ABSTRACT
This chapter shows that the Unionist hurrah-word had no difficulty with a Scottish consciousness. Unionists were all too well aware of the symbolic power of the Unionist term. At the heart of the Scottish Unionist Party’s ability to appeal to powerful symbols of Scots culture was its use of the label ‘Unionist’ rather than Conservative to describe itself and the label ‘Socialist’ when referring to the Labour Party. Contemporary Scottish Conservatives complain bitterly about their opponents’ ability to apply successfully negative connotations to the party operating within a ‘Scottish dimension’. The association between the party and the Progressives may have all too often been precarious, but it was highly regarded and safeguarded by the post war Unionists. The Progressive Party aims at creating an efficient municipal election machine composed of Glasgow members of the public who are opposed to the policy of the Socialists in Glasgow Corporation.
