In the late 1960s he abandoned academia in England and returned to Scotland, where he balanced his work at the
University of Edinburgh with campaigning for the
Scottish National Party (SNP). In 1973, at the age of 31, he was appointed Head of Press for the SNP. His friend
Owen Dudley Edwards, an Irish-born Edinburgh historian, remembers his press briefings as unique: "Hostile journalists were staggered to hear him explain that their objections to this or that in the party were not really rewarding subjects but that a more useful question to raise would be this other." During the 1970s Maxwell played a formative role in developing the SNP's industrial and defence policies and became known as one of the most radical and articulate figures in the party. In 1979 he directed the SNP's campaign for a Yes vote in the referendum on Scottish devolution. The campaign was ultimately unsuccessful and heralded the start of a period of decline in the SNP's fortunes. In 1979 Maxwell, together with
Margo MacDonald, Owen Dudley Edwards and a number of younger nationalist activists (including
Alex Salmond and
Kenny MacAskill) established the
79 Group, a left-wing faction within the SNP. Maxwell stood as the group's candidate in the
1979 Scottish National Party leadership election, taking a distant second place. In 1981 Maxwell wrote and published a pamphlet, The Case for Left-Wing Nationalism, which became the 79 Group's defining statement. Later that year, the 79 Group was expelled by the party leadership, partly because of its alleged affiliations to Irish republicanism. Throughout the 1980s Maxwell wrote extensively for periodicals, including
The Bulletin of Scottish Politics,
Cencrastus and
Radical Scotland. Following a second failed attempt to move into journalism, he became involved with the Scottish Council of Voluntary Organisations (SCVO). He worked for the SCVO until he retired from his post as Associate Director in 2009. Between 2010 and his death in April 2012 he chaired the
Scottish Urban Regeneration Forum and worked on a book, Arguing for Independence: Evidence, Risk and the Wicked Issues, which examines six cases for Scottish independence: the democratic, the economic, the social, the international, the cultural and the environmental. It was published in September 2012. Upon his hearing of Maxwell's death, Scottish First Minister and SNP leader Alex Salmond said, "During Stephen’s long career he made an immense contribution to the national movement in Scotland, and was a key figure in the development of the modern SNP. But Stephen’s loss will be felt much more widely than just politics. Over a quarter of a century with the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, Stephen was a tireless campaigner for the third sector in Scotland, helping it through the difficult days of the 1980s and establishing it as a major force in post-devolution Scotland. Above all, I will remember Stephen’s courtesy to all, his extraordinary intellect combined with gentle persuasiveness, and his lifelong service to others." ==Death==