historyproj

1. Scotland
Tessa Lowe
Marisa Liang

2. General Information
• United kingdom: England, Scotland, Northern Ireland
ACt of Union 1707- Political union between Scotland
and England
• MEmber of the European Union since 1973
Member of the United Nations since 1945

3. Government Structure in Scotland
• Current government leader is the lead minister Alex
Salmond
leader of the Scottish National Party
• Devolved Government: Scottish Parliament opened by
Queen Elizabeth ii in 1999 under the Scotland Act
• the first government in Scotland for over 300 years
• executive branch is the Scottish Government

4. Executive Government
• Scottish ministers= first minister cabinet secretaries,
and scottish law officers
executive branch: makes decisions such as education,
justice, and transport.
• elected by parliament
• First minister > cabinet secretaries > junior scottish
ministers
• scottish law officers, lord’s advocate, and solicitor
general appointed outside of parliament

5. Major Political Parties
• scottish conservatives
scottish greens
• scottish labour party
• scottish liberal democrats
• scottish national party*

6. Current Political Issues
• 2004: opening of new scottish parliament building
2007: scottish national party =largest party in
parliament
• snp forms minority government
• 2011: snp gains overall majority of scottish parliament
• 2014: future plans to have referendum on national
independence