Academy of Government the University of Edinburgh

Academy of Government The University of Edinburgh

Parliamentary Programme Political Internship with the Scottish Parliament

Autumn 2014

Contents

Welcome 3 Introduction: Parliamentary Programme 4 Grading/ General Information 5 General Info/ Lecturers & Tutors 5 Government and Politics in the United Kingdom 7 Scottish Politics 17 Scottish Society and Culture 27 Essay Writing Guidelines 36 Select Bibliography 37 Activities Programme 41 Weekly Media Review 42 Resources 43 Scotland at a Glance 47 Scotland in Numbers 48 Scottish History – A Brief Sketch 55 Contacts 70 Map of Scotland 71 ‘Bannockburn’ (Kathleen Jamie) 71 Campus Map 72 ‘Open the Doors’ (Edwin Morgan) 72 ‘Auld Lang Syne’ (Robert Burns) 74

ACADEMY OF GOVERNMENT THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH

Academic Coordinator: Eberhard ‘Paddy’ Bort Chisholm House 1 Surgeon’s Square High School Yards Edinburgh, EH1 1LZ Tel: 0131 650 2458 Fax: 0131 650 6345 E-mail: [email protected] Dear Intern – 1 September 2014

You’ve sure picked the right time to arrive here – just a few weeks before the independence referendum. ‘Should Scotland become an independent country?’ – on 19 September we’ll know how the Scots have answered that question. The run-up to the referendum, and the aftermath – will undoubtedly be ‘interesting times’. And you’ll be in the midst of all the excitement! So, welcome to Edinburgh University, welcome to the Parliamentary Internship Programme, and welcome to Edinburgh – the Festival City and UNESCO’s first World City of Literature! We do hope that you’ll have a rewarding time here, both at Chisholm House and working in the Parliament building at Holyrood… In the first five weeks of your semester here, we will do our best to give you a grasp of British and Scottish politics, society and culture, in three complementary courses:

o Government and Politics in the United Kingdom (Charlie Jeffery) o Scottish Politics (James Mitchell) o Scottish Society and Culture (Eberhard ‘Paddy’ Bort)

Then, after two ‘transition weeks’, you will spend another eight weeks in close co- operation with an MSP and his/her staff in the Scottish Parliament, working on an agreed research project and – hopefully – gaining some valuable insights into the Scottish political process. Please do read this course handbook carefully, as it gives you all the basic information you need to know – about your classes and the internship. If you have any questions or queries, please do not hesitate to contact Charlie Jeffery, James Mitchell or myself. We all hope you will enjoy your time here in Edinburgh.

Eberhard Bort (Director of Studies)

Introduction: Parliamentary Programme

Internship Requirements Students will complete three five-week courses and a ten-week placement with a Member of the Scottish Parliament. There is a two-week period of transition at the start of the parliamentary placement for exams and essay writing.

Course Work Students are required to take three courses: British Politics, Scottish Politics, and Scottish Society & Culture, 10-12 on Monday, 10-12 on Tuesday and 10-12 on Wednesday respectively (note: days and times differ in Week 1, exact schedule on separate Time Table). On the same days, up to two hours in the afternoon will be used to deepen the topics dealt with in the morning sessions – by visiting institutions, having guest lectures, and through other guided activities led by the Interns Tutor, Deborah Menezes. Thursday evenings throughout the 5 weeks of tuition are reserved for compulsory video/film sessions complementing the courses (Chisholm House/6–8pm). The video night then switches to Monday night from Week 6.

Placement Students will work with a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) and their staff for the duration of the ten-week placement, on a research project agreed between the intern, the MSP and the Director of Studies.

Please make sure that you are around Monday to Friday for the two weeks preceding the start of the parliamentary leg of the internship (i.e. weeks 4 and 5) – as those are the weeks when interns will be introduced to their MSPs.

Assessment Assessment for the internship takes three forms: course requirements, a report and journal. The academic course work will count 40% towards the final mark; the Report and journal will make up the other 60%.

1. After the completion of courses students are expected to complete either an exam or a 2,500-3,000 word essay which will be assessed by the course lecturer. Deadlines are to be kept – extensions will only be given if requested with good reason and in advance. Handing in course work late will result in penalties. 2. At the end of their internship placement students are responsible for submitting a report. The topic and length of the report (usually c.5,000 words) will be agreed between the MSP, the interns’ Director of Studies, and the intern. The report is to be submitted to the MSP as well as to the Director of Studies. 3. In addition, students are expected to submit a journal on their placement activities and observations at the end of placement. The journal should include at least one page per week of the placement, detailing observations of the political process, outlining questions or frustrations, or discuss anything the students find relevant. The impressions and expectations of the internship placement are of particular interest. Students may wish to include copies of newspaper articles, lists of activities and accomplishments, notes of meetings, speeches or political events.

Grading Grading of essays, briefings and exams will be according to Edinburgh University standards.

% US Grades Average % of successful candidates normally achieving the grade

70-100 % = 1st (A) Excellent A (A+) 10 % 60-69 % = 2.1 (B) Very Good A-/B+ 55 % 50-59 % = 2.2 I Good B/B- 25 % 40-49 % = 3 (D) Satisfactory C 10 % below 40 = Fail (E,F,G) D/F

As you see, the Edinburgh system of grading may seem harsher than at some American colleges. But it is University policy to apply the Edinburgh grading system across the University.

General Information

Office Space Students will be provided with office space in the basement of Chisholm House, High School Yards. Depending on their placement, students may be provided with office space at the Parliament.

Computer Access Students will be provided with access to computers in Chisholm House and a university e-mail account. With a university account students will be able to log in to any of the additional university computer labs. Computing facilities are available in the Appleton Tower and the University Library in George Square. Depending on their placement, students may gain access to the parliamentary computers.

Parliamentary Passes Interns will be issued with security passes within the first week of their placement in the Parliament. It is expected that an initial meeting with the host MSP will take place during Weeks 4 and 5 of the internship. It is therefore imperative that all interns are in Edinburgh Mon-Fri on those two weeks. Meeting MSPs has absolute priority over travel plans and other activities.

Books We have a lending library installed at Chisholm House, looked after by Deborah Menezes in the ground floor office, containing all major text books needed for the course. Students may borrow books for up to one week. Please do not mark books – if you have to read with pen or pencil, do buy your own books!

Weblogs Please note that weblogs about the student’s placement in Parliament should only be kept with the explicit agreement of the intern’s MSP.

Lecturers/Tutors James Mitchell is Professor of Public Policy. Charlie Jeffery is Professor of Politics and Director of the Academy of Government. Paddy Bort (Lecturer in Politics and Academic Coordinator of the Institute) is the Director of Studies of the Internship Programme. The afternoon activities are organised by postgraduate Interns Tutor 6

Deborah Menezes. Administrative Secretary for the course is Lee Corcoran ([email protected]) - to whom all assignments should be sent electronically.

External Examiner: Dr Lynn Bennie, Politics, Aberdeen University

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

Charlie Jeffery 3rd Floor, St John’s Land Tel: 07970 619716 Email: [email protected]

COURSE AIMS

The course provides an overview of the government and politics of the United Kingdom. It examines the development of the UK state, the impact of constitutional reform and European integration, the nature of the British party system and ideological change, the electoral system and its consequences. It is intended to give students an insight into key features of the British political system, to provide insight into the relative strength and positions occupied by the main parties, and to provide an understanding of the continuing relevance of the UK politics for Scotland.

FORMAT

The course is taught in two hour sessions involving lectures, discussion and small group exercises.

Place: The class will meet on Wednesdays (10-12 am) in the Seminar Room, St John’s Land

READING Aim for at least 3 readings for each session – the relevant parts of textbooks, supplemented by the readings suggested below. Key readings are indicated. Additional readings may be used to follow up areas of particular interest, and to assist in preparing written coursework. These should be complemented by checking relevant journals: key journals include Parliamentary Affairs and Political Quarterly, and both can be accessed on-line via the University Library website. Students are also encouraged to use official websites, and find relevant articles in newspapers and the media. It is an essential requirement that students do the reading prior to coming to class.

ASSESSMENT Assessment will be based on one short assignment, worth 20% of the overall grade, and one written exam (see Timetable) worth 80% of the overall grade. The Assignments is below; details of the exam will be distributed in class. The assignment must be submitted to Lee Corcoran ([email protected]) by the deadline (see time table). Extensions will only be granted in exceptional circumstances and MUST be negotiated in advance. Late submissions will be penalised.

Government and Politics in the UK

Short assignment (worth 20% of overall course grade)

Due Date: See Time Table

Instructions

You are a political researcher for one of the US political parties, on a fact-finding trip to the UK. Select one of the British political parties (major or minor) and prepare a 1,200 word report/briefing for your home organisation (using academic sources from the British politics reading list, supplemented by web-based resources, including party websites). How does the UK party compare with your own? What lessons could your party learn from the UK party

You might want to consider some or all of the following: • Ideology • Organisation & membership • Which social groups support it • Programme & Performance • Leadership • Its recent and current prospects

READINGS

There are plenty of good textbooks on UK politics. Any of the following will give you a thorough introduction to the key issues, and you may think it worth buying one of them, especially if you are studying the UK for the first time.

• Leach, R., B. Coxall, L. Robins, R. (2011) Contemporary British Politics (2nd ed.) Palgrave 9

• Jones, B., P. Norton (2010) Politics UK (7th ed.) .Prentice Hall. • Moran, Michael (2011) Politics and Governance in the UK (2nd ed.) Palgrave

An excellent alternative to a textbook, well worth exploring, is the website of Democratic Audit, which both provides an evaluation of the quality of UK democracy and gives excellent informative overviews of key themes. The latest (2012) audit is available at http://demaudituk.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/auditing-the-uk- democracy-the-framework.pdf .

There are also very useful collections of essays. These all contain chapters by well- informed authors, and will give you a better idea of the political and intellectual debates about the topics we cover. They are meant, though, to contributions to debate, not necessarily introductions to the material, so they might best be regarded as supplementary to textbooks. The best are:

R. Heffernan, P. Cowley, and C. Hay (eds) (2011), Developments in British Politics 9, Palgrave. M. Flinders et al (2009), The Oxford Handbook of British Politics, OUP.

The most useful academic journals that focus mainly on UK politics are Parliamentary Affairs and Political Quarterly. Both produce accessible articles aimed at a mixed academic/practitioner audience. You will also find British Politics very useful. These and the other journals found on the reading lists are available online through the University library.

Blogs are becoming an increasingly useful source of up-to-date commentary by leading political scientists. The most useful for UK politics insights are:

• http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/ • http://nottspolitics.org/ • http://www.psa.ac.uk/insight-plus/blog

And on Scottish politics:

• http://futureukandscotland.ac.uk/ • http://www.referendum.ed.ac.uk/ • http://www.scottishconstitutionalfutures.org/

You may find the following websites useful • The Constitution Unit – briefings: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/ • Hansard Society (charity that promotes effective parliamentary democracy) http://www.hansardsociety.org.uk • Houses of Parliament: http://www.parliament.uk • UK Government: http://www.ukonline.gov.uk • Scottish Government: • Scottish Parliament: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk • National Assembly for Wales: http://www.assemblywales.org/index.htm • Welsh Assembly Government http://new.wales.gov.uk/?lang=en • Scottish Affairs: http://www.scottishaffairs.org/

For each week, it is recommended that you read the relevant chapters in your chosen textbook, as well as at least two other items.

LECTURE PROGRAMME

Week 1: Introduction to the UK State Week 2: Parties, ideology and elections Week 3: Reforming Britannia 1: Constitutional reform at the centre Week 4: Reforming Britannia 2: Devolution and territorial politics in the UK Week 5: The United Kingdom, the European Union, and the world

Format: each week there will be a two-hour ‘collegiate’ style lecture including student input and discussion. I expect you to come armed with questions and points to raise, not just to listen to me.

Week 1: Introduction to the UK State

This week we will examine the UK state and the constitutional development of the United Kingdom, looking at the distinctiveness of the UK’s ‘unwritten’ constitution, the doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty and the development of the main political institutions. We will examine the concepts of state and nation, and consider whether the UK can best be conceptualised as a nation-state or a multi-national state, and where power lies in its central institutions. Throughout we will draw comparisons with the US.

Key Readings: Relevant chapters in your chosen textbook.

Russell in Developments. Tomkins in Oxford Handbook

Also: Barnett, H. (2002) Britain Unwrapped: Government and Constitution Explained Beer, S.H. (1965) Modern British Politics: a study of parties and pressure groups Birch, A. (1986, 1998) The British System of Government, (7th edn./10th ed.) chs. 2-4, 10- 12 Dunleavy, P. (2006), ‘The Westminster Model and the Distinctiveness of British Politics’, in Dunleavy et al (eds) Developments in British Politics 8. Hazell, R. (2006) ‘The Continuing Dynamism of Constitutional Reform’ Parliamentary Affairs 60: 3-25; (e-journal) Holliday et al. (eds) (1999) Fundamentals in British Politics chs. 1-5 Norton, P. (2001) The British Polity (4th ed.)

Week 2: Parties, ideology and elections

This week we will examine the nature and development of the party political system in the UK. The development of ideology from social democracy to neo-liberalism will be studied, giving consideration to the question of whether the advent of New Labour and the renewal of the Conservatives under David Cameron has led to a new political consensus, or a distinctive ‘Third Way’. In addition, we will examine the nature and consequences of the electoral system and consider the issues it engenders for party and popular representation. The tutorial discussion will focus on analysing the 2010 UK General Election

Key Readings:

Relevant chapters in your chosen textbook.

