The Scottish Democratic Alliance (SDA) was a political organisation formed in 2009 as the successor to the Scottish Enterprise Party (SEP). It supports

Scottish independence Scottish independence ( gd, Neo-eisimeileachd na h-Alba; sco, Scots unthirldom) is the idea of Scotland as a sovereign state, independent from the United Kingdom, and refers to the political movement that is campaigning to bring it about. S ...

and withdrawal from the European Union. Although it evolved from a political party, the SDA spent some time operating as a think tank on current affairs in Scotland. It stood its first candidate for election in the

2013 Aberdeen Donside by-election The 2013 Aberdeen Donside by-election is a by-election that was held for the Scottish Parliament constituency of Aberdeen Donside on Thursday 20 June, following the death from cancer of the constituency's MSP, Brian Adam. The seat was created ...

, coming last with 35 votes (0.1%).

Policies

The SDA favoured a low-tax Scotland independent of both the EU and the UK. It "supported the use of renewable sources of energy" but opposed high subsidisation of "unsustainable" energy sources and the trend of subsidised commercial wind farms. It also opposed the development of wind farms in "scenically sensitive areas". The SDA proposed "necessary investment" in transport, as well as a price cap of £1 GBP per litre on petrol and diesel and the elimination of the " road licensing tax". The SDA also proposed a scheduled ferry service between Aberdeen and Norway to promote tourism.

History

The Scottish Enterprise Party was a centre-right political party in Scotland which supported

and withdrawal from the European Union. It was formed in July 2004 to provide an alternative to the largely social democratic

Scottish National Party The Scottish National Party (SNP; sco, Scots National Pairty, gd, Pàrtaidh Nàiseanta na h-Alba ) is a Scottish nationalist and social democratic political party in Scotland. The SNP supports and campaigns for Scottish independence from ...

for centre-right voters who support independence. The party opposed Scottish membership of the European Union and any prospective membership of the euro; it supported the principle of a constitutional monarchy and elections conducted through the Single Transferable Vote. The SEP backed the constitutional view that parliamentary sovereignty does not apply in Scotland, because sovereignty in Scotland resides with the people, as set out in the Declaration of Arbroath. The party fielded three candidates in the 2007 Scottish Parliamentary elections, obtaining a total of 1,025 votes and winning no seats. The party was eventually superseded by the Scottish Democratic Alliance in 2009. The SDA was registered with the Electoral Commission in June 2009, and the SEP was simultaneously wound up. Activists from the SDA carried a banner at the

March and Rally for Scottish Independence The March and Rally for Scottish Independence was a demonstration in support of Scottish independence that had taken place in Scotland's capital, Edinburgh, in both 2012 and 2013. It was originally set to take place again in 2014, shortly befor ...

in September 2013 which read: "a vote for independence is not a vote for the SNP". The SDA fielded James Trolland in a series of elections in 2013 and 2014. Trolland contested the

, campaigning on issues like the European Union, road accidents, potential police station closures, and school closures, and received 35 votes (0.15%). He stood in by-elections to

Glasgow City Council Glasgow City Council is the local government authority for the City of Glasgow, Scotland. It was created in 1996 under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, largely with the boundaries of the post-1975 City of Glasgow district of the S ...

on two occasions: once in Govan, where he won a single first preference vote; and again in Shettleston, where he won six votes. Trolland contested the

2014 Cowdenbeath by-election The Cowdenbeath by-election, 2014 was a by-election held for the Scottish Parliament constituency of Cowdenbeath on 23 January 2014. Background The by-election was held following the death of the constituency's MSP, Helen Eadie, who had been di ...

and won 51 votes (0.25%). The party did not contest the 2015 general election. During the

2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum The United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, commonly referred to as the EU referendum or the Brexit referendum, took place on 23 June 2016 in the United Kingdom (UK) and Gibraltar to ask the electorate whether the country shoul ...

the Scottish Democratic Alliance campaigned in favour of the UK leaving the European Union.

References

External links

Official website, now dead, archived 15 August 2020
{{Political parties in Scotland Eurosceptic parties in the United Kingdom Political parties established in 2009 Political parties in Scotland Scottish nationalist organisations 2009 establishments in Scotland