S
Scottish Parliament: Scotland has a long history of having a Parliament with the earliest record being in 1235. For almost 300 years, no separate Parliament existed with decisions about Scottish affairs being made by the UK Parliament. In May 1999, a new Scottish Parliament was set up. It is responsible for making new laws that affect the people of Scotland.
Scrutinise: When MSPs question the work of the Government. They also scrutinise each bill going through Parliament by looking at them in detail.
T
Tax: The Government takes tax from working people in order to pay for all the services it provides, such as hospitals, schools, social security, defence, etc. The Scottish Parliament has the right to increase or decrease the basic rate of tax in Scotland by 3%.
U
Union of the Crowns: The term used to describe what happened in 1603 when James VI of Scotland also became James I of England.
Union of the Parliaments: The term sometimes used to describe what happened in 1707 when the two countries of Scotland and England united to form the new united kingdom of Great Britain, under the Treaty of Union, approved by Acts of the two Parliaments. Both Parliaments ceased to exist on the establishment of the new Parliament of Great Britain.
United Kingdom (UK): The state comprising Great Britain (Scotland, England and Wales) and Northern Ireland.
V
Voter turnout: the number of people who actually vote on the day of the election. This is usually expressed as a percentage of the electorate – e.g. 52% of the electorate voted in the 2007 Scottish Parliament elections.
W
Westminster: “Westminster” is often used to refer to the UK Parliament or Government. Westminster is the part of London where you’ll find the House of Commons, the House of Lords, and the main Government buildings.
X
Y
Z