Denver and Cowley in Developments 9. Mair in Oxford Handbook

The 2010 General Election:

See the summary of findings from the British Election Study Report: Electoral Choice 2010 at http://www.bes2009-10.org/ The special issue of Parliamentary Affairs, Vol. 63, Issue 4, 2010 covers the 2010 election in depth, with the article by David Denver ‘The Results: How Britain Voted’ giving a good overview. There is a special section of Political Quarterly , Vol. 82:2, 2011 which looks at how and why the 2010 coalition government was formed.

Also: Bale, T (2010), The Conservative Party from Thatcher to Cameron (Cambridge: Polity Press). Bartle, S., Laycock, S. (2006), Elections and Voting, in Dunleavy et al (eds) Developments in British Politics 8 Childs, S. (2006), ‘Political Parties and Party Systems’, in Dunleavy et al (eds) Developments in British Politics 8 Dorey, P and Garnett, M. (2012), ‘No such thing as the ‘Big Society’? The Conservative Party's unnecessary search for ‘narrative’ in the 2010 general election’, British Politics, Vol. 7. Evans, G. and Chzhen, C. (2013), ‘Explaining Voters' Defection from Labour over the 2005–10 Electoral Cycle: Leadership, Economics and the Rising Importance of Immigration’, in Political Studies Vol. 61, Supplement 1. Geddes, A., Tonge, J. (2010), Britain Votes 2010 Johnston, R., Pattie, C. (2011), ‘Where Did Labour’s Votes Go?’, British Journal of Politics and International Relations Vol. 13. Kavanagh, D., Cowley, P. (2010), The British General Election of 2010 Kisby, B. (2010), ‘The Big Society: Power to the People’, Political Quarterly, Vol. 81. Pattie, C, Johnston, R. (2011), ‘How Big is the Big Society?’, Parliamentary Affairs, Vol. 64 Theakston, K. (2012), ‘Gordon Brown as prime minister: Political skills and leadership style’, in British Politics, Vol. 6.

Week 3: Reforming Britannia 1: Constitutional reform at the centre

Following its election in 1997, the Blair government embarked upon the most extensive programme of constitutional reform since the Liberal government of 1906-14, with the coalition under Cameron and Clegg also seeing the constitution as a priority. We will examine these constitutional reforms over the following two weeks. This week we will focus on the current state of British democracy, giving particular attention to reform of the House of Lords, electoral reformand the changing role of the courts. What has driven the demand for reform? What progress has been made so far? Do these reforms contribute to ‘democratic deepening’ in the UK?

Key Readings:

Relevant chapters in your chosen textbook.

Russell and Kelso in Developments.

Also: Bogdanor, V. (2009), The New British Constitution (Oxford: Hart). Chakrabarti, S. (2012), ‘Human Rights or Citizen's Privileges: The Great Bill of Rights Swindle’, in Political Quarterly, Vol. 83. Flinders, M. (2002) ‘Shifting the Balance? Parliament, the Executive and the British Constitution’ Political Studies 2002, 50.1 (e-journal) Hazell R. (1999), ‘The British Constitution in 1997–98: Labour’s Constitutional Revolution’, Parliamentary Affairs, Vol. 52. Hazell, R. (2007), ‘The Continuing Dynamism of Constitutional Reform’, Parliamentary Affairs, ‘The Continuing Dynamism of Constitutional Reform’, Parliamentary Affairs, Vol. 60. Hazell, R. (2011), The Conservative Agenda for Constitutional Reform, London: Constittuion Unit, at: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution- unit/publications/tabs/unit-publications/148.pdf Kelso, A. (2006), ‘Reforming the House of Lords: Navigating Representation, Democracy and Legitimacy at Westminster’, Parliamentary Affairs, Vol. 59. King, A. (2009), The British Constitution (Oxford: OUP) Lipsey, D. (2011), ‘A Very Peculiar Revolution: Britain’s Politics and Constitution, 1970-2011’, Political Quarterly, Vol82 Renwick, A., Lamb, M., and Numan, B. (2011), ‘The Expenses Scandal and the Politics of Electoral Reform’, Political Quarterly, Vol. 82 Russell , M. (2009) ‘House of Lords Reform: Are We Nearly There Yet?’, Political Quarterly, Vol. 80. Sanders, D et al (2011), ‘Simulating the Effects of the Alternative Vote in the 2010 UK General Election’, Parliamentary Affairs Vol. 64

Week 4: Reforming Britannia 2: Devolution and territorial politics in the UK

This week we will look at the progress and prospects of devolution in the other parts of the UK: Wales, Northern Ireland and England. What are the historical roots of nationalism in Wales and Northern Ireland, and how do their devolved institutions compare to Scotland’s? What progress has been made with regard to the government of England? What do the challenges of territorial politics around the UK mean for the future of the UK state?

Key Readings: Relevant chapters of your chosen textbook

Jeffery in Oxford Handbook Scully and Wyn Jones in Developments 9

Also: Bogdanor, V (2001), Devolution in the United Kingdom. 2nd Ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Gormley-Heenan, C. (2011), Power-Sharing in Northern Ireland, in R. Heffernan et al (eds.), Developments in British Politics 9, London: Palgrave. Jeffery, C. (2006), ‘Devolution and the Lopsided State’, in P. Dunleavy et al (eds), Developments in British Politics 8, London: Palgrave. Jeffery, C. (2007) ‘The Unfinished Business of Devolution: Seven Open Questions’ Public Policy and Administration, Vol. 22 Jeffery, C. (2009), ‘Devolution in the UK’, in M. Flinders et al (eds), The Oxford Handbook of British Politics Mitchell, J. (2009), Devolution in the United Kingdom (Manchester: MUP) Trench, A. (ed) (2007), Devolution and Power in the United Kingdom, Manchester: Manchester UP. Trench, A. (2010), ‘The Options for Devolution Finance’, Political Quarterly, Vol. 81. Report of the Commission on Scottish Devolution (2009), at http://www.commissiononscottishdevolution.org.uk/uploads/2009-06-12-csd- final-report-2009fbookmarked.pdf Your Scotland, Your Voice: A National Conversation (2009), the Scottish Government’s White Paper on the constitution, at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/11/26155932/0

Week 5: The UK, the European Union and the world

In the final week, we will examine the development of the UK as a member of the European Union. What has the history of British involvement in the EU been? Is it fair to describe the UK as an ‘awkward partner’ in Europe? Does the pull of the ‘special relationship’ with the US complement or detract from the development of UK’s links with Europe? Will there be a referendum on EU membership, and if so what would be the likely outcome?

Key Readings: Relevant chapters of your chosen textbook.

Gamble in Oxford Handbook Thorlakson and Gamble in Developments 9

Also: Baker, D. (2003) ‘Britain and Europe: Treading Water or Slowly Drowning?’ Parliamentary Affairs Vol. 56 Beech, M. (2011), ‘British Conservatism and Foreign Policy: Traditions and Ideas Shaping Cameron’s World View’, British Journal of Politics and International Relations, Vol. 13 Bulmer, S. (2008), ‘New Labour, New European Policy? Blair, Brown and Utilitarian Supranationalism’, Parliamentary Affairs Vol. 61. Fella, S. (2006), ‘New Labour, Same Old Britain? The Blair Government and European Treaty Reform’, Parliamentary Affairs Vol. 59. Gamble, A (2012), ‘Better Off Out? Britain and Europe’, Political Quarterly, Vol. 83. George, S, (1998), An Awkward Partner. Britain and the European Community OUP Lynch, P. and Whitaker, A. (2012), ‘The UK Independence Party: Understanding a Niche Party's Strategy, Candidates and Supporters’, Parliamentary Affairs, Vol. 65. Lynch, P. and Whitaker, A. (2013), ‘Rivalry on the right: The Conservatives, the UK Independence Party (UKIP) and the EU issue’, British Politics, Vol. 8. Morris, J (2011), ‘How Great is Britain? Power, Responsibility and Britain’s Future Role’, British Journal of Politics and International Relations, Vol. 13. Smith, M. (2006), ‘Britain, Europe and the World’, in P. Dunleavy et al (eds), Developments in British Politics 8, London: Palgrave.

See also British Journal of Politics & International Relations, Special issue, ‘After the Constitutional Treaty: Rethinking Britain and Europe’, Vol. 8(1), 2006.

16 17

SCOTTISH POLITICS

Professor James Mitchell 21 George Square [email protected] Office hours: Tuesday, 2-4pm

NB All seminars for this course will take place in the seminar room of the Geography Annex next door to Chisholm House

COURSE AIMS i. The course provides an introduction to Scottish politics. It offers an historical overview explaining the origins and development of modern Scottish politics and government. It considers the government structures, political decision- making and party politics in Scotland. These will be discussed in the context of debates, conceptualisations and theories of political science. ii. The course will provide necessary backdrop for an internship in the Scottish Parliament. Discussion will include a strong practical element aimed to furnish students with competing understandings of Scottish politics and government.

FORMAT The class meets on Mondays (weeks 4 & 5), Tuesday (week2) and Thursdays (week1 & 3) from 11:00 to 13:00 in the Geography Annexe next to Chisholm House (except week 2 - the Seminar Room in Chisholm House.) The course will be lecturer-led seminars. Students are expected to read at least two texts on the reading list. Each seminar will begin with each student outlining what s/he has read for that week’s seminar and expected to be able to answer some questions. This will ensure student participation, allow the lecturer to know what has been covered and allow for better discussion in the seminar. This will be followed by a lecturer-led seminar with student participation. Seminars will be complemented by activities in the afternoon, including visits to the relevant institutions.

ASSESSMENT Assessment will be based on two pieces of work: a short mid-term project worth 40% and a final class exam worth 60% of the final grade. For the mid-term project, students will be required to write a research briefing paper (max 3 pages) on an aspect of Scottish politics. Two copies of the paper should be submitted electronically to Lee Corcoran ([email protected]) by the deadline as per time table. The class exam will be held on in week 6 (see Time Table). The exam will be designed to test knowledge and understanding of seminar subjects.

USEFUL WEBSITES Scottish Parliament: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/ Scottish Government: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/ Electoral Commission: http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/your-area/scotland.cfm Institute of Governance: http://www.institute-of-governance.org/ Scottish Affairs online articles: http://www.scottishaffairs.org/onlinepub

For some highlights of the previous parliamentary session, see: http://news.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/hi/scotland/newsid_9531000/9531974.stm

You will be given a copy of ‘Scottish Elections 2011’, issued by Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe)

LECTURE PROGRAMME

Seminar topic Aims Week 1 4 Sep Scotland’s evolving To outline the evolution constitutional status of Scotland constitutional status within the UK; To consider the nature of the UK constitution in the context of devolution Week 2 9 Sep Nature of Scottish devolution To explain the nature of devolved government; To consider the extent to which devolved government is a form of federalism Week 3 18 Sep Policy-making under To consider the devolution parameters of autonomy under devolution; To consider the way in which policy is made Week 4 22 Sep Parties and Elections To examine the electoral systems used in Scotland; To consider the extent to which a distinct party system exists in Scotland Week 5 29 Sep Holyrood and the Scottish To outline the workings Government of the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government. 19

Week 1: Scotland’s evolving constitutional status

The United Kingdom has always acknowledged a Scottish dimension in its governmental institutions. This has changed over time. The system of local government was the basis of a distinct central government system that emerged in the nineteenth century. As the state’s role and remit increased over time this had implications for its ‘territorial constitution’ ie how it accommodated the component nations. The UK has been a nation of nations or state of unions in which each component was accommodated differently. This seminar aims to explain how Scotland’s position as a nation with the wider UK nation and the nature of the union of Scotland with the rest of the UK evolved over time.

Readings:

Scotland in the Union: Aughey, Arthur (2010), ‘Fifth nation: The United Kingdom between definite and indefinite articles’, British Politics, vol.5, pp.265-285. Bogdanor, Vernon (1999), Devolution in the UK, Oxford, Oxford University Press Bulpitt, Jim (1983), Territory and Power, Manchester, Manchester University Press. Crick, B (2010), ‘The Four Nations: Interrelations’, in Scottish Affairs, no.71, pp.1-15. Devine, T.M. (2006) ‘In bed with the elephant? Almost 300 years of the Anglo-Scottish Union’, in Scottish Affairs, 57, Autumn 2006. Keating, Michael (1988), State and Regional Nationalism, pp.25-35. Keating, Michael and Howard Elcock (1998), 'Introduction: Devolution and the UK State' in H. Elcock and M. Keating (eds.), Remaking the Union: Devolution and British Politics in the 1990s, pp.1-9. Kidd, Colin (2008), Union and Unionisms: Political Thought in Scotland, 1500–2000 Cambridge University Press. Kilbrandon (chairman) (1973), Royal Commission on the Constitution, ch.3. Mitchell, James (2009), Devolution in the United Kingdom, Manchester, Manchester University Press, chs.1-2. Paterson, Lindsay (1998), 'Scottish Home Rule: Radical Break or Pragmatic Adjustment?', Regional and Federal Studies, vol.8, pp.53-67. Rokkan, S. and Urwin, D.W. (eds.) (1982), The Politics of Territorial Identity: Studies in European Regionalism ch.1. Rose, Richard (1982), Understanding the United Kingdom chs.1,2,3,4. Richard Rose (1971), Governing Without Consensus, ch.2. Urwin, D. (1982), 'Territorial Structures and Political Developments in the United Kingdom', in S. Rokkan and D. Urwin (eds.), The Politics of Territorial Identity, pp.19-73.

KEY QUESTIONS: i. To what extent did changes in the role of the state have an impact on Scotland’s distinct form of government? 20 ii. To what extent did the UK’s ‘customary’ constitution affect the nature of Scotland’s distinct status in the UK? iii. In what sense is the UK a unitary state today?

