Article abstract: While populist radical right parties (PRRPs) have thrived across Europe, Scotland has so far remained an exception. This article explores the reasons behind the failure of PRRPs to gain traction, focusing on the supply side of party competition and developing a more nuanced conceptualization of polarization. It argues that, at a critical moment when PRRPs were growing elsewhere, Scotland’s political landscape was shaped by symbiotic polarization, in which two established and opposing parties – the Scottish National Party (SNP) and the Scottish Conservative Party – reinforced each other’s positions, entrenched by the Scottish independence and Brexit referendums. This dynamic constrained the emergence of PRRPs. Since 2022, however, this political balance has fractured, creating space for a disruptive polarizing force on the populist radical right. Scotland’s case highlights how patterns of polarization can inhibit or facilitate political challengers, offering broader insights into party system resilience and transformation.
Why has the populist radical right failed in Scotland? @davidevampa.bsky.social, Alan Convery & @frasmcm.bsky.social examine how symbiotic polarization between SNP and Conservatives blocked PRRPs, until recently. Read OPEN ACCESS: buff.ly/huOyMQI
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