The Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) was an organisation of former

Independent Labour Party The Independent Labour Party (ILP) was a British political party of the left, established in 1893 at a conference in Bradford, after local and national dissatisfaction with the Liberals' apparent reluctance to endorse working-class candidates ...

members who wished to remain part of the Labour Party after their former party disaffiliated. By the early 1930s, there was strong support in the

(ILP) for disaffiliation from the Labour Party. This came to a head after the Labour Party refused to endorse ILP candidates at the 1931 general election. Several leading Scottish members disagreed with the ILP's moves to disaffiliate, including chairman of the Scottish ILP

Patrick Dollan Sir Patrick Joseph Dollan (3 April 1885 – 30 January 1963) and his wife, Agnes, Lady Dollan (née Moir; 16 August 1887 –16 July 1966) were Glasgow activists in the Scottish Independent Labour Party. During the First World War the ...

David Kirkwood David Kirkwood, 1st Baron Kirkwood, PC (8 July 1872 – 16 April 1955), was a Scottish politician, trade unionist and socialist activist from the East End of Glasgow, who was as a leading figure of the Red Clydeside era. Biography Kirkwood ...

, who was one of the party's five MPs, and former MP Tom Johnston. They formed the Scottish Independent Labour Party Affiliation Committee in 1932, campaigning to reverse the policy. However, this open opposition to a key party policy was not accepted by the majority in the ILP, and the three were expelled in mid-August. They formed the Scottish Socialist Party at the end of the month, and were immediately successful in affiliating it to the Labour Party. The new party initially claimed to have 1,000 members, and by November, it claimed 2,200. This compared with 3,300 Scottish ILP members before the split.James Jupp, ''The Radical Left in Britain: 1931-1941'', p.47 The party's first chair was Dollan, with councillors

Andrew Gilzean Andrew Gilzean OBE (3 December 1877 – 6 July 1957) was a Labour Party politician in Scotland. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Edinburgh Central from 1945 to 1951. Initially a member of the Independent Labour Party, Gilzean joined the S ...

as vice-chair and Arthur Brady as secretary. The party was boosted by

Neil Maclean Neil Maclean (1875 – 12 September 1953) was a Scottish socialist and an Independent Labour Party and later Labour Party Member of Parliament for Govan. Maclean was the first Secretary of the Socialist Labour Party, but was expelled in 1908. ...

, an MP who had resigned from the ILP shortly before the 1931 election, while other members included former MP James Welsh, and future MP

Thomas Cook Thomas Cook (22 November 1808 – 18 July 1892) was an English businessman. He is best known for founding the travel agency Thomas Cook & Son. He was also one of the initial developers of the "package tour" including travel, accommodation ...

. The ownership of property and funds held by branches which had left the ILP and joined the SSP was an immediate cause of conflict. This led to lengthy legal action, with the Labour Party financially supporting the SSP side. The party gained control of ''

Forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

'', which had formerly been the newspaper of the Glasgow ILP, and from 1934, this became the party's official publication.Peter Barberis et al, ''Encyclopedia of British and Irish Political Organizations'', p.407 At the

1935 United Kingdom general election The 1935 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday 14 November 1935 and resulted in a large, albeit reduced, majority for the National Government now led by Stanley Baldwin of the Conservative Party. The greatest number of members, ...

, the organisation sponsored four Labour Party candidates, none of whom were successful. In all matters other than Labour Party affiliation, the new group maintained the policies of the ILP. Prior to forming the party, Dollan had worked closely with E. F. Wise in England, who hoped that the Scottish members would join the new Socialist League. Although the two worked closely together, the Socialist League confined its activities to England.Ben Pimlott, ''Labour and the Left in the 1930s'', pp.100-101 In 1936, unification of the two was again planned, with the SSP conceding to the Socialist League's support for the

Communist Party of Great Britain The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was the largest communist organisation in Britain and was founded in 1920 through a merger of several smaller Marxist groups. Many miners joined the CPGB in the 1926 general strike. In 1930, the CPG ...

to affiliate to the Labour Party, but this foundered over the Socialist League's now cordial relationship with the ILP, while the SSP still had a remaining financial dispute, concerning £200 of funds from the

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

branch. The SSP had a strong

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaign ...

section, and in 1935, Dollan declared it to be an "anti-war party". However, it was always supportive of the

Spanish Republic The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931, after the deposition of King Alfonso XIII, and was dissolved on 1 A ...

in the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

, and tried to influence Labour Party policy in favour of supplying arms to William Knox, ''Industrial Nation: Work, Culture and Society in Scotland, 1800-present'', pp.245-246 The outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

was more problematic for the party; although many members opposed British participation in the conflict, Dollan supported

Neville Chamberlain Arthur Neville Chamberlain (; 18 March 18699 November 1940) was a British politician of the Conservative Party who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. He is best known for his foreign policy of appeasemen ...

's initiatives to prepare for war. Eventually, in 1940, the

Court of Session The Court of Session is the supreme civil court of Scotland and constitutes part of the College of Justice; the supreme criminal court of Scotland is the High Court of Justiciary. The Court of Session sits in Parliament House in Edinburgh ...

found in favour of the ILP in regard to the remaining legal disputes, and the SSP decided to dissolve itself into the Labour Party.Christopher Harvie, ''Travelling Scot'', p.62

Election results

The party sponsored four Labour Party candidates at the

, each of whom took a close second place.

References

{{Defunct political parties in Scotland Defunct political parties in Scotland Independent Labour Party Organisations associated with the Labour Party (UK) Political parties established in 1932 Political parties disestablished in 1940 Labour parties in Scotland 1932 establishments in Scotland 1940 disestablishments in Scotland