Week 2: Nature of Scottish devolution

The Scottish parliament was first elected in 1999. There had been a number of proposals for a devolved legislature over the course of the twentieth century, most notably in the 1970s. Debates on devolution in the 1980s were shaped by the context in which the Conservatives governed Scotland as the largest party in the UK but with declining support in Scotland. This had implications for devolution as a response to ‘Thatcherism’. An informal convention was established in 1989 which outlined a scheme of devolution that provided the basis for devolution which was established.

Brown, A., D. McCrone and L. Paterson (1998), Politics and Society in Scotland, Houndmills, Palgrave, ch.2. Denver, D., J. Mitchell, C. Pattie and H. Bochel (2000), Scotland Decides: The Devolution Issue and the Scottish Referendum, London, Frank Cass, chs.1-2. Mitchell, James (2009), Devolution in the United Kingdom, Manchester, Manchester University Press, ch.6, 10. Stewart, David (2009), The Path to Devolution and Change: A political history of Scotland Under Margaret Thatcher, London, I.B. Taurus. Scottish Constitutional Convention, 1995, Scotland's Parliament, Scotland's Right (Edinburgh). http://www.almac.co.uk/business_park/scc/scc-rep.htm Hansard: Commons debates on devolution: 16 May 1997, cols. 275-351. Note contributions from Donald Dewar, William Hague, Tam Dalyell, Michael Ancram. Can be obtained on web.

KEY QUESTIONS: i. To what extent was Margaret Thatcher the midwife of devolution and with what consequences? ii. To what extent did the form of devolution leave important matters unresolved? iii. In what sense can Scottish devolution be seen to have succeeded/failed?

Week 3: Policy-making under devolution

The Scottish parliament added a new dimension to policy-making. While the Scottish Office offered a distinct form of government it was accountable to Parliament at Westminster. The key change brought about by devolution was that authoritative decisions would be made and accountable to a Parliament in Scotland. This affected policy-making in a number of ways which will be discussed in this seminar. The degree and parameters of autonomy will be discussed as will changes in how policy is made.

Greer, Scott (2004), Territorial politics and health policy: UK health policy in comparative perspective, Manchester, Manchester University Press, chs.1,7. Greer, Scott (2005), ‘The territorial bases of health policymaking in the UK after devolution’, Regional and Federal Studies, vol.15, http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~content=t713636416~db=all~tab=issuesli st~branches=15 - v15pp. 501 – 518. Jeffery, C. and J. Mitchell (eds) (2009), The Scottish Parliament 1999-2009: the first decade, Hansard Society with Luath Press.chs. 3, 4, 5, 8 & 9 Keating, Michael (2010), The Government of Scotlamd: Public Policy Making After Devolution 2nd edition, Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press, esp. chs.1,7,8. Keating, M, L Stevenson, P Cairney and K MacLean, 2004, 'Does devolution make a difference? Legislative output and policy divergence in Scotland', Journal of Legislative Studies, vol. 9, no. 3. Lodge, G, K Schmuecker and A Coutts, 2010, Devolution in Practice 2010: Public policy differences in the UK, London, IPPR. Morgan, Kevin (2006), ‘Devolution and Development: Territorial Justice and the North- South Divide’, Publius, vol.36, pp.189-206. Trench, A and H Jarman (2007), ‘The practical outcomes of devolution: policy-making across the UK’, in Trench, A, Devolution and Power in the United Kingdom, Manchester, Manchester University Press. Wincott, Dan (2006), ‘Social Policy and Social Citizenship: Britain’s Welfare States’, Publius, vol.36, pp.169-188.

KEY QUESTIONS: i. To what extent have the fiscal powers of the Scottish Parliament inhibited its ability to find ‘Scottish solutions to Scottish problems’? ii. To what extent has devolution encouraged divergence in public policy within the UK? iii. What role has local government had under devolution?

Week 4: Parties and Elections

Scotland has long had a distinct party system that has become more evident post- devolution. The relationship between the electoral system and changed opportunity structure of having a Scottish Parliament will be explored. The extent to which political behaviour differs and explanations for this difference at Scottish and UK elections will be outlined.

Curtice, J., D. McCrone, N. McEwan, M. Marsh, and R. Ormston, (2009), The 2007 Scottish Elections: Revolution or Evolution? Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Hassan, G. (2002) ‘The Paradoxes of Scottish Labour: Devolution, Change and Conservatism’ in G. Hassan and C. Warhurst, Tomorrow's Scotland (Lawrence & Wishart) Hopkin, J and J Bradbury (2006), ‘British statewide parties and multilevel politics’, Publius, the journal of federalism, vol.36, no.1 Hough, Dan and Jeffrey, Charlie (2006), Devolution and electoral politics, Manchester, Manchester University Press, especially chs. 1,3,13 but see also some of the case studies (chs.4-11). Hough D and C Jeffery, 2003, ‘Elections in multilevel systems’, in Hazell, R, The State of the Nations 2003: the Third Year of Devolution in the United Kingdom, London, Imprint Academic. Hough, Dan, Jeffrey, Charlie and Keating, Michael (eds), (2003), ‘Multi-level electoral competition: regional elections and party systems in Decentralised states’, Journal of European Urban and Regional Studies, vol.10, especially Kris Deschouwer, and Klaus Detterbeck and Wolfgang Renzsch. Johns, R., J. Mitchell, D. Denver and C. Pattie (2009) ‘Valence Politics in Scotland: Towards an Explanation of the 2007 Election’, Political Studies Vol. 57, pp.207- 233. Johns, R., J. Mitchell, D. Denver, & C. Pattie (2010), Voting for a Scottish Government: The Scottish Parliament Elections of 2007, Manchester, Manchester University Press. Johns, R., C.J. Carman, and J. Mitchell (2013), ‘Constitution or Competence? : The SNP's Re-election in 2011’, Political Studies, vol. 61, pp.158-178.

KEY QUESTIONS: i. Why did Labour agree to the Additional Member System for elections to the Scottish Parliament? ii. To what extent did devolution offer the prospect of changes in the Scottish party system? iii. How and why did the SNP win an overall majority in 2011?

Week 5: Holyrood and the Scottish Government

This final seminar is designed to provide an overview of day-to-day workings of the Scottish Parliament and Government. It will consider the extent to which devolved government ushered in an era of ‘new politics’. There will be discussion of the organisation of the Scottish Government and the influence of the ‘Virginia model’ as well as how legislation is passed by the Parliament and the roles of committees.

Bromley, C., J. Curtice, D. McCrone, and A. Park, (2006), Has Devolution Delivered? Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Brown, Alice (2000), ‘Designing the Scottish Parliament’, Parliamentary Affairs, vol.53, pp.542-556. Cairney P. (2009), ‘New Scottish Parliament, Same Old Interest Group Politics?’, in C. Jeffrey and J. Mitchell (ed.), The Scottish Parliament 1999-2009: The First Decade, Edinburgh: Luath, pp. 105-112.

Mitchell, James (2010), ‘The Narcissism of Small Differences: Scotland and Westminster’ Parliamentary Affairs, vol.63, pp.98-116

Scottish Government webpage http://home.scotland.gov.uk/home

Scottish Parliament webpage http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/index.aspx

KEY QUESTIONS: i. To what extent has the Parliament lived up to the ideals of ‘new politics’? ii. How was the Scottish Government reformed in 2007 and for what purpose? iii. What roles do committees play in the Scottish Parliament?

Annexe 1: Note: This previous exam paper is included for your information and guidance only.

Spring 2011 SCOTTISH POLITICS CLASS EXAM

SECTION A - SHORT ANSWERS

Answer THREE of the following questions. Answers should be written in one paragraph, and should be no more than one page in length. Note: if you answer question 5, you also need to answer two questions from 1, 2, 3 or 4.

1. What impact did the Consultative Steering Group have on the way the Scottish Parliament was designed? 2. How is a Bill enacted in the Scottish Parliament? 3. How does the Additional Member System (AMS) for electing Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) work? 4. What is para-diplomacy? 5. Write brief notes (not more than three or four lines on each) on THREE of the following: · Scottish Parliament Corporate Body (SPCB) · The ‘National Conversation’ · The Barnett Formula · Devolved Powers · Royal Assent · Lead Committee

SECTION B - ESSAY

Answer ONE of the following questions:

6. Is devolution the ‘slippery slope’ to independence for Scotland? Defend your answer. 7. Write an assessment of the achievements and failures of the Scottish Parliament since 1999. 8. To what extent and why are Scottish politics different from those in the rest of the United Kingdom? 9. Write a review of the SNP government to date. How is it likely to perform between now and the next election in 2011? 10. Should Scotland have an ‘external relations’ policy even though Foreign Affairs are reserved to Westminster? 26

Annexe 2

SCOTTISH POLITICS: ASSIGNMENT 1 Autumn 2014

As an intern, you may be asked to provide a short and succinct briefing paper for your MSP which clearly and cogently summarises the main arguments around an issue. The skill lies in setting out points for and against, backed up with the use of evidence. Your briefing paper should include: • An introduction • Key facts and up-to-date information (including sources e.g. websites) • Key points and arguments for and against, with evidence • Conclusion It should be written in report form rather than essay form, and should be no more than 3 pages long. TWO copies of the assignment should be submitted to Lee Corcoran ([email protected]) by the end of Week 3.

Write a briefing paper on ONE of the following: 1. The debate on the currency in the referendum debate. 2. The role of the media in the referendum campaign. 3. The funding of the Yes and No campaigns in the referendum. 4. The alternative proposals for ‘more powers’. 5. Explain the outcome of the Scottish independence referendum.

SCOTTISH SOCIETY AND CULTURE

Eberhard 'Paddy' Bort Room F3, Chisholm House Email: [email protected] ph: 650 2458

COURSE AIMS This course intends to give the interns an introduction to Scottish society and culture, tying in with aspects of politics and governance taught in the other courses. Scotland being an old country, with a long national history, means that many sociological features have been long in the making; Scotland being a small country, particularly in terms of population, affects the form and frequency of social interaction.

The course will progress from the larger context of the economic, social and cultural history and identity of modern Scotland and the examination of key institutions which shape Scottish life, on to social groupings and, finally, to expressions of culture and the arts, especially the literature of Scotland.

FORMAT In general, the morning sessions will be in the lecture/seminar format, and the afternoon programme (led by our activities tutor) will involve visits to various Edinburgh sites (museums, galleries, etc) to provide complementary channels of learning.

Students will be asked to make presentations (based on readings) and lead specific discussions. Newspapers and other media offer a way in to topical issues of sociological and cultural importance – students are advised to make good us of these sources. Students should keep a diary of news items, particularly if there is a hint that these sociological or cultural processes ‘play out’ differently than they might do in the US (or the UK).

ASSESSMENT Students must complete an essay (topics will be provided by lecturer).of 2,500-3000 words, which has to be submitted (two copies) by the deadline (see Time Table) to the main office of the Institute of Governance, Chisholm House. Extensions will only be granted if requested before the deadline, and in exceptional circumstances. The essay will contribute 70% towards the overall assessment. Late work will be penalised! Students will also be asked to make a short presentation in class, followed by a written summary of c.1000 words which will contribute 20% to the overall grade. The final 10 % are the graded weekly Media Reports (see p.41).

Core Texts The core texts for the course are:

• Devine, T.M. and Finlay, R.J., eds. (1996) Scotland in the Twentieth Century, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. • McCrone, D. (2001) Understanding Scotland: The Sociology of a Nation, new ed., London and New York: Routledge.

Additional Essential Reading

• Catriona M M Macdonald (2009), Whaur Extremes Meet: Scotland’s Twentieth Century, Edinburgh: John Donald. 28

• Brown, A., McCrone, D. and Paterson, L. (1998) Politics and Society in Scotland, 2nd ed., Basingstoke: Macmillan [esp. chaps.1, 8 & 9]. • Paterson, L. (1994) The Autonomy of Modern Scotland, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. • Paterson, L, Bechhofer, F and McCrone, D (2004) Living in Scotland: Social and Economic Change since 1980 Edinburgh University Press • McCrone, D, Morris, A and Kiely, R (1999) Scotland the Brand: The Making of Scottish Heritage, Edinburgh: Polygon. • Harvie, C (2014) Scotland: A Short History, Oxford: Oxford University Press. • Rab Houston (2008), Scotland: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford: Oxford University Press

LECTURE PROGRAMME

Week 1: Tue 2 Sep Scottish History & Identity Week 2: Mon 8 Sep Social Institutions Week 3: Tue 16 Sep Class, Gender & Ethnicity Week 4: Tue 23 Sep Language & Culture Week 5: Tue 30 Sep Contemporary Scottish Culture (two sessions)

Week 1: Scottish History & Identity

What makes Scotland tick? Who are the Scots? What do they identify with? Which are the historical events and developments that shaped Scottish identity? When was Scotland – and how many Scotlands are there?

We’ll be looking at stereotypes, myths, and the mapping Scottish history

Key Readings: Devine and Finlay (1996) chaps 1, 2, 7, 8 & 9 Harvie (2002) Pittock (2008) Houston (2008)

Suggested Readings: Brown, McCrone (2001) Paterson, ch. 1. Paterson et al (2001), ch.7 Devine, T.M. (2006) ‘In bed with the elephant? Almost 300 years of the Anglo- Scottish Union’, in Scottish Affairs, 57, Autumn 2006.

Discussion: Mapping Scottish History/Identity; the Union of 1707, its reasons and its consequences; Highlands and Lowlands; Enlightenment, Kailyard, Scottish Duality, Renaissance, industrialisation and de-industrialisation, the Devolution & Independence debates.

