The Labour Party of Scotland was a minor Scottish nationalist political party that was active in the early 1970s. Formed as a left-wing breakaway from Dundee's branch of the Scottish National Party (SNP), it is perhaps best known for standing in the Dundee East by-election of 1973, where its interference split the nationalist vote and probably cost the SNP a parliamentary seat as a result. The party contested elections to Dundee City Council two months later but was ultimately unsuccessful. It folded soon after, and by early 1974 most of its membership had returned to the SNP, whose campaigns on North Sea oil were proving popular with Scotland's urban electorate. It never had any official political representation.
William Wolfe, then leader of the SNP, dismissed the Labour Party of Scotland's founding as opportunism on the part of local politicians. These included George MacLean, the party's most popular member, whose by-election rival Gordon Wilson succeeded Wolfe in 1979.
History
Formation
The party was founded by disgruntled Scottish National Party (SNP) activists from Dundee as a breakaway group sometime in the early 1970s. William Wolfe, then leader of the SNP, contended that the split had not occurred as a result of any ideological difference, instead arguing that the leaders of the new group departed to advance their own local political careers. That said, the small party has been described by historian Peter Lynch as more radical than the SNP; it was broadly left-wing and strongly supportive of Scotland's labour movement, as its name would suggest.
By-election campaign
Unlike its Glaswegian counterpart, which exclusively contested elections to the Glasgow Corporation, Dundee's now larger party fought for a seat in the United Kingdom Parliament. The appointment of George Thomson as a European Commissioner in January 1973 saw him vacate his constituency of Dundee East, triggering a by-election two months later. The Labour Party of Scotland selected George MacLean to be its candidate, and Conservative candidate William Fitzgerald, then Lord Provost of Dundee. Nathaniel Gordon of the Liberal Party, equally optimistic, attracted Jeremy Thorpe to the city during his campaign. In a closely fought contest, George Machin took the seat with a majority of 1,141, despite Labour's vote share declining by 15.6%. This was largely down to the strong performance of the SNP, who increased its own by 21.2%. The latter's campaign capitalised on keeping North Sea oil in Scotland to benefit people living in urban areas. A similar platform was used in the Glasgow Govan by-election later that year, electing Margo MacDonald to the House of Commons. which has since become synonymous with the party's economic case for Scottish independence.
Council election and dissolution
On 2 May 1973 elections to Dundee City Council commenced, with the Labour Party of Scotland fielding a total of nine candidates in eight of the city's 12 wards. None of the party's candidates were elected, leading to its quiet dissolution 22 days later.
Electoral performance
House of Commons
thumb|250px|The [[Scottish National Party (SNP) focused its campaign on the capabilities of Scotland's North Sea oil (rig pictured).]]