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Unionists, in Scotland, are those who support the union between Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom. Their opponents, who wish to see the union dissolved, claim that this is opposition to Scottish independence. It can also refer to Scottish sympathisers of Unionism in Northern Ireland.
Support for union with the rest of the United Kingdom
The primary meaning of "unionist" in Scotland is support for union with the rest of the United Kingdom. Their opponents characterise this as opposition to Scottish independence.
The union between Scotland and England was created by the Acts of Union 1707 which united the governments of what had previously been independent states (though they had shared the same monarch in a personal union since 1603) under the Parliament of Great Britain.
With the Act of Union 1800 Ireland was incorporated in the state, in what then became the United Kingdom, a history reflected in various stages of the Union Flag.
Politically, the union is supported by the Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats and the Conservative and Unionist Party.
The Tories principally used the name "Unionist Party" in Scotland until 1965 when they gave up their independence and became part of the overall UK Conservative and Unionist Party; since then they have generally been known as the "Conservative Party" or Tory Party as in England which some view as a reason, along with the loss of their independence, as a reason for their decline. Some supporters of the other parties dislike the term "unionist" which they consider too closely linked to the Conservatives.
The Labour Party in Scotland considers itself internationalist rather than unionist although it has become more stridently so in recent years and backs the unionist principle of Westminster Parliamentary sovereignty. It has the largest share of the vote in Scotland and its support for devolution, together with that of the Liberal Democrats and the pro-independence parties, led to the creation of a devolved Scottish Parliament in 1999.
These are the main political parties supporting the policy that Scotland should remain a part of the United Kingdom, but there is also a small Scottish Unionist Party which broke from the Conservatives in opposition to the Anglo-Irish Agreement.
The Scottish National Party (SNP), the Scottish Green Party, the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP), two independent Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs), and several other parties not represented in the Scottish Parliament seek a return to Scotland being an independent sovereign state, separate from England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
There is a range of views between, and within, these parties on the best way to achieve Scottish independence though most are united in considering all those not sharing their aims as unionists. They do not use the term "separatists" to describe themselves, preferring to be viewed as supporters of Scottish independence. For the SSP and Scottish Greens support for independence is not the main plank of their policies and they are identified with their support for socialist principles and environmentalism respectively.
By a quirk of history Jacobitism was supported from the outset by Tories in both England and Scotland but also became identified with Scottish nationalism, and was popularised as a key part of the Scottish national identity by the writings of Walter Scott who was himself very much a unionist and a Tory.
Support for unionism in Northern Ireland
The unionists of Northern Ireland have similar aims of maintaining the unity of their province with the United Kingdom, and are supported in Scotland by members of the Orange Order who parade in Orange Walks in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Loyalists in Scotland are seen as a militant branch of this unionism.
Songs and symbols of the Orange Order are used by many supporters of Rangers F.C., the football club in Glasgow, who tend to display the Union Flag. Both Rangers and their main rival Celtic F.C., which has Roman Catholic roots, have a reputation for sectarian clashes and bitter opposition to each other, frequently characterised by religious taunts, chants and other provocations. This behaviour by some supporters is condemned by the management of the clubs and it should be emphasised that these symbolic gestures are often more decorative than indicative of any real commitment for or against unionism of any kind. Not all Rangers supporters adhere to this "unionism", nor are all Celtic supporters Roman Catholic. Although the religious roots of these clubs, and the affiliations of many of their supporters, undoubtedly play a part in conflict between them it is disputed how much this is due to religious and sectarian causes and how much due to sporting rivalry.
See also
"Unionists (Scotland)"