Activity: Visit to The People’s Story and the Edinburgh Museum – both museums of Edinburgh (and Scottish) social history – located on the Royal Mile.

Week 2: Social Institutions

In the Union, Scotland maintained a degree of autonomy, mainly based on its institutions of law, religion, education and local government. How have they developed over the centuries and what effect does devolution have on them?

Key Readings: Devine & Finlay. Chaps 12, 13, & 14 Paterson, chaps 1 & 2

Suggested Readings: Thomson, J.M. (1995), ‘Scots Law, National Identity and the European Union’, Scottish Affairs, 10, pp,25-34 MacCormack, N. (1998), ‘The English Constitution, the British State and the Scottish Anomaly’, Scottish Affairs, Special Issue ‘Understanding Constitutional Change’, pp.129-145 Jarvi, G. and Thomson I. (1999), ‘Sport, Nationalism and the Scottish Parliament’, Scottish Affairs, 27, pp.82-96 Macdonald, S. (1999), ‘The Gaelic Renaissance and Scotland’s Identity’, Scottish Affairs, 26, pp.100-118 Paterson, L (2000) Education and the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh: Dunedin Academic Press. Reid, H (2002) Outside Verdict: An Old Kirk in a New Scotland, Edinburgh: St Andrew Press. Raffe, D (2004) ‘How Distinctive is Scottish Education? Five Perspectives on Distinctiveness’, Scottish Affairs, 49, pp.50-72.

Discussion The ‘Estates’ – we will focus on key social institutions in three major areas: religion, education, and law – often viewed as the pillars of Scottish civil society.

Week 3: Class, Gender and Ethnicity

The sociology of Scotland - all Jock Tamson's Bairns or class-divided society? How important is social class in Scotland? What has been the role of women in Scottish society? Ethnic minorities, racism and 'multi-cultural' society?

Key Readings: Devine & Finlay, chaps 6 & 10 Breitenbach. E. (1997), “Curiously Rare”? Scottish Women of Interest’, Scottish Affairs, 18, pp.82-94. Mooney, G, Morelli, C and Simon, P (2009), ‘The Question of Economic Growth and Inequality in Contemporary Scotland’, in Scottish Affairs, no.67, pp.92-109 MacInnes, J. (1998), ‘The Myth of the Macho Scotsman: Attitudes to Gender, Work, and the Family in the UK, Ireland and Europe, ‘Scottish Affairs, 23, pp.108-124. Brown, A. (1999). ‘Taking Their Place in the New House: Women and the Scottish Parliament’, Scottish Affairs, 28, pp.44-50. Cant, B. and Kelly, E. (1995), ‘Why is there a need for Racial Equality Activity in Scotland?’, Scottish Affairs, 12, pp.9-26. Ishaq, M and Hussain, A (2010), ‘Ethnic Minority Sole Traders’ Experieces of Racial discrimination’, in Scottish Affairs, no.70, pp.29-48. Lindsay, I. (1997), 'The Uses and Abuses of National Stereotypes', Scottish Affairs, 20, pp.133-148. Maan, B. (1992), The New Scots, Edinburgh: John Donald. Mackay, F. (2003), 'Women and the 2003 Elections: keeping up the Momentum', SA, 44, 74-90. Breitenbach, E. and F, Mackay (2001), Introduction & Sections I & III Scottish Affairs 56 (Summer) 2006 Public Policy and Equality: Mainstreaming Equalities

Suggested Readings: McCrone, chaps 4 &5 Kelly, E. (1999), ‘Stands Scotland Where it did?’, Scottish Affairs. 26, pp.83-99. Dickson, M, (1994), ‘Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot? A Comparison of the Scots and English in Scotland’, Scottish Affairs, 7, pp.112-134. Jedrej, C. and Nuttal, M. (1995), ‘Incomers and Locals: Metaphors and Reality in the Repopulation of Rural Scotland’, Scottish Affairs, 10, pp.112-126. Breitenbach, E. and F, Mackay (2001), Section II. Curtice, J et al (2002), chs 3,4 and 5. Paterson, Brown et al (2001), ch.4. Hopkins, P (2004) ‘Everyday Racism in Scotland: A Case Study of East Pollockshields’, Scottish Affairs, 49, pp.88-103. Maan, B (2008), The Thistle and the Crescent, Glendaruel: Argyll Publishing.

Discussion Social class and ethnicity; social structure, social groups and their significance; gender issues and issues of ‘race relations’.

Week 4: Language and Culture

What is the historical and contemporary relationship between Scotland's languages? What have been the most significant cultural movements/periods in Scotland? Enlightenment, Kailyard, Renaisasance. Have the 'big three' – Burns, Scott, Stevenson – still relevance today?

Key Readings:

Broadie, A (2001), The Scottish Enlightenment, Edinburgh: Birlinn. Cormack, M. (1997), ‘Spoken Scots in the Media’, Scottish Affairs. 21, pp.119-135. McLeod, W. (1997), ‘Official Status for Gaelic: Prospects and Problems’, Scottish Affairs, 21, pp.95-118. McLeod, Wilson (ed.) (2006) Revitalising Gaelic in Scotland, Edinburgh: Dunedin Academic Press. Macdonald, S. (1999), ‘The Gaelic Renaissance and Scotland’s Identities’, Scottish Affairs, 26, pp.100-118. MacDougall, Carl (2006) Scots: The Language of the People, Edinburgh: Black & White Publishing. Finlay, A. (1996), ‘A River that Flows On: A critical overview of Hamish Henderson’s life and work’, in Finlay, A., ed., The Armstrong Nose: Selected Letters of Hamish Henderson, Edinburgh: Polygon, pp.299-356. Sassi, Carla (2005) Why Scottish Literature Matters, Edinburgh: Saltire Society. Kelly, S (2010) Scott-land: The Man Who Invented a Nation, Edinburgh: Polygon.

Robert Burns

Andrew Noble & Patrick Hogg Scott (eds), The Canongate Burns: The Complete Poems and Songs of Robert Burns, Edinburgh: Canongate, 2001 Patrick Hogg Scott, Robert Burns: The Patriot Bard, Edinburgh: Mainstream, 2008. Robert Crawford, The Bard. Robert Burns: A Biography, London: Jonathan Cape, 2009.

Suggested Readings:

MacDougall, Carl (2004) Writing Scotland, Edinburgh: Polygon. MacDougall, Carl (2006) Scots: The Language of the People, Black & White Publishing. Pittock, M. (1991), The Invention of Scotland, London. Smout, T.C. (1992), ‘Patterns of Culture’, in Dickson, A. and Treble, J.H., eds, People and Society in Scotland, Vol, III, 19-14+1990, Edinburgh: John Donald. Nairn, T. (1997), ‘Identities in Scotland’, in Nairn, T., Faces of Nationalism: James Revisited, London: Verson, pp.183-193. Edensor, T. (1997), ‘Reading Braveheart: Representing and Contesting Scottish Identity’, Scottish Affairs, 21, pp.135-158. Craig, C (2000) The Modern Scots Novel: Narrative and the National Imagination. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Schoene, B. (ed) (2007) The Edinburgh Companion to Contemporary Scottish Literature, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Blain, Neil and David Hutchinson, eds (2008), The Media in Scotland, Edinburgh University Press. MacDonald, M (2000) Scottish Art, London: Thames and Hudson. Calder, A (2002) Scotlands of the Mind, Edinburgh: Luath Press. Bill Findlay (ed.), A History of Scottish Theatre, Edinburgh: Polygon, 1998. Bruce Peter, Scotland's Splendid Theatres, Edinburgh: Polygon, 1999. Donald Campbell, Playing for Scotland: a History of the Scottish Stage, 1715-1965, Edinburgh: Mercat Press, 1996. Ian Brown (ed.), The Edinburgh Companion to Scottish Drama, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2011 Randall Stevenson and Gavin Wallace (eds), Scottish Theatre Since the Seventies, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1996. Frank Bruce, Scottish Showbusiness: Music Hall, Variety and Pantomime (Scotland's Past in Action Series), Edinburgh: NMS, 2000. Paul Maloney, Scotland and the Music Hall, 1850-1914, Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2003. John McGrath, Six-pack: Plays for Scotland, Edinburgh: Polygon, 1996. Ian Brown and Mark Fisher (eds), Made in Scotland: New Theatre Scripts (Methuen New Theatrescripts), London: Methuen, 1995. Murdo Macdonald, Scottish Art (World of Art), London: Thames and Hudson, 2000. Duncan Macmillan, Scottish Art, 1460-2000, Edinburgh: Mainstream, 2000. Selina Skipwith and Bill Smith, History of Scottish Art, Merrell, 2003. Alexander Moffat and Alan Riach, Arts of Resistance: Poets, Portraits and Landscapes 35

of Modern Scotland, Edinburgh: Luath, 2008. Paul Harris, Julian Halsby, The Dictionary of Scottish Painters: 1600 to the Present, Edinburgh: Canongate, 2001. Trustees of the National Galleries of Scotland (eds), A Companion Guide to the National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh: National Galleries of Scotland, 2000. Trustees of the National Galleries of Scotland (eds), A Companion Guide to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh: National Galleries of Scotland, 1999. Philip Long and Elizabeth Cumming (eds),The Scottish Colourists: Cadell, Fergusson, Hunter and Peploe, Edinburgh: Mainstream, 2000. Roger Billcliffe, The Scottish Colourists, London: John Murray, 1989. Roger Billcliffe, The Glasgow Boys: The Glasgow School of Painting 1875-1895, London: John Murray, 2002. Vivien Hamilton, Joseph Crawhall 1861-1913: One of the Glasgow Boys, London: John Murray, 1997. Alan Crawford, Charles Rennie Mackintosh (World of Art), London: Thames and Hudson, 1995. Duncan Macmillan, Elizabeth Blackadder, Aldershot: Ashgate, 1999.

Discussion Contemporary Culture, the Arts and Scottish identity; a contemporary Scottish renaissance?

Activity: Visit to the National Portrait Gallery

Essay Writing Guidelines

Essay Requirements When submitting course work students are encouraged to present typed essays that include a cover page listing the course, title of essay, name of students and date. Pages within the essay should be numbered. Essays should be written in clear concise English, with attention to correct spelling, punctuation and grammar. Essays should contain an introduction to the topic, an original analysis of the research material and a conclusion summarising the main points of the essay. It is important to engage with the essay question and the relevant literature on any chosen topic – web sources need to be treated with caution! Course lecturers are available for advice on essay structure and research. If in doubt please consult a member of the teaching team. Please submit two copies of your essay and please note that late submission will result in lower marks.

References and Bibliographies Essays must confirm to acknowledged academic referencing and bibliographic style. References to ideas that are not the author’s own must be acknowledged within the text, either with a parenthetical reference listing the original author’s name, date of publication and page number, or with an endnote or footnote. All works referenced within the essay must be included in a bibliography at the end of the essay. All ideas that are not the student’s own must be referenced. Failure to do so results in plagiarism, which is treated as a serious academic offence by the University.

Research Bibliography When researching for courses or for the internship report, students may consult a number of resources contained within the major libraries in Edinburgh. The journal Scottish Affairs, published by the Institute of Governance (and of which a full set is available in the interns' offices in Chisholm House), is a useful starting point. Students may also wish to consult copies of The Economist, New Statesman, Spectator and Prospect and early copies of the Scottish Government Yearbook for background information. The following academic journals may also provide useful information:

British Journal of Political Science Parliamentary Affairs British Journal of Sociology Political Studies Ethnic and Racial Studies Regional and Federal Studies Nations and Nationalism Scottish Review of Books

The British Social Attitudes series is also a useful source of information on changing attitudes and values within Britain.

Select Bibliography

The following books – some of them already mentioned in this course handbook – may provide help for students when researching essay topics.

