22 March – Membership of the
Scottish National Party officially crosses the 100,000 mark; meaning that 1 in every 50 people in Scotland is now a member.[7]
7 May – At the
UK general election, the
Scottish National Party wins 56 out of the 59 seats in Scotland, making them the largest political party by both number of seats and popular vote. Only three seats are retained by
pro-union parties:[11]
2 December – Despite the fact Scottish MPs vote by 57 to 2 against UK
air strikes in Syria,[25] the UK Parliament overall votes by 397 to 223 in favour of air strikes.[26]
4 December – The
Forth Road Bridge is closed due to structural defects, and the Scottish Transport Minister,
Derek Mackay, declares that it will not be reopened until January 2016.[27]
5–6 December – Peak of
Storm Desmond, with heavy rain and strong winds, causing flooding across southern Scotland.[28]
9 December – Election Court decides that although
Liberal DemocratAlistair Carmichael had told a "blatant lie" in a TV interview, it had not been proven beyond reasonable doubt that he had committed an "illegal practice" that would invalidate his election as the Member of Parliament for Orkney and Shetland.[29]
22 December – It is announced that the Forth Road Bridge will reopen for all vehicles except HGVs on Wednesday 23 December, ahead of schedule.[30]
31 December – More than 1,700 same-sex couples have married in the first year after Scotland became the seventeenth country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage.[32]