Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book looks at the changes in the organisational structure of the party and how those changes affected the fortunes of the party in Scotland. It focuses on the changing power structures within Scotland, and between Scotland and England, and outlines the machinations of these different power bases as the increasingly professional centre gained control of the Scottish party. The book describes the importance of social structure as an explanation of the decline of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party. It examines the social and economic make-up of the party members on both sides of the border. The book deals with the claim that the good and the bad times for the Conservatives in Scotland coincide remarkably with the times when they were strongly identified with pro- or anti- devolution policies.