Aughey, Arthur ((2007), The Politics of Englishness, Manchester University Press. Bechhofer, Frank and David McCrone, eds (2009), National Identity, Nationalism and Constitutional Change, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillian. Bennie, Lynn, Jack Brand and James Mitchell (1997) How Scotland Votes. Manchester: Manchester University Press. Bogdanor, Vernon (2009), The New British Constitution, Oxford: Hart. Bort, Eberhard (ed.) (2010), Borne on the Carrying Stream: The Legacy of Hamish Henderson, Ochtertyre: Grace Note Publications. Bort, Eberhard (ed.) (2011), Tis Siuxxty Years Since: The 1951 Edinburgh People’s Festival Ceilidh and the Scottish Folk Revival, Ochteryre: Grace Note Publications. Bort, Eberhard (ed.) (2012), At Hame Wi’ Freedom: Essays on Hamish Henderson and the Scottish Folk Revival, Ochtertyre: Grace Note Publications. Bort, Eberhard, Robin McAlpine and Gordon Morgan (2012), The Silent Crisis: Failure and Revival in Local Democracy in Scotland, Biggar: The Jimmy Reid Foundation. Bort, Eberhard (2014), The Annals of the Holyrood Parish: A Decade of Devolution 2004-2014, Ochtertyre: Grace Note Publications. Breitenbach, Esther and Fiona Mackay, eds (2001) Women and Contemporary Scottish Politics, Edinburgh: Polygon. Bromley, C, Curtice, J, Hinds, K and A. Park (2003) Devolution: Scottish Answers to Scottish Questions? Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Brown, Rob (ed.) (2007) Nation in a State: Independent Perspectives on Scottish Independence, Dunfermline: Ten Book Press. Brown, Tom and Henry McLeish (2007), Scotland: The Road Divides, Edinburgh: Luath. Brown, Tom and Henry McLeish (2009), Scotland: A Suitable Case for Treatment, Edinburgh: Luath Bulmer, W Elliot (2011) A Model Constitution for Scotland: Making Democracy Work, Edinburgh: Luath. Calder, Angus (2002) Scotlands of the Mind, Edinburgh: Luath. Colley, Linda (1994) Britons: forging the nation, 1707-1837. London: Pimlico Cowan, Edward J and Richard Finlay, eds (2002) Scottish History: The Power of the Past, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Crowther, J., Martin, I. and Shaw, M., eds (2003), Renewing democracy in Scotland: An educational source book, Leicester: National Institute of Adult Continuing Education. Curtice, John, David McCrone, Alison Park and Lindsay Paterson (2002) New Scotland, New Society?, Edinburgh: Polygon. Dardanelli, Paolo (2005) Between two Unions: Europeanisation and Scottish devolution, Manchester: Manchester University Press. Denver, David (1994) Elections and Voting Behaviour in Britain 2nd ed. London: Harvester Wheatsheaf Devine, T.M (2000) The Scottish Nation 1700-2000. London: Penguin Devine, T M (2003), Scotland's Empire, 1600-1815, London: Penguin Devine, T.M ed. (2000) Scotland’s Shame: bigotry and sectarianism in modern Scotland. Edinburgh: Mainstream. Devine, T.M. and P. Logue, eds. (2002), Being Scottish: Personal Reflections on Scottish Identity Today, Edinburgh: Polygon. Devine, T.M. and R. Mitchison, eds (1998) People and Society in Scotland. Edinburgh: John Donald 38

Dickson, H T and Michael Lynch eds (2000), The Challenge to Westminster: Sovereignty, Devolution and Independence, Phantassie: Tuckwell, Donnachie, Ian and Christopher Whatley, eds., (1992) The Manufacture of Scottish History. Edinburgh: Polygon Finlay, Richard (1994) Independent and Free: the origins of the Scottish National Party. Edinburgh: John Donald Fry, Michael (2009), Edinburgh: A History of the City, London: Macmillan. Gallagher, Tom (2009), The Illusion of Freedom: Scotland under Nationalism, London: Hurst & Co. Harvie, Christopher (1998) Scotland and Nationalism: Scottish Society and Politics 1707-Present, 3rd ed. London: Routledge Harvie, Christopher and Peter Jones (2000) Road to Home Rule: Images of Scotland’s Cause. Edinburgh: Polygon Harvie, Christopher (2002) Sotland: A Short History, Oxford: Oxford University Press. Harvie, Christopher (2004) Mending Scotland: essays in economic regionalism, Glendaruel: Argyll Press. Hassan, Gerry, ed. (2004)) The Scottish Labour Party: History, Institutions and Ideas Edinburgh University Press Hassan, Gerry and Peter Lynch (2001) The Almanac of Scottish Politics, London: Politico. Hassan, Gerry and Chris Warhurst, eds (1999) A Different Future: A Moderniser's Guide to Scotland, Edinburgh and Glasgow: Centre for Scottish Public Policy and The Big Issue. Hassan, Gerry and Chris Warhurst, eds (2002) Tomorrow's Scotland, London: Lawrence and Wishart. Hassan, Gerry and Chris Warhurst , eds (2002) Anatomy of the New Scotland: Power, Influence and Change, Edinburgh: Mainstream. Hazell, Robert, ed. (2000) The State and the Nations: The First Year of Devolution in the United Kingdom, London: Constitution Unit/Imprint. Hearn, Johnathan (2000) Claiming Scotland: national identity and liberal culture. Edinburgh: Polygon. Houston, Rab (2008), Scotland: A Very Short History, Oxford University Press. Hutchison, I G C (2001), Scottish Politics in the Twentieth Century, Basingstokes: Palgrave Ichijo, Atsuko (2004) Scottish Nationalism and the Idea of Europe, London: Routledge. Jamieson, Bill (ed.) (2006) Scotland’s Ten Tomorrows, London: Continuum. Kay, Billy (2006) The Scottish World: A Journey into the Scottish Diaspora, Edinburgh: Mainstream Keating, Michael, ed. (2007) Scottish Social Democracy: Progressive Ideas for Public Policy, Brussels: Peter Lang. Kellas, James (1989) The Scottish Political System. 4th ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Kelly, Stuart (2010), Scott-land: The Man Who invented a Nation, edinburh: Polygon. Kidd, Colin (2009), Union and Unionisms: Political thought in Scotland, 1500-2000, Cambridge University Press. Lynch, Michael (1992) Scotland: a new history. London: Pimlico Lynch, Michael ed. (2001) The Oxford Companion to Scottish History Oxford University Press. Lynch, Peter (2001, Scottish Government and Politics, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Macdonell, Hamish (2009), Uncharted Territory: The story of Scottish devolution, 1999- 2009, London: Politico’s. McCracken-Flesher, Caroline (2005) Possible Scotlands: Walter Scott and The Story of Tomorrow, Oxford: Oxford University Press. McCrone, David (2001) Understanding Scotland: the sociology of a nation (second 39

edition), London: Routledge McFadden, Jean and Mark Lazarowicz (2000) The Scottish Parliament: an introduction. Edinburgh: T & T Clark McLeish, Henry (2004) Scotland First: Truth and Consequences, Edinburgh: Mainstream. McLeish, Henry (2012), Scotland: The Growing Divide – Old Nation, New Ideas, Edinburgh: Luath. Marr, Andrew (1995) Ruling Britannia: the Failure and Future of British Democracy London: Michael Press. Marr, Andrew (2000) The Day Britain Died, London: Profile Menzies, Gordon ed. (2001) In Search of Scotland, Edinburgh: Polygon/BBC Scotland Mitchell, James (1996) Strategies for Self-Government: the campaigns for a Scottish Parliament. Edinburgh: Polygon Mitchell, James (2009), Devolution in the United Kingdom, Manchester University Press. Mitchell, James, Lynn Rennie and Rob Johns (2012), The Scottish National Party: Transition to Power, Oxford: Oxford University Press. Morton, Graeme (1999) Unionist Nationalism: governing urban Scotland 1830-1860. East Linton: Tuckwell Nairn, Tom (2000) After Britain: New Labour and the Return of Scotland. London: Granta. Paterson, Lindsay, Alice Brown, John Curtice, Kerstin Hinds, David McCrone, Alison Park, Kerry Sproston and Paula Surridge (2001) New Scotland, New Politics?, Edinburgh: Polygon. Pittock, Murray G H (2001) Scottish Nationality, Basingstoke: Palgrave Pittock, Murray G H (2003) A New History of Scotland, Stroud: Sutton. Purdie, Bob (2012), Hugh MacDiarmid: Blsack, Greem Red and Tartan, Cardiff: Welsh Academic Press. Reid, Harry (2009) Reformation: The Dangerous Birth of the Modern World, Edinburgh: St Andrew Press. Ritchie, Murray (2000) Scotland Reclaimed: the inside story of Scotland’s first Democratic parliamentary election. Edinburgh: Saltire Society. Robertson, J. (2002) A Scots Parliament, Kettlebrig: Itchy Coo. Rosie, George (2004) Curious Scotland: Tales from a Hidden History London: Granta Schlesinger, Philip, David Miller and William Dinan (2001) Open Scotland? Journalists, Spin Doctors and Lobbyists, Edinburgh: Polygon. Stewart, David (2009), The Path to Devolution and Change, London: Tauris. Taylor, Brian (2002) Scotland's Parliament: Triumph and Disaster. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Taylor, Brian (2002) The Road to the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Taylor, Bridget and Katarina Thomson, eds (1999) Scotland and Wales: Nations Again? Cardiff: University of Wales Press. Torrance, David (2009) ‘We in Scotland’: Thatcherism in a Cold Climate, Edinburgh: Birlinn. Torrance, David (2010), Salmond: Against the Odds, Edinburgh: Birlinn. Watson, Mike (2001) Year Zero: An Inside View of the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh: Polygon Whatley, Christopher (2000), Scottish Society, 1707-1830: Beyond Jacobitism, towards Industrialisation, Manchester: Manchester University Press. Wormald, Jenny, ed. (2005) Scotland: A History, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Referendum

The Scottish Government, Scotland’s Future: Your Guide to an independent Scotland, 2013. Andrew Marr, The Battle for Scotland, London: Penguin, (new ed.) 2013. Iain Macwhirter, Road to Referendum, Glasgow: Cargo, 2013. James Mitchell, The Scottish Question, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014. Eberhard Bort (ed.), View from Zollernblick: Regional Perspectives in Europe, Ochtertyre: Grace Notes Publications, 2013. Eberhard Bort, The Annals of the Holyrood Parish: A Decade of Devolution 2004-2014, Ochteryre: Grace Note Publications, 2014. Gordon Brown, My Scotland, Our Britain: A Future Worth Sharing, London: Simon and Schuster, 2014. David Torrance, The Battle for Britain: Scotland and the Independence Referendum, London: Biteback, 2013. David Torrance, Britain rebooted: Scotland in a Federal Union, Edinburgh: Luath, 2014. Gavin McCrone, Scottish Independence: Weighing Up the Economics, Edinburgh: Birlinn, 2013 Andrew Goudie (ed.), Scotland’s Future: The economics of constitutional change, Dundee: University of Dundee Press, 2013. Iain McLean, Guy Lodge and Jim Gallagher, Scotland’s Choices: the Referendum and What Happens Afterwards, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2013. Stephen Maxwell, Arguing for Independence: Evidence, Risk and the Wicked Issues, Edinburgh: Luath, 2012. Linda Colley, Acts of Union, Acts of Disunion, London: Profile, 2014. Lesley Riddoch, Blossom: What Scotland Needs to Flourish, Edinburgh: Luath, 2013. Electoral Reform Society Scotland, Democracy Max: An Inquiry into the Future of Scottish Democracy, Edinburgh, 2013. Gerry Hassan and James Mitchell, After Independence: The State of the Scottish Nation Debate, Edinburgh: Birlinn, 2013. Gerry Hassan, Caledonian Dreaming: The Quest for a Different Scotland, Edinburgh: Luath, 2014. Pauline Bryan and Tommy Kane (eds), Class, Nation and Socialism: The Red Paper on Scotland 2014, Glasgow: Caledonian University Archives, 2013. Robert Crawford, Bannockburns: Scottish Independence and the Literary Imagination, 1314-2014, Edinbburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2014. Paul H Scott, The New Scotland: A Creative Past, An Independent Future, Edinburgh: Luath, 2013. Paul H Scott, A Nation again: Why Independence will be good for Scotland (and England too), Edinburgh: Luath, 2012. Scott Hames (ed.), Unstated: Writers on Scottish Independence, Edinburgh: Word Power Books, 2012. Henry McLeish, Rethinking Our Politics: The political and constitutional future of Scotland and the UK, Edinburgh: Luath, 2014. W Elliot Bulmer, A Constitution for the Common Good, Edinburgh: Luath, 2014. Alex Bell, The People We Could Be, Edinburgh: Luath, 2014. Jamie Maxwell and Owen Dudley Edwards (eds), Scotland, Labour and Independence, Edinburgh: Luath, 2014. Jamie Maxwell and David Torrance, Scotland’s Referndum: A Guide for Voters, Edinburgh: Luath, 2014. Alasdair Gray, Independence: An Argument for Home Rule, Edinburgh: Luath, 2014. Angus Reid and Mary Davis, A Modest Proposal for he agreement of the people, Edinburgh: Luath, 2014. John H McKendrick, Gerry Mooney, John Dickie, Gill Scott and Peter Kelly (eds), 41

Poverty in Scotland: The independenc referendum and beyond, London: Child Poverty Action Group, 2014. George Kerevan and Alan Cochrane, Scottish Independence: Yes/No, London: The History Press, 2014. Jim Sillars, In Place of Fear II: A Socialist Programme, Glasgow: Vagabond Voices, 2014. James Foley and Peter Ramand, Yes: The Radical Case for Scottish Independence, London: Pluto Press, 2014. Robert Crawford, Bannockburns: Scottish Independence and Literary Imagination, 1314- 2014, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2014. Alexander Moffat and Alan Riach, Arts of Independence for an Independent Scotland: The cultural argument and why it matters most, Edinburgh: Luath, 2014.

Activities Programme

Internship tutor: Deborah Menezes E-mail: [email protected]

Your activities tutor is Edinburgh University postgrad Deborah Menezes.

Most of the activities take place in the afternoon and following activities have been scheduled:

• Introduction to the University Library • Tour of the National Library of Scotland • Visit to the Scottish Parliament (Plenary Session) • Attending a Parliamentary Committee Meeting • Visit to Edinburgh City Chambers and meeting with Parliamentary Liaison Officer Councillor Kate Moulin • Meeting with a Scottish journalist • Meeting with the Head of the European Parliament Office in Scotland • Meeting with the Media Relations Officer of the Scottish Parliament • Meeting with a Scottish MP

Deborah will distribute the full activities programme (including time and places to meet) at our first meeting in January. Attendance is compulsory and forms an integral part of the internship programme.

WEEKLY MEDIA REVIEW

You are required to undertake a weekly media review, and submit a one-page summary each Monday afternoon (Weeks Two to Six) during the 5 week teaching course. This review will complement the lectures, and is intended to provide you with an insight into the role of the media in channelling news events and shaping public opinion in Scotland.

Each week, you should choose a single politically relevant topic in the news that week, and compare and contrast the reporting of this topic in two newspapers. In conducting the review, the primary focus should be on the manner in which the issue is reported (i.e. not so much on the details of the issue itself). You should seek to identify the editorial bias, the style adopted (e.g. sensationalist, serious, etc.), the prominence given to the topic, the intended audience, the sources of information, etc.

