SNP turns 75
Tuesday, 7 April 2009 12:01 AM
By politics.co.uk staff
The Scottish National party is turning 75 today, with leader Alex Salmond reiterating his support for Scottish independence.
"The last 75 years have seen Scotland and the SNP journey together. Throughout, we have always stood with and for the people of Scotland in achieving our nation's ambitions," he wrote in an email to 15,000 party members.
"When the party was founded few could have imagined the distance we have travelled in the years since, with an SNP government now in place and an independence referendum planned for next year."
The party is currently the largest in the Scottish parliament, but was forced to form a minority administration after its commitment to independence prevented alliances with Labour, the Liberal Democrats or the Conservatives.
Its early popularity in power was put down to several well-implemented centre-left policies, including the abolition of prescription charges.
But the economic downturn hit the party's prospects hard, with opponents highlighting speeches by Mr Salmond calling for an 'arc of prosperity' uniting Ireland, Iceland and Norway.
Iceland was the first major casualty of the downturn while Norway is struggling.
The SNP was formed in 1934 from a merger of the National Party of Scotland and the Scottish Party.
Its first parliamentary seat came in a Motherwell by-election in 1945, but the successful candidate, Robert McIntyre, then lost his seat at the general election three months later.
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