Devolution is the transfer of power from a central body to subordinate regional bodies. In Scotland, devolution was established to restore the legitimacy of a system of government that reflected Scottish preferences. The reason behind the call for Scottish self-government is that Scotland had historic status as a nation before the Union of 1707 and within the Union has a diverse set of legal, educational and religious institutions that strengthen Scottish identity. The Scottish National Party (SNP) was founded in 1934 and in 1960 oil was found in the North Sea, which changed Scottish public opinion about the Union as the main reason for joining was economic; having oil would have presupposed economic independence from England. In 1967 the SNP won a seat in Parliament and 30% of the vote in local government elections, but the Labor government, greatly concerned by the rise of nationalist voters in Scotland, appointed a Commission to consider the constitution of the United Kingdom. Through this commission it was decided to create a directly elected assembly for Scotland based on the single transferable vote, but no devolution concessions were enforced by Labor or the Conservatives. Over the years the main Scottish parties have had different positions on Scottish devolution, so the success of the pro-devolution parties in the 1997 referendum was due to cross-party support in campaigns for Scottish self-government. During the 1997 election Scotland was promised a referendum on devolution by the Labor Party, which was carried out in 1997 four months after the general election. The process of devolution began, leading to the creation of a Scottish Parliament based in Edinburgh in 1999. Due to the oil campaigns, ... in mid-paper ... voting for a party rather than an individual, and when the votes are counted for the region, the regional representative seats for that region are divided between the parties in proportion to the share of votes each party received. In 2007 the Scottish Parliament implemented the "Single Transferable Vote" (STV) system for local elections as part of local governance, as a consequence of the 2003 election, when the Labor Party needed the Liberal Democrats to form a coalition and the Liberals required l Use of STV for local elections which provides more PR to local authorities. Scottish devolution, with its advantages and disadvantages, is the best example of how great political and social changes can be achieved not through bloody revolution but with the patience, intelligence and hard work of a united country, but it is still a work in progress.