You should choose a different topic each week. In addition, you should also choose a different combination of newspapers each week in order to develop your understanding of the media in Scotland.

These assignments are compulsory. They also account for 10% of the assessment in Scottish Society and Culture.

NB! Weekly media reviews are due in the interns’ post box in Chisholm House by Monday afternoon!

Alternatively, you can email them (preferably copied into the email itself and not as an attachment) to Deborah (email as above)

Resources

Libraries University of Edinburgh Main Library, George Sq Europa Library, Old College, South Bridge National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge Edinburgh City (Central) Library, George IV Bridge

Web Links Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party – www.scottish.tory.org.uk Scottish Labour Party – www.scottish.labour.co.uk Scottish Liberal Democrats – www.scotlibdems.org.uk Scottish National Party – www.snp.org.uk Scottish Green Party – www.scottishgreens.org.uk Scottish Socialist Party – www.scottishsocialistparty.org Scottish Parliament – www.scottish.parliament.uk Scottish Executive – www.scotland.gov.uk

Westminster – www.parliament.uk Welsh Assembly – www.wales.gov.uk/index.html Northern Ireland Assembly – www.ni-assembly.gov.uk European Union – www.europa.eu.int

Centre for Research into Electoral and Social Trends (CREST) www.strath.ac.uk/other/CREST

Scotland Europa – www.scotlandeuropa.com/private

Commission on Local Government and the Scottish Parliament www.lg-scot-commission.gov.uk Scottish Affairs – www.scottishaffairs.org

Parliamentary elections since 1983 – www.qmw.ac.uk/~laws/election/home.html BBC Scotland – www.bbc.co.uk/scotland Scottish Politics Links – www.netmedia.co.uk/links/default.html Scottish Media – http://www.pr-scotland.com/national.html

Think Tanks

Centre for Scottish Public Policy The Policy Institute www.cspp.org.uk/ 65 Queen Street Edinburgh EH2 4NA Scotland’s Futures Forum www.scotlandfutureforum.org/

Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations ThinkScotland www.scvo.org.uk/ www.thinkscotland.org/

ReformScotland The Jimmy Reid Foundation www.reformscotland.com/ www.reidfoundation.org 44

Newspapers

Most newspapers are published six times per week. Separate Sunday papers are published by the same organisations but retain different editorial staff and journalists. Past issues of the following newspapers, and major English and international papers, may be found in the University Main Library in George Square.

The Scotsman (Edinburgh) – www.scotsman.com Scotland on Sunday The Herald (Glasgow) – www.theherald.com Sunday Herald Press and Journal (Aberdeen) – www.pressandjournal.co.uk Daily Record (Glasgow) – www.record-mail.co Sunday Mail

Other Primary Resources In addition, students may wish to consult the following sources. Address and phone numbers are located in the phone book or at the web site:

Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) – www.cosla.gov.uk Church of Scotland – www.cofs.org.uk Scottish Trade Union Council (STUC) – www.stuc.demon.com

University Resources

Edinburgh University Students’ Association (EUSA) – Bristo Square • For clubs, associations, student government, student services Accommodation Service – Pollock Halls • Manages student housing International Students’ Centre – Buccleuch Place • Runs day trips, coffee groups for international students International Office – George Square • University administration of international students

University operator – 650 1000

Conferences/Seminars

Politics and Sociology at Edinburgh University are running a series of public seminars during term-time; please get in touch with the departmental secretaries.

Other Events

Edinburgh Life For non-academic events students may wish to consult The List, a fortnightly publication which contains information on clubs, movies, theatre, music events, book signings and all other social events occurring in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Central Cinemas: Cameo, 38 Home Street. 258-4141 Filmhouse. 88 Lothian Road, 228-2688 UCI, Kinnaird Park, 669-0777

Museums and Galleries: City Art Gallery, Market Street Dean Gallery, Belford Road Fruitmarket Gallery, Market Street Modern Art Gallery, Belford Road National Art Gallery, The Mound Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street Royal Museum, Chambers Street National Portrait Gallery, Queen Street Stills, Cockburn Street Talbot Rice Gallery, Old College, University of Edinburgh

Theatres and Concert Venues: Edinburgh Playhouse, Greenside Place Festival Theatre, Nicolson Street King’s Theatre, Leven Street The Pleasance Cabaret Bar, 60 The Pleasance Queen’s Hall, South Clerk Street Royal Lyceum, Grindlay Street Traverse Theatre, Lothian Road Usher Hall, Lothian Road The Hub, Castle Hill

Edinburgh Folk Club The Pleasance Theatre/Cabaret Bar, 60 The Pleasance Every Wednesday, 8pm Tickets £10 (students £9) www.edinburghfolkclub.org.uk

The Wee Folk Club: The Royal Oak, 1 Infirmary Street, ph 557 2976 Every Sunday, 8.30pm - Tickets £5 www.royal-oak-folk.com

Scotland at a Glance

Parliamentary Seats (Elections 1999-2003-2007)

Constituency / Regional List / Seats % %

1999 2003 2007 2011

Labour 38.8 / 33.6 / 56 34.6 / 29.3 / 50 32.1 / 29.2 / 46 31,7 / 26,3 / 37 SNP 28.7 / 27.3 / 35 23.8 / 20.9 / 27 32.9 / 31.0 / 47 45,4 / 44,0 / 69 Lib Dem 14.2 / 12.4 / 17 15.4 / 11.4 / 17 16.2 / 11.3 / 16 7,9 / 5,2 / 5 Con 15.6 / 15.4 / 18 16.6 / 15.5 / 18 16.6 / 13.9 / 17 13,9 / 12,4 / 15 Green ----- / 3.6 / 1 ----- / 6.9 / 7 0.1 / 4.0 / 2 ---- / 4,4 / 2 Others 2.7 / 7.7 / 2 9.6 / 15.6 / 10 2.1 / 10.6 / 1 1,1 / 6,8 / 1

Basic Statistics

Population (2001) 5 064 200 (UK 58 836 700) [8,6%*] Size 78 133 km2 (32 %) Density 64.8 people/km2 Time Zones 1 Unemployment (August '03) 5.7% Average income per week 1998-2001 £419 (UK £480) [87.3%) Ethnic minority population 2 % (1991: 1,3%) Religion Church of Scotland, established Church, Presbyterian 42% Catholic 15.9%

Language use English 93%, Gaelic 1%

Official Language English Share of seats in House of 59 of 646 Commons Distribution of Westminster seats Lab 41, SNP 6, LD 11, Con 1 (election result May 2010 – next election in May 2015) Share of seats in Upper House information not collected by House of Lords Distribution of Seats Sub-state Legislature Scottish Parliament (129) SNP 69, Lab 37, Con 15, LD 5 Green 2, Ind 1 (May 2011) Electoral system Additional Member System (73 FPTP + 56 list) Date of last election 5 May 2011 Date of next election May 2016

* ) refers to percentage of total in UK 48 Scotland in numbers

The people of Scotland are being asked to consider whether the nation should become independent from the rest of the United Kingdom. But how much do you know about the country? Here we break down some of the key figures.

Scotland is the second largest country in the United Kingdom. Smaller than England but larger in terms of area and population than Wales and Northern Ireland combined. Scotland accounted for 8.3% of the UK population (5.3 million) in 2012. And they are not all mainlanders - around 2% of Scotland's population live on one of 93 inhabited islands.

National accounts

If oil revenues are included in GDP figures, Scotland is shown to generate more per head of population than the UK as a whole. For Scotland, it is £26,424 per head compared with £22,336 per head for the UK, according to Scottish government estimates.

If you do not include oil and gas revenues then there is little difference in the figures - GDP per head in Scotland was £20,571 in 2011 and for the UK it was £20,873. 49

Public expenditure per person

Looking at the headline figures, public expenditure per capita in Scotland is higher than the UK average. In 2011, Scotland's public spending per head was £12,100 and for the UK it was £10,900.

Oil revenues

There are wide-ranging figures on the North Sea gas and oil industry. UK oil revenue has ranged from £1.5bn in 1991-92 to £27bn in 2011- 12. It is estimated that 10/20% of Scotland's tax revenue would be based on oil, whereas that figure is 1.5% in the UK. 50

Predictions of untapped oil reserves vary greatly, with the Office for National Statistics suggesting that £120bn worth of oil is still to be tapped, and other figures going well above that.

The Scottish government's oil and gas analytical bulletin of March 2013 estimated that there was £1.5 trillion in wholesale value left in North Sea oil and gas.

Taxes

As a percentage of the UK, Scotland contributes 8.2% in taxes, which reflects the fact the country accounts for 8.3% of the population. The Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland (GERS) report shows a breakdown of the percentage contribution Scots make to the UK tax receipts.

Debt estimates

It is very difficult to say what Scotland's debt would be. However, GERS has estimated, with a population share, Scotland's share of debt would be £92 billion which is 62% of estimated GDP, but using an estimated fiscal balance, the debt would be £56 billion, which is 38% of Scotland's GDP. Many different totals can be calculated using different assumptions

Unemployment

As a percentage of the economically active population, Scotland has 7.5% unemployed; the UK figure is 7.8%.

Weekly pay

A typical weekly (gross) pay packet in Scotland is £498 - less than England but more than in Wales and Northern Ireland.

Household expenditure

The Living Costs and Food Survey shows that, on average, Scots spend less on food than the rest of the UK, but more on alcohol and tobacco.

Health

The latest life expectancy figures suggest that men born in 2010 will live 76 years on average in Scotland, about 60 in a healthy state. Women born in 2010 would expect to live 80 years on average in Scotland, and 64 years being healthy. The life expectancy estimates are lower than for the UK as a whole. Scotland has among the shortest life expectancies in Western Europe.

Source: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-24866266

Scottish History – A Brief Sketch

Paddy Bort

Picts, Gaels, Angles & Vikings

The novelist William McIlvanney (Laidlaw) has called Scotland “the mongrel nation”, reflecting on the coming and going of tribes and peoples. The enigmatic Picts in the North, the Gaels who formed Dalriada, the Kingdom of the Isles, encompassing most of West Scotland and North-Eastern Ireland, the Angles who pushed up from Northern England, and the Vikings who came, initially, to raid, but who soon settled, founded towns and added to the mongrel blend.

Only towards the end of the first millennium can we speak of a country called Scotland, or Alba, or Caledonia – when, in the 9th century, Kenneth MacAlpin united Gaels and Picts under his rule.

Braveheart & Co

The 1995 Holywood blockbuster Braveheart, starring Mel Gibson as the Scottish 'freedom fighter' William Wallace, put the focus on the Scottish War of Independence at the turn of the 14th century, when Wallace and Robert the Bruce defended Scotland's independence against the English forces of Edwards I and II, culminating in the battle of Bannockburn in 1314 and producing the Declaration of Arbroath (1320), arguably the first document enshrining the doctrine of popular sovereignty. This period also saw the beginning of the ‘Auld Alliance’ between Scotland and France.

John Knox and the Scottish Reformation

The 16th century saw the Reformation taking root in Scotland, not as a superficial state-led exercise as in Henry VIII's England, but as a Calvinist upheaval, led by the fiery preacher John Knox (c.1514-72), and the rivalry between Queen Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots (still the stuff of drama and romance). The year 2010 marked the 450th anniversary of the Scottish Reformation, 2011 the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible.

Union of Crowns

After the death of Elizabeth I, the English crown fell to James VI of Scotland who, in 1603, became James I of the newly united Kingdom. Repeated attempts to forge a union of parliaments failed in the 17th century. 56

Darien and the Acts of Union

Several factors contributed to the eventual Act of Union, signed by the English and Scottish Parliaments in 1707, not least the disastrous Scottish attempt at establishing a trading post at Darien (Panama) which ended in a total fiasco, having wasted a huge proportion of Scotiland’s revenue. Those debts were to be written off should the Scottish Parliament sign up to the Union, which it did, thus abolishing itself. The Union was very unpopular, and it took half a century, till well after the Battle of Culloden (1746) where the Jacobites (fighting for the Stuart line in the succession to the British throne) were finally beaten, before the benefits of the Union became manifest – as best seen in the project of Edinburgh's New Town – a celebration in stone of the Union and the rising British Empire.

A Cradle of Genius

Did the demise of the Scottish Parliament contribute to the flourishing of the Scottish enlightenment? Was it the vacuum left by the political elite's move to London, which left the intelligentsia, and the well-educated Scots, to devote their energies to philosophy and the sciences? Anyway, from the mid-18th century to the early 19th century Scotland – not just Edinburgh, but also Glasgow and Aberdeen – became a leading centre of the Enlightenment in Europe, with Adam Smith, David Hume and Robert Fergusson among a whole host of highly influential thinkers and founders of academic disciplines.

Burns, Scott & Stevenson

At the same time, two of the greatest writers Scotland ever produced, lived and wrote in Edinburgh: the poet Robert Burns (1759-96) and the novelist Walter Scott (1771-1832). While the Enlightenment was primarily a rational, empirical exercise of the mind, aiming at improvement of society and governance, Burns and Scott highlighted the Scottish past, the Scots language, and celebrated the Highlands (now that they were no longer to be feared as 'barbarian' and wild' – but rather enjoyed as 'wild-romantic'. Scott was in charge of the celebrated visit of George IV to Edinburgh in 1822 – when the whole place was bathed in tartan. Not long after, Queen Victoria discovered her love for Scotland, and led the first wave of Scottish tourism (made so much easier by the invention of rail travel). Towards the end of the century, Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) became the third Scottish writer of world renown.

