LibGuides: Archives and Special Collections: Politics and labour history

Elections and referenda

Scottish Election Ephemera
Election literature for all elections to the Scottish, Westminster and European Parliaments since 1999 and a selection of donations for earlier elections.
EU (European Union) referendum 2016 campaign literature
Campaign literature produced in connection with the United Kingdom European Union membership referendum on 23rd June 2016.
Scottish independence referendum 2014 campaign literature
Material produced in connection with the Scottish Independence Referendum on 18th September 2014.

For more information on the collection of election leaflets, see our Scottish Election Ephemera guide.

The changing work identity of Govan's shipbuilders oral history project
Oral history project interviewing those who worked at Govan's shipyards and includes some discussion on trade unions and working conditions.
Glasgow dock workers oral history project
Oral history project interviewing those who had earned their living working at Glasgow’s docks and includes some discussion relating to trade union activities.
Glasgow Typographical Society records
Records relating to one of the oldest trade unions in Britain formed in 1817.
Association of Lecturers in Colleges of Education in Scotland records
Minutes, papers and correspondence relating to the business of the Association of Lecturers in Colleges of Education in Scotland founded in 1959.
Alan Dalton papers
Papers of Alan Dalton (1946-2003), safety and environmental campaigner contains correspondence and papers relating to trade unions.

Records of Staff Associations at the University of Strathclyde and its predecessors include:

Conversation with David McLetchie MSP
An interview with David McLetchie, who was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP), from its inception in 1999, until his death in 2013, and was also leader of the Scottish Conservative Party from 1999 to 2005.
Aldred collection
Pamphlets, mainly on anarchism, socialism and alternative politics
Labour history collection
Publications on socialism and left wing politics.
Mary Auld papers
Documents, photographs and press cuttings relating to Labour Party conferences and party activists.
National Council of Labour Colleges collection
Library of the National Council of Labour Colleges contains mainly 20th century publications on socialism, and includes Labour Party publications, literature and history.
Nicoll collection
Books and pamphlets mainly on socialism and communism.
Sutherland collection
Books on socialism in the UK and internationally, and women's rights.
Scottish Farm Servants Union collection
Books on labour and agricultural history.

Dallas Carter papers
Records relating to Dallas Carter's undergraduate studies in Politics and Scottish Studies at the University of Strathclyde, including: lecture notebooks; essay submissions with tutors' mark sheets; examination papers; class handbooks.
University of Strathclyde Department of Government records
University of Strathclyde Department of Politics records

The Papers of Mary Auld
A letter dated 5 September 1939, the day on which Britain declared war on Germany, gives not only a first-hand account of that moment, but also reveals the often unspoken feelings of female political activists operating in a masculine environment. Its author, Mary Sutherland (1895-1972) was the Labour Party’s Woman Organiser for Scotland and subsequently the national Labour Party Chief Woman Officer.
Daniel Defoe's History of the Union
In this month [July 2013] in 1707, the Act of Union between England and Scotland was passed. To commemorate this important piece of legislation as well as to fuel the ongoing debate surrounding the Scottish Referendum, our choice this month is one of our rare books: The history of the union between England and Scotland, written by Daniel Defoe and published, over fifty years after his death, in 1786.

Scottish Political Archive at Stirling University
The Scottish Political Archive (SPA) aims to collect and make accessible archival material from Scottish politicians and political organisations.
Politics collections at the University of Glasgow
A guide to the collections on politics at the University of Glasgow.
The Archives Centre at Glasgow Caledonian University
Collections on Left wing politics and trades unions
Glasgow City Archives
Holdings include collections of several local politicians and labour activists

Red Clydeside: A history of the labour movement in Glasgow 1910-1932
Images and information on the history of Red Clydeside and the Scottish Labour movement of the early 20th century.
ASPECT: Access to Scottish Parliamentary Election Candidate Materials
A digital archive of leaflets and newsletters produced by candidates and political parties for the Scottish parliamentary elections in 1999 and 2003.
Maxton Papers
A selection of documents and images from the life and political career of James Maxton, 1885-1946.