Editing Scottish National Party (section)

=== Becoming a notable force (1970s) ===
[[File:United Kingdom general election 1974 Oct in Scotland.svg|thumb|In [[October 1974 United Kingdom general election|October 1974]] the SNP won 11 constituencies, a record that would stand until [[Nicola Sturgeon]] assumed the party's leadership.|350x350px]]
Despite this breakthrough, the [[1970 United Kingdom general election|1970 general election]] was to prove a disappointment for the party as, despite an increase in vote share, Ewing failed to retain her seat in Hamilton. The party did receive some consolation with the capture of the [[Na h-Eileanan an Iar (UK Parliament constituency)|Western Isles]], making [[Donald Stewart (MP)|Donald Stewart]] the party's only MP. This was to be the case until the [[1973 Glasgow Govan by-election|1973 by-election]] at [[Glasgow Govan (UK Parliament constituency)|Glasgow Govan]] where a hitherto safe Labour seat was claimed by [[Margo MacDonald]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Parliamentary Career for Margo Macdonald – MPs and Lords |url=https://members.parliament.uk/member/1667/career |access-date=16 June 2023 |website=UK Parliament}}</ref>

1974 was to prove something of an ''[[annus mirabilis]]'' for the party, as it deployed its highly effective ''[[It's Scotland's oil]]'' campaign.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dilemmas of Over-Development: Scottish Nationalism and the Future of the Union |url=https://www.versobooks.com/blogs/4241-dilemmas-of-over-development-scottish-nationalism-and-the-future-of-the-union |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210321075240/https://www.versobooks.com/blogs/4241-dilemmas-of-over-development-scottish-nationalism-and-the-future-of-the-union |archive-date=21 March 2021 |access-date=5 April 2020 |website=Versobooks.com}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=December 2020}} The SNP gained six seats at the [[February 1974 United Kingdom general election|February general election]] before hitting a high point in the [[October 1974 United Kingdom general election|October re-run]], polling almost a third of all votes in Scotland and returning 11 MPs to Westminster. Furthermore, during that year's [[1974 Scottish local elections|local elections]] the party claimed overall control of [[Cumbernauld and Kilsyth (district)|Cumbernauld and Kilsyth]].{{citation needed|date=May 2021}}

This success was to continue for much of the decade, and at the [[1977 Scottish local elections|1977 district elections]] the SNP saw victories at councils including [[East Kilbride (district)|East Kilbride]] and [[Falkirk Council|Falkirk]] and held the balance of power in [[1977 Glasgow City District Council election|Glasgow]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Faux |first=Ronald |date=4 May 1977 |title=Labour lose control of Glasgow |work=The Times, p. 1}}</ref> However, this level of support was not to last and by 1978 Labour revival was evident at three by-elections ([[1978 Glasgow Garscadden by-election|Glasgow Garscadden]], [[1978 Hamilton by-election|Hamilton]] and [[1978 Berwick and East Lothian by-election|Berwick and East Lothian]]) as well as the [[1978 Scottish regional elections|regional elections]].

In 1976, [[James Callaghan]]'s minority government made an agreement with the SNP and [[Plaid Cymru]]. In return for their support in the Commons, the government would respond to the [[Royal Commission on the Constitution (United Kingdom)|Kilbrandon commission]] and legislate to devolve powers from Westminster to Scotland and Wales.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/politics97/devolution/scotland/briefing/79referendums.shtml|title=Scottish Referendums|website=www.bbc.co.uk}}</ref> The resulting [[Scotland Act 1978]] would create a Scottish assembly, subject to a referendum. Labour, the Liberals and the SNP campaigned for a "yes" vote in [[1979 Scottish devolution referendum|the referendum on the Scotland Act]] and "yes" won a majority, but a threshold imposed by anti-devolution Labour MP [[George Cunningham (British politician)|George Cunningham]] requiring 40% of the electorate to be in favour was not reached due to low turnout.<ref>url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/politics97/background/pastelec/ge79.shtml|title=BBC Politics Summaries – Background to the Vote of No Confidence</ref> When the government decided not to implement the Act, the SNP's MPs withdrew their support and voted to support [[1979 vote of no confidence in the Callaghan ministry|Margaret Thatcher's motion of no confidence in Callaghan's government.]]<ref name="bbc.co.uk">[http://www.bbc.co.uk/politics97/background/pastelec/ge79.shtml BBC Politics Summaries] – Background to the Vote of No Confidence</ref> In the ensuing [[1979 United Kingdom general election|general election]], the party experienced a large drop in its support. Reduced to just 2 MPs, the successes of October 1974 were not to be surpassed until the [[2015 United Kingdom general election|2015 general election]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 July 2018 |title=SNP MP criticised for defending party's role in bringing Thatcher to power |url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/16374941.snp-mp-criticised-defending-partys-role-bringing-thatcher-power/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210713215706/https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/16374941.snp-mp-criticised-defending-partys-role-bringing-thatcher-power/ |archive-date=13 July 2021 |access-date=13 July 2021}}</ref>