The Industrial Nation

The Enlightenment and Scottish education had been practical-minded. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Scotland became famous for its engineers and inventors who contributed to the success of the Industrial Revolution in Scotland. Trade flourished, Glasgow became the second city of the Empire, and the Clyde one of the world- 57 centres of ship-building. Hundreds of coal mines provided the basis for the Scottish steel industry.

Being part of the Union opened possibilities for Scottish 'Lads o' Pairts' to make a career out of the empire – the Scots were at the frontier, not only in military terms (the Highland regiments became known as 'the thin red line' of the Empire) but also as engineers and educators, to the very degree that prompted Michael Fry to call his British imperial history, with only a touch of tongue-in-cheek, 'The Scottish Empire'.

Red Clydeside

Industrial Scotland, the clearance of the Highlands (and Lowlands) at the turn of the 19th century and a shift towards the most rapid urbanisation in the whole of Europe during the nineteenth century, produced an organised working class.

It led to the formation of the Labour Party. The labour movement’s greatest moment came in the anti-war demonstrations and rent strikes during the First World War in Glasgow, led by the Glasgow schoolteacher and Marxist John Maclean, and the return to Westminster of prominent 'Red Clydesiders' in 1918.

The Caledonian Antisyzygy: MacDiarmid & the Scottish Renaissance

Out of the industrial depression after the First World War, and against a provincialism in the arts, and particularly in literature (termed 'Kailyard'), Scottish intellectuals and writers like Hugh MacDiarmid (Christopher Murray Grieve, 1892-1978) rallied and created, in the 1920s and '30s, the modern Scottish Renaissance. One of the central debates concerned the identity of Scotland, the coexistence of conflicting, oppositional forces, the fragmentation of Highlands and Lowlands, urban and rural, the three languages, Jekyll and Hyde – given the label 'Caledonian Antisyzygy' by the literary critic Gregory Smith in 1919. To make Scotland 'whole', to give it a voice and to connect it with the art avantgarde in Europe and beyond – those were concerns on the agenda of the Scottish Renaissance, with writers like Edwin Muir, Eric Linklater, Naomi Mitchison, Neil Gunn, William Soutar and Lewis Grassic Gibbon.

'It's Scotland's Oil': Home Rule & The Roots of Scottish Nationalism

Some of these concerns overlapped with the birth of Scottish Nationalism as a political movement after the First World War, which led to the foundation of the Scottish National Party (SNP) in 1934, as an amalgam of different parties and movements.

In 1950, a petition for Scottish Home Rule garnered over a million signatures. But Scottish Nationalists only played a marginal role until the 1960s, when Scotland and England seemed to drift further apart in prosperity (all the classic Scottish industries – textiles, coal and steel, ship-building – were in steep decline) and electoral behaviour. A decisive boost for the SNP came with the discovery of oil in the North Sea in the late 1960s. “It's Scotland's Oil” was the SNP slogan – now Scotland would have the resources to sustain a small, independent country. In the two general elections of 1974 the SNP gained nearly a third of the vote, and returned 11 MPs (out of the Scottish 72) to Westminster.

The Labour Party – by then the dominant political force in Scotland – felt the threat. And rediscovered 'devolution'. But a referendum in 1979, despite resulting in a majority voting in favour of an Assembly in Edinburgh, 'failed' on the technicality of missing the threshold imposed by Westminster (40% of the whole electorate would have had to vote in favour, which was not the case).

The Road to the Scottish Parliament

This already explains that devolution was not an event in 1997 or 1999. It has been a process with a long pedigree, reaching back to the 19th century, when Ireland campaigned for Home Rule. Support for devolution and nationalism is often related to Scottish civil society, particularly in the immediate pre-history of Scottish home rule: the 'failed' referendum of 1979, the Campaign for a Scottish Assembly, the Scottish Constitutional Convention (1989-95), and the successful second referendum in September 1997.

The Constitutional Convention reported in 1995, ‘Scotland’s Parliament, Scotland’s Right’ – which was, after the Labour victory in the UK of 1997, to become the ‘blueprint’ for the Scottish Parliament. Labour produced a White Paper on Devolution in July 1997, and the Referendum in September of that year overwhelmingly endorsed a Scottish Parliament with tax-varying powers.

The Consultative Steering Group (CSG) based the Scottish Parliament on founding principles of openness, accessibility, accountability and power-sharing even before it was elected in 1999. With its new – proportional – electoral system, the first elections in May 1999 produced a coalition government between the Labour party and the Liberal Democrats und First Minister Donald Dewar. Tragically, Donald Dewar died in October 2000. He was replaced by Henry MacLeish who in turn fell over undeclared sub-lettings of his Westminster-MP offices. In 2001, Jack McConnell became the third First Minister.

In May 2003, the second Parliament elections produced a very 'colourful' result, with six parties and four independents making up the 129-strong chamber. Features of the 59 new Parliament are its new electoral system and its resulting partnership government (Labour and Liberal Democrats, under First Minister Jack McConnell) and its achievements in gender balance (1999: 37%, 2003: 39.5% , 2007:33.3% , 2011: 34,9% female MSPs). The Parliament is supposed to share its power with the people of Scotland.

By March 2007, the Parliament had passed well over a hundred pieces of legislation – among them ‘landmark’ legislation like Land Reform, free personal care for the elderly, abolition of up-front university tuition fees, the smoking ban, and proportional representation for local government elections. On 3 May 2007, coinciding with the tercentenary of the Union of Parliaments, the third elections for the Scottish Parliament were being held.

For the fist time in nearly fifty years, the Labour Party came only second in Scotland. The SNP won by one seat and, as no other party wanted to enter negotiations about a coalition with them, they formed a minority government with Alex Salmond as First Minister, occasionally supported by the two Green MSPs and, crucially, by the Tories when the budget needs to be passed in Parliament.

Scotland and the Future of Europe

As a country dependent on tourism, the 9/11 aftermath and the Iraq war, as well as domestic crises like BSE and foot & mouth disease, left a considerable dent in this important part of the Scottish economy. But there is also EU enlargement which has added ten countries to the Union, all with lower wage levels than Scotland. In the aftermath of 2004, perhaps up to 100 000 Poles came to work in Scotland. This trend may have reversed in the current recession, which brings its own problems for the Scottish economy.

Scottish politics is framed by the UK's peculiar unwritten constitution and the ambiguous nature of the historical union between Scotland and England. But just how distinctive is Scottish politics? How does Scotland's position within an emergent pattern of territorial politics in the UK (including devolved institutions in Wales, Northern Ireland and London) compare with that of other sub-state nations? Spain and Canada provide comparative leverage here. How does Scotland relate to the enlarging and reforming European Union and to the world at large? In recent years, the Scottish Executive signed partnership agreements with Catalonia, Tuscany, North-Rhine Westphalia and Bavaria. It is also actively involved, as one of the legislative regions of Europe, in campaigning for access to the decision-making processes in the European Union. Might the question whether being an autonomous part of a strong EU member state with direct input to European policy making outweighs being a small, 'independent' member state of the EU eventually tip the scales – either in favour of the 'evolution of devolution' or 'independence in Europe'?

2007 – Year of Change

2007 was a year of massive change, perhaps a historical watershed. A new Reform Treaty for the EU (in force since 1 December 2009), change in the UK – the long good- bye of Tony Blair and, at long last, the hand-over to Gordon Brown, his subsequent summer honeymoon, then the autumn election that never was, signalling the plunge of Brown’s government in the polls and the end of the line for Lib Dem leader Menzies Campbell. In Wales, a totally unexpected coalition between Labour’s Rhodri Morgan and Ieuan Wyn Jones of Plaid Cymru; in Northern Ireland, the astonishing spectacle of Gerry Adams and Ian Paisley sharing a press conference, followed by the astoundingly good-natured partnership in government of the erstwhile ‘Dr No’ of Northern Irish politics with ex-IRA commander and Sinn Féin negotiator Martin McGuinness – soon referred to as the “Chuckle Brothers”. (Although there seems to be less bonhomie between Paisley’s successor Peter Robinson and McGuinness).

For Scotland, in the year marking both the tercentenary of the Anglo-Scottish Union and the tenth anniversary of the successful Devolution Referendum, the May 2007 elections turned out a momentous event, breaking almost five decades of hegemony of Scottish Labour at the national and, even more emphatically, at the local government level and ushering in an SNP minority government at Holyrood. Was this the death knell for devolution? Proof that devolution did not, as George Robertson had claimed, ‘kill Nationalism stone dead’, but was rather a stepping stone, or a ‘staging post’ en route to independence? In other words, does 2007 underline that devolution, pace Ron Davies, is a process rather than an event, part of what Henry McLeish calls the ‘evolution of devolution’? Or does it mark a decisive step towards regaining Scottish independence as a sovereign nation-state, as the SNP would have it?

After 300 years, the Union seems to have “moved from a constitutional fixture to a constitutional option,” (Allan Macinnes) but has it reached its sell-by date, as Tom Nairn, Chris Harvie et al. have been arguing, or can it be renewed, as Gordon Brown, Henry McLeish and David Steel would maintain? A decade into Devolution, the question whether the present constitutional arrangement is the “settled will of the Scottish people” or an unsustainable and therefore transitory ‘half-way house’ has to be reshaped. With not one, but two rival constitutional discourses on the go (the ‘National Conversation’ of the SNP government, and the ‘Constitutional (Calman) Commission’ of the Parliament), the status quo (Devolution ’99) was being consigned to history. But whether ‘Devolution plus’ (aka ‘Devolution Max’ or ‘Devolution Mark II’ or ‘Devolution Plus’) or Independence will be the outcome of the process is a question still in the balance.

Minority Government

The SNP minority government under First Minister Alex Salmond had an extended honeymoon lasting way into 2008. It benefited also from disarray in the main opposition party – Labour’s new leader Wendy Alexander never got to grips with the job of opposition leader and was replaced by Iain Gray in September 2008. The Liberal Democrats and the Greens also changed their leaders, from Nicol Stephen to Tavish Scott and from Robin Harper to Patrick Harvie, respectively.

The culminating triumph of the SNP’s honeymoon was the stunning Westminster by- election victory in Glasgow East in July 2008. It looked as if Gordon Brown was a spent force, and Labour at Holyrood incapable of mounting a credible challenge to Alex Salmond. But then the banking crisis started, marking out an autumn where the banks were falling faster than the leaves. The UK and Scotland plunged into recession. Not only did that seem to give Brown a second wind, Labour at Holyrood under Iain Gray also seemed on the verge of consolidating and making a fresh start. Everybody had expected the Glenrothes by-election in November 2008 to be another prize in the all-conquering campaign of the SNP, but Labour held on to the Westminster seat with a reduced, but comfortable majority.

After a period of consensual give-aways (tuition fees, bridge tolls, prescription charges), the nitty-gritty of minority government seemed to catch up with the SNP – with problems in replacing the unpopular council tax through a form of local income tax, and in establishing the Scottish Futures Trust as a new method of financing public infrastructure and building projects.

Spring 2009 saw the triple anniversaries of 10 years of the first elections to the new Scottish Parliament, 20 years of the first meeting of the Scottish Constitutional Convention, and 30 years since the failed referendum of 1979 which heralded in the Thatcher years. Both the SNP Government’s National Conversation and the Parliiament’s Calman Commission published their findings in 2009. The Calman Commission did so in June – with proposals including extended taxation powers for the Scottish Parliament. The SNP government issued a White Paper on St Andrew’s Day and announced a Referendum Bill for January 2010 (with a view of holding that referendum on Scotland’s independence in the autumn of 2010). But then it failed to introduce the bill in Parliament.

2009 marked the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns' birth – the inspiration behind the year of Homecoming, with a string of events from Burns’s birthday in January to St Andrew’s Day in November (www.homecomingscotland2009.com). The events were mainly geared towards generating tourism and making money. It was hailed a success in attracting visitors, but also criticised as “kitsch Saltire-wagging” (Joyce McMillan). Who would have predicted that the picture of the convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdelbasset Ali Mohamed al-Megrahi’s triumphant ‘homecoming’ to Tripoli – after his controversial release from a Scottish prison on compassionate grounds – would become one of the dominant images of the ‘Year of Homecoming 2009’? 62

By autumn 2009, the Honeymoon for the SNP was clearly over, as their dismal performance at the Glasgow North East by-election in November 2009 showed. Their poll ratings fell, and the opposition parties’ relentless exposure of the SNP’s ‘broken manifesto promises’ were making life tougher for the minority government. The replacement of the Council Tax was unceremoniously shelved in February 2009, and there was no Referendum Bill. Would that harm the SNP’s chances for the coming elections? Alex Salmond had repeatedly claimed that the SNP’s target was 20 seats in the 2010 Westminster election. In fact, they fell far short of that ambitious goal – not a good platform for 2011, or was it?

The 2010 UK Elections

In May 2010, the UK general election produced a ‘hung parliament’ – no party managed to get an overall majority. And, surprisingly, the Conservatives under David Cameron and the Liberal democrats under Nick Clegg struck a coalition deal and formed a government. They have since embarked on severe austerity measures – cuts, cuts, cuts. But they have also committed to the implementation of the Calman proposals. And they decided to hold a referendum on voting reform for the UK to coincide with the UK local and the Scottish Parliament elections in 2011. (It failed – so the Westminster Parliament continues to be elected on the first-past-the-post electoral system) In September 2010, Gordon Brown stepped down and the Labour Party elected Ed Miliband as their new party (and opposition) leader.

In Scotland, the 2010 result was nearly exactly like the one in 2005 – Labour actually gained in Scotland. And they retook the two seats lost in by-elections to the Lib Dems and the SNP, respectively.

