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What is a majority government?

A majority government is when the governing party has more than 50% of the seats in parliament. This makes it easier for them to pass legislation.

This is because the governing party then do not have to rely on the other parties in parliament to pass new bills.

For example, between 2011 and 2016, the SNP had a majority government. They had 69 of the 129 seats in parliament. The bills passed by this parliament included:

• Alcohol (Minimum Pricing)
• Scottish Independence Referendum (Franchise) - which reduced the voting age for the referendum to 16

What are whips?

The whip system is a tool that parties have to help them pass legislation or scrutinise the government. This name is borrowed from the UK Parliament. The whip is the person in the party who enforces discipline.

It is the job of the whips to ensure that backbench MSPs vote in support of the party policy set by the leader. They are used to maintain party unity.

What happens if MSPs vote against their party?

If MSPs vote against their party, the whip may decide to impose a punishment. Repeated discretions can mean a more severe punishment. These can include:

• movements of office
• decreased likelihood of promotion
• deselection (in most severe cases). This would mean that the MSP would not have the party support to stand as a candidate at the next election