Records of the Social Democratic Party (Scotland), political party, Scotland

Archive Collection

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Scope and Content

The Social Democratic Party (Scotland) Archive includes council minutes, agendas, papers, and correspondence of the Social Democratic Party in Scotland from 1981 to 1990. It also holds publications by the Tawney Society which was set up in 1982 as a "think-tank" for the SDP. Material related to the aims and objectives of social democracy are also held, such as Campaign for Social Democracy publications. Contents include:

Council minutes 1983-1990 including

SDP National Committee minutes
Co-ordinating Committee minutes
Organisation Sub-committee minutes
Organisation Working Group minutes
Scottish Liaison Committee minutes
West of Scotland Co-ordinating Committee Executive minutes
West of Scotland Acting Co-ordinating Committee minutes
West of Scotland Co-ordinating Committee minutes
West of Scotland Activity Committee minutes
Scottish Business Club minutes
Assembly Arrangements Committee minutes
SDP and Liberal Meeting minutes
Glasgow North Area Party Committee minutes
Glasgow North Area Party AGM minutes
Glasgow North Area Party Election Sub-committee minutes
Dumbartonshire Social Democrats District Committee minutes
Dumbarton Alliance Committee minutes
Helensburgh and District SDP minutes

Correspondence 1981-1989 including letters from:

London Central Office
SDP Headquarters
House of Commons
SDP Scottish Office
SDP Council for Scoltland
Scottish Liaison Committee (SliC)
North East Scotland Organising Committee
West of Scotland Area Regional Party/Organising Committee
Edinburgh Area Party
Glasgow North Area Party
Dumbartonshire District SDP

Other records include:

Consultative Assembly agendas 1983-1990
SDP Publications including SDP White Papers and Constitutional Publications; Tawney publications 1982-1988
Alliance material
Journals/bulletins/papers/memorandums 1981-1990

Administrative / Biographical History

Following the largest group defection from the Labour Party since 1931, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) was launched on the 26 March 1981 under the collective leadership of the "Gang of Four":- Roy Jenkins, Shirley Williams, David Owen, and Bill Rodgers. The first meeting of the SDP Scottish Liaison Committee took place on the 7 June 1981 . The Regional Committee became known as the SDP Council for Scotland. It had the power to summon consultative assemblies for discussion and submission of issues of special concern to Scotland to the National Policy Sub-Committee. The first meeting of this Council took place on 22 January 1983. The Scottish Council also co-ordinated the activities of the Scottish area parties. Despite winning with the Liberal Party a quarter of the vote in two general elections, infighting between the "Jenkinsites" and "Owenites" and acrimony over the issue of merger brought about the end of the SDP in its original form in early 1988 , when by majority vote it merged with the Liberal Party. The continuing SDP lead by David Owen was wound up in May 1990 .

Arrangement

The material has yet to be formally arranged

Access Information

Open

Acquisition Information

Deposit : ex-SDP party members : 1994

Other Finding Aids

Some hand lists and partly electronically catalogued, available through Glasgow Caledonian University library catalogue at http://www.lib.gcal.ac.uk/information/libcat.htm through the TELNET function. This can be searched using a keyword search, alternatively this catalogue can be browsed through the archives hierarchy.

Further information can be found via the Glasgow Caledonian University Archives homepage at http://www.lib.gcal.ac.uk/archives/index.htm