Editing Scottish National Party (section)

===Salmond governments (2007–2014)===
[[File:Scottish Cabinet at Bute House, June 2007 (2).jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The [[First Salmond government|first SNP administration]] led by [[Alex Salmond]] as [[First Minister of Scotland]], here seated next to [[Nicola Sturgeon]] in [[Bute House]]]]
In [[2007 Scottish Parliament election|2007]], the SNP emerged as the largest party in the Scottish Parliament with 47 of 129 seats, narrowly ousting [[Scottish Labour]] with 46 seats and [[Alex Salmond]] becoming [[First Minister of Scotland|First Minister]] after ousting the Liberal Democrats in [[Gordon (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Gordon]]. The [[Scottish Greens]] supported Salmond's election as First Minister, and his subsequent appointments of ministers, in return for early tabling of the [[Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009|climate change bill]] and the SNP nominating a Green MSP to chair a parliamentary committee.<ref>{{Cite news |date=11 May 2007 |title=SNP and Greens sign working deal |publisher=BBC News Scotland |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/6646227.stm |url-status=live |access-date=16 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140301114950/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/6646227.stm |archive-date=1 March 2014}}</ref> Despite this, Salmond's minority government tended to strike budget deals with the [[Scottish Conservatives|Conservatives]] to stay in office.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Taylor |first=Brian |date=23 January 2020 |title=Could the SNP do a budget deal with the Tories? |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-51227754 |url-status=live |access-date=5 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210321075309/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-51227754 |archive-date=21 March 2021}}</ref>

In the final few years of the New Labour government, there were four parliamentary by-elections in Scotland. The SNP saw marginal swings towards the party in three of them; [[2006 Dunfermline and West Fife by-election|2006 in Dunfermline and West Fife]], [[2008 Glenrothes by-election|2008 in Glenrothes]] and [[2009 Glasgow North East by-election|2009 in Glasgow North East]]. None were as notable than the [[2008 Glasgow East by-election]], in which the SNP's [[John Mason (Scottish politician)|John Mason]] took the third safest Labour seat in Scotland on a 22.5% swing.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2008-07-25 |title=Glasgow East result in full |language=en-GB |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7524550.stm |access-date=2023-03-29}}</ref>

In [[2011 Scottish Parliament election|May 2011]], the SNP won an overall majority in the Scottish Parliament with 69 seats.<ref>{{Cite web |date=6 May 2011 |title=SNP wins majority in Scottish elections |url=http://www.channel4.com/news/alex-salmonds-snp-wins-majority-in-scottish-elections |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110712205311/http://www.channel4.com/news/alex-salmonds-snp-wins-majority-in-scottish-elections |archive-date=12 July 2011 |access-date=12 July 2011 |publisher=Channel 4}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Our Party |language=en |work=The SNP |url=https://www.snp.org/our_party |url-status=live |access-date=10 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170609001024/https://www.snp.org/our_party |archive-date=9 June 2017}}</ref> This was followed by a reverse in the party's previous opposition to [[NATO]] membership at the party's annual conference in 2012<ref>{{Cite news |date=19 October 2012 |title=SNP votes to end anti-Nato policy |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-19993694 |url-status=live |access-date=5 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210321075245/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-19993694 |archive-date=21 March 2021}}</ref> despite Salmond's refusal to apologise for the Kosovo broadcast on the occasion of the [[2008 Kosovo declaration of independence|Kosovo Declaration of Independence]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dailyrecord.co.uk |date=19 February 2008 |title=Demand For Alex Salmond Apology Over Kosovo |url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/demand-for-alex-salmond-apology-over-969199 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210321075246/https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/demand-for-alex-salmond-apology-over-969199 |archive-date=21 March 2021 |access-date=5 April 2020 |website=dailyrecord}}</ref>

This majority enabled the SNP government to hold a [[2014 Scottish independence referendum|referendum on Scottish independence]] in 2014. The "No" vote prevailed in a close-fought campaign, prompting the resignation of First Minister [[Alex Salmond]]. Forty-five percent of Scottish voters cast their ballots for independence, with the "Yes" side receiving less support than late polling predicted.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Carrell |first1=Severin |last2=Wintour |first2=Patrick |last3=Mason |first3=Rowena |date=19 September 2014 |title=Alex Salmond resigns as first minister after Scotland rejects independence |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/sep/19/alex-salmond-resigns-first-minister-for-scotland |url-status=live |access-date=8 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403144910/http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/sep/19/alex-salmond-resigns-first-minister-for-scotland |archive-date=3 April 2015}}</ref> Exit polling by Lord Ashcroft suggested that many No voters thought independence too risky,<ref>{{Cite web |title=How Scotland voted, and why – Lord Ashcroft Polls |date=19 September 2014 |url=https://lordashcroftpolls.com/2014/09/scotland-voted/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210714204851/https://lordashcroftpolls.com/2014/09/scotland-voted/ |archive-date=14 July 2021 |access-date=14 July 2021}}</ref> while others voted for the Union because of their emotional attachment to Britain.<ref name="centreonconstitutionalchange.ac.uk">{{Cite web |title=Scotland's Decision: So Who Voted Yes and Who Voted No? |url=https://www.centreonconstitutionalchange.ac.uk/opinions/scotlands-decision-so-who-voted-yes-and-who-voted-no |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210714204857/https://www.centreonconstitutionalchange.ac.uk/opinions/scotlands-decision-so-who-voted-yes-and-who-voted-no |archive-date=14 July 2021 |access-date=14 July 2021 |website=Centre on Constitutional Change}}</ref> Older voters, women and middle class voters voted no in margins above the national average.<ref name="centreonconstitutionalchange.ac.uk" />

Following the Yes campaign's defeat, Salmond resigned and [[Nicola Sturgeon]] won that [[2014 Scottish National Party leadership election|year's leadership election]] unopposed.