Scottish Referendums". www.bbc.co.uk.
2. ^ Taylor, Brian. "1979 Remembered". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
3. Dewdney, Richard (1997). Results of Devolution Referendums (1979 & 1997) Research Paper No 97/113 (PDF). London, United Kingdom: House of Commons Library. p. 10.
4. Parkhouse, Geoffrey; Trotter, Stuart (3 March 1997). "Split vote teaches Callaghan a lesson". The Glasgow Herald. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
5. "Liberals Get tough on devolution" By William Russel. The Glasgow Herald – 8 March 1979.

External links

• Chronology of Scottish Politics: The Devolution Years 1967–1979

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See also: UK General election European Parliament election

v t e James Callaghan
Premiership	1976–1979
General elections	1979
Referenda	1979 Scottish devolution referendum 1979 Welsh devolution referendum
Party elections	Deputy leadership 1960 Leadership 1963 Leadership 1976
Constituencies	Cardiff South Cardiff South East Cardiff South and Penarth
Family	Audrey Callaghan (wife) Margaret Jay (daughter) Peter Jay (son-in-law)
Cultural depictions	The Audience (Play, 2013)
Related articles	1976 sterling crisis Winter of Discontent 1979 vote of no confidence 1979 budget Resignation Honours Father of the House
← Harold Wilson Margaret Thatcher → Category

• Referendums in Scotland
• 1979 referendums
• 1979 elections in the United Kingdom
• 1979 in Scotland
• 1970s elections in Scotland
• Scottish devolution
• Autonomy referendums
• March 1979 events in the United Kingdom