1979 Scottish Devolution Referendum
In 1979 there was a referendum to see if power should be devolved and a Scottish Parliament created. The statement which the people of Scotland were given to vote on was "Do You Want The Provisions Of The Scotland Act 1978 To Be Put Into Effect?".
Shetlanders rejected the proposal by the largest margin in Scotland, with Orkney closely behind at 72% (with the next nearest at 59% in the Borders). Despite a majority of Scots voting in favour of the proposal (51.6%), the Act required a total of 40% of the registered electorate to vote in favour for the referendum to pass. On a turnout of 64%, only 32.1% of registered Scottish voters voted Yes, therefore the Labour Government of the day deemed that Scotland would not get a Parliament.
Shetland Result
Turnout: 7,486 (50.3%)
|
Option |
Votes |
Percentage? |
Result? |
| No | 5,466 | 73% | 
|
| Yes | 2,020 | 27% | 
|
