This article is about the Scottish Labour Party founded in 1976. See also the Scottish Labour Party (1888-1893) and the mainstream UK Labour Party, which uses the name in Scotland. The Scottish Labour Party was formed by Keir Hardie in 1888 when he left the Liberal Party. ... The Labour Party is a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom (see British politics), and one of the United Kingdoms three main political parties. ...

The Scottish Labour Party (SLP) was formed on January 18th 1976 as a breakaway from the UK Labour Party, by Labour members disaffected with the then Labour Government's failure to secure a devolved Scottish Assembly, as well as with its social and economic agenda. The formation of the SLP was led by Jim Sillars, then Labour MP for South Ayrshire, John Robertson, then Labour MP for Paisley and Alex Neil, the UK Labour Party's senior Scottish researcher. By 1979 the Scottish Labour Party had lost its seats in the House of Commons, and in 1981 it was formally disbanded. 1976 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Labour Party is a centre-left or social democratic political party in Britain (see British politics), and one of the United Kingdoms three main political parties. ... A devolved Scottish Assembly that would have some form of legislative powers in jurisdiction over Scotland was a long-held political priority for many individuals and organisations. ... Jim Sillars was born in 1937 in Ayrshire, Scotland. ... John Robertson (born 1913, died 1987) was a member of the British House of Commons for the Labour Party representing Paisley for 18 years between 1961 and 1979, (for the Scottish Labour Party (SLP) between 1976 and 1979). ... Alex Neil was born in 1951 in Patna, East Ayrshire, Scotland. ... 1979 is a common year starting on Monday. ... 1981 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Almost immediately the SLP became the focus for entryism from the International Marxist Group (IMG), and at the party's first congress in October 1976 the IMG were expelled. Entryism (or entrism or enterism) is a political tactic by which an organisation encourages members to infiltrate another organisation in an attempt to gain recruits, or take over entirely. ... The International Marxist Group (IMG) was a Trotskyist political party in the United Kingdom between 1964 and 1987. ...

The SLP had little electoral success, winning only three council seats and polling only 583 votes in the Garscadden by-election in 1978. At the 1979 General Election the SLP fought three seats, including Sillars' attempt at being re-elected (Robertson chose to step down). Sillars came close to retaining his seat, but this was clearly a personal vote built up over the years he had already served as a MP, as the other two candidates polled very poorly indeed. 1978 was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ...

This failure prompted the SLP to disband; and members either fell out of active politics, re-joined the Labour Party, or chose to join the Scottish National Party (SNP), which both Sillars and Neil did, with both rising to high office in the SNP. In Scotland, the Scottish National Party (SNP) (Pàrtaidh Nàiseanta na h-Alba in Scottish Gaelic) is a centre-left political party which favours Scottish independence. ...

The SLP adventure is generally looked upon as an ambitious failure, but Sillars has himself put this down to a lack of planning before choosing to launch the party. Unlike the SLP, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) meticulously planned their breakaway from the Labour Party, and were much more successful. Sillars has claimed though that the SLP did at least provide a forerunner to the SNP's later dialogue with the left. The Social Democratic Party (SDP) was a United Kingdom political party that existed as a national party between 1981 and 1990. ...