This seemed to boost Labour’s chances for the 2011 Holyrood elections. In fact, they pulled ahead in the opinion polls. From the summer of 2010 until March 2011, they led the SNP by around 10%, sometimes they were even 16% ahead of them. But then the campaign turned everything around. Labour tried, with a ‘Westminster campaign’, anti-Con-Lib-Coalition, to establish themselves as the stout defenders of Scottish interests against the cuts from London. But so did the SNP. Where Labour was ominously lacking were policies for the Scottish Parliament, and in the direct leadership qualities – in the popularity stakes Alex Salmond was miles ahead of Iain Gray.

May 2011: SNP triumphant

And yet, nobody predicted the sensational outcome of the elections of 5 May 2011. The SNP managed to defy what the architects of the Scottish electoral system thought was nigh impossible – they won a massive absolute majority. They gained 22 seats, Labour lost nine. The gap, just one MSP in 2007, has become a grand canyon of 32 MSPs. The SNP’s positive campaign, their solidity, and the opposition’s wrong- 63 footed campaign, have lead to one-party majority government for the first time since devolution. It was also aided by the collapse of the Liberal Democrat vote – an emphatic Scottish response to their role in the London coalition.

The Lib Dems’ leader Tavish Scott resigned, and was replaced by Willie Rennie MSP; in the autumn of 2011, Ruth Davidson became the new leader of the Scottish Conservatives; and Johann Lamont replaced Iain Gray as the leader of the Scottish Labour Party.

May 2012: SNP Juggernaut stutters

Expectations were high – would the SNP carry the momentum of the 2011 election victory into the local elections of May 2012? Would the party take Glasgow and thus set a signal that it can win in the heartland of Labour? Would the new leaders of Labour, the Lib Dems and the Tories get something positive out of the elections?

Summary of the 3 May 2012 local council election results First- Net Parties Preference Votes +/- Councill Gain/Lo Votes % ors ss 32.32 +4.46 SNP 502,201 % % 424 +61 Labour 487,884 31.39 +3.24 394 +46 % % - Conservative 206,856 13.31 2.26 115 -28 % % 64

- Liberal Democrats 102,399 6.59% 6.10 71 -95 % +0.16 Scottish Green 34,252 2.20% % 14 +6 11.86 +0.98 Independent 184,329 % % 194 +2 +0.9 Other 36,055 2.32% % 11 +1 Total 1,223

The turnout on 3 May was very low – at just under 40%. And, after the votes had been counted, there were two winners and one clear loser. Labour, despite internal strife, managed to hold (or regain) Glasgow, and three more of the 32 local authorities (two more than in 2007); but the SNP became the strongest party with most votes and most councillors across Scotland. Both claimed victory.

The SNP – clearly disappointed that they could not achieve the highs of 2011 – gained, compared with 2007, but they lost nearly 15%, compared with May 2011. Labour (who had feared the worst) was jubilant. The SNP juggernaut seemed to have stalled. And some claw-back for Labour gave the new leadership hope that the darkest days of the party were over.

The Tories lost a few councillors, but remained more or less static – which is not good news if you are starting from a very weak position. For the Lib Dems, the election result was the expected disaster. The party is clearly paying a high price for its involvement in the coalition with the Tories at UK level.

The Edinburgh Agreement

In January 2012, Prime Minister David Cameron had offered the Scottish Government the necessary temporary transfer of powers that would allow a legally proper referendum to be held by the Scottish Parliament. The terms – date, franchise, question(s) – were still highly controversial.

While the coalition government in London passed the Scotland Bill 2012 at Westminster which will bring greater taxation powers to the Scottish Parliament, debates about the referendum, and increasingly about the terms of independence, have dominated the political discourse in Scotland. Would an independent Scotland automatically remain in the European Union? The SNP said yes, the opposition parties doubted it. EU Commission President Barroso intervened, stating that an independent Scotland, like any ‘new state’, would have to apply for and negotiate the terms of membership.

The SNP insists that an independent Scotland would remain in a currency union with the rest of the UK – i.e. it would keep the pound. In a trenchant debate at its autumn Party Conference, the SNP delegates followed their leadership into a U-turn concerning NATO membership – i.e. an independent Scotland would now remain in NATO, but only under the condition that the nuclear deterrent be removed from Scotland’s territory.

After intensive talks between London and Edinburgh, a deal was struck about the process for holding the referendum. On 15 October, David Cameron and Alex Salmond signed the ‘Edinburgh Agreement’ – “a watershed moment in Scotland’s Home Rule journey,” according to Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

While the campaigns for and against independence kicked off in May and June 2012 – YesScotland campaigning for a Yes Vote to the question ‘Should Scotland become an independent country?’, and Better Together campaigning for Scotland to remain within the United Kingdom – eventually, in March 2013, the date for the Scottish Referendum on Independence was, eventually, announced by Alex Salmond to be 18 September 2014.

White Paper

On 24 November 2013, the Scottish Government published its White Paper on the independence Referendum: Scotland’s Future – Your Guide to an independent Scotland. It lays out the SNP government’s vision of an independent Scotland on nearly 670 pages. While the SNP called it the ‘most comprehensive guide’ to an independent state ever, providing ‘detailed answers’ on what an independent Scotland would look like, it was criticised by opponents for its ‘glib assertions’. They argued it ‘highlights how much is not known about independence and a whole series of black holes in the arguments of the nationalists.’

The campaigns for and against independence have been with us since the summer of 2012 – but the polls have hardly changed. If you discard the undecided, the poll of polls 2012 was 62 to 38 in favour of remaining in the union, the poll of polls 2013 came out at 61 to 39.

In the first four months of 2014, the gap between No and yes narrowed – a poll published at Easter had it down to 4 per cent (52 to 48). Overall, the gap has narrowed, but, less than a month before the referendum, the No side is still in the lead by about 14 per cent.

But one thin is clear. Whichever way the vote goes on 18 September, the campaign has already changed Scotland. It has not only ked to dozens of books and reports and papers being published on the future of Scotland and the UK, it has, more importantly, invigorated grassroots democracy – and all these activists, mainly on the Yes side, will not go away, even if there were No vote. 66

Both sides feel that, in the last few weeks of the campaign, there is still everything to fight for. We could be in for a nail-biting finale.

In Favour of independence – Polling over time

Ipsos Mori Scottish Public Opinion Monitor December 2013 - Voting over time (Ipsos Mori/STV)

Contemporary Scotland

Against the backdrop of the London government’s austerity programme, the political debate, when not preoccupied with the constitutional issue, has primarily been concerned with public services – the crisis in the health service, improvements in education, combating crime – and the 'sluggish' performance of the Scottish economy. The manufacturing sector has drastically declined over the past three decades, and is now totally outpaced by the service industry – Edinburgh is only second to London as a location for financial services – and therefore hit particularly hard by the nigh-collapse of the banking sector in the rcecent crisis.

These debates are, of course, also linked to the constitutional options. Does Scotland need fiscal autonomy to improve its economic performance? Or will, as the SNP argues, only independence 'release the full potential' of Scotland? Is it the 'brain drain' to south of the border that leaves Scotland with a lack of entrepreneurial risk- takers?

But there are other issues, as well. Has Scotland become a pagan country? What is the role of the Church, of religion, in Scotland in the 21st century? Church attendance, especially for the established Church, has drastically fallen. Yet, sectarianism is still an issue, particularly in the context of football. But is there still discrimination against Catholics in Scotland? Has the influx of Polish immigrants (most of them Catholic) changed religious attitudes?

Is Scotland, as the journalist and novelist Andrew O'Hagan has claimed, a 'barren place' for artists and writers? Or is Scottish culture in 'rude health', as other commentators contend? Despite the fact that a whole generation of writers bowed out in the 1990s – Norman MacCaig, George Mackay Brown, Ian Chrichton Smith, Sorley MacLean, there is a wave of very successful contemporary Scottish writing, from Irvine Welsh to James Kelman and Alasdair Gray, Janice Galloway, A L Kennedy and Ali Smith – not to speak of J K Rowling and Alexander McCall Smith, together with Ian Rankin the best-selling authors of Scotland.

Crime writing in Edinburgh (Ian Rankin, Frederic Lindsay, Quintin Jardine, Alanna Knight, Paul Johnson, Allan Guthrie), Aberdeen (Stuart MacBride) and Glasgow (William McIlvanney, Manda Scott, Denise Mina, Christopher Brookmyre, Louise Welsh, Liz Anderson) is flourishing. The visual arts (John Byrne, John Bellany, Elizabeth Blackadder, Pete Howson, David Mach, Calum Colvin) seem highly visible; Scottish film (still lacking a National Studio and Film Institute) has created a few ripples ('Local Hero', 'Gregory's Girl', 'Trainspotting', 'Shallow Grave', ‘Ratcatcher’, 'Morven Callar', 'Young Adam', ‘Hallam Foe’, ‘The Angel’s Share’). Is Scottish theatre keeping pace? There have been recent changes in the artistic directorship of some of the main theatres in Glasgow and Edinburgh, and 2006 saw the hugely successful launch of the National Theatre (which, in 2007, had an international hit with Gregory Burke’s ‘Black Watch’). Playwrights like David Greig, Gregory Burke, Stephen 69

Greenhorn or Liz Lochhead are making names for themselves nationally and internationally. In 2005, Edinburgh was made the first ever UNESCO World City of Literature.

Scottish traditional and folk music is alive and kicking; (from Dick Gaughan and Karine Polwart to Shooglenifty, The Chair and the Peatbog Fairies) as is Pop & Rock (with bands like Franz Ferdinand, Belle & Sebastian, Travis, The View, Mogwai, The Delgados, Paolo Nuttini, Aberfeldy, K T Tunstall, The Proclaimers and Butcher Boy); and Scotland has, in James Macmillan and Peter Maxwell Davies, two of the most celebrated composers and conductors in contemporary classical music.

What was previously seen as 'fragmentation', as 'divisions' within Scotland, as a defect, or even a disease, tends these days to be re-interpreted in terms of 'diversity' or the 'post-modern' – arguing that Scotland has been multi-ethnic and multi-cultural long before these concepts became flavour of the day. As the rest of the world catches up, perhaps even including England, Scotland ‘the mongrel nation’ feels increasingly at home and in good company…

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Jefferson Shirley Visiting Student Office College of Humanities & Social Science, 3rd Floor, David Hume Tower George Square (0131) 650 3572 Email: [email protected]

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Kathleen Jamie's poem For the Battle of Bannockburn site

Here lies our land: every airt

Beneath swift clouds, glad glints of sun,

Belonging to none but itself.

We are mere transients, who sing

Its westlin' winds and fernie braes,

Northern lights and siller tides,

Small folk playing our part.

'Come all ye', the country says

You win me, who take me most to heart.

For the Opening of the Scottish Parliament, 9 October 2004

Open the doors! Light of the day, shine in; light of the mind, shine out!

We have a building which is more than a building. There is a commerce between inner and outer, between brightness and shadow, between the world and those who think about the world. 73

Is it not a mystery? The parts cohere, they come together like petals of a flower, yet they also send their tongues outward to feel and taste the teeming earth. Did you want classic columns and predictable pediments? A growl of old Gothic grandeur? A blissfully boring box? Not here, no thanks! No icon, no IKEA, no iceberg, but curves and caverns, nooks and niches, huddles and heavens syncopations and surprises. Leave symmetry to the cemetery. But bring together slate and stainless steel, black granite and grey granite, seasoned oak and sycamore, concrete blond and smooth as silk – the mix is almost alive – it breathes and beckons – imperial marble it is not!

Come down the Mile, into the heart of the city, past the kirk of St Giles and the closes and wynds of the noted ghosts of history who drank their claret and fell down the steep tenements stairs into the arms of link-boys but who wrote and talked the starry Enlightenment of their days – And before them the auld makars who tickled a Scottish king’s ear with melody and ribaldry and frank advice – And when you are there, down there, in the midst of things, not set upon an hill with your nose in the air, This is where you know your parliament should be And this is where it is, just here.

What do the people want of the place? They want it to be filled with thinking persons as open and adventurous as its architecture. A nest of fearties is what they do not want. A symposium of procrastinators is what they do not want. A phalanx of forelock-tuggers is what they do not want. And perhaps above all the droopy mantra of ‘it wizny me’ is what they do not want. Dear friends, dear lawgivers, dear parliamentarians, you are picking up a thread of pride and self-esteem that has been almost but not quite, oh no not quite, not ever broken or 74 forgotten. When you convene you will be reconvening, with a sense of not wholly the power, not yet wholly the power, but a good sense of what was once in the honour of your grasp. All right. Forget, or don’t forget, the past. Trumpets and robes are fine, but in the present and the future you will need something more. What is it? We, the people, cannot tell you yet, but you will know about it when we do tell you. We give you our consent to govern, don’t pocket it and ride away. We give you our deepest dearest wish to govern well, don’t say we have no mandate to be so bold. We give you this great building, don’t let your work and hope be other than great when you enter and begin. So now begin. Open the doors and begin.

Edwin Morgan

Edwin Morgan, The Book of Lives, Manchester: Carcanet, 2007

AULD LANG SYNE Words adapated from a traditional song by Robert Burns (1759-96)

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And auld lang syne?

CHORUS: For auld lang syne, my dear, For auld lang syne, We'll tak a cup of kindness yet, 75

For auld lang syne!

And surely ye'll be your pint-stowp, And surely I'll be mine, And we'll tak a cup o kindness yet, For auld lang syne! We twa hae run about the braes, And pou'd the gowans fine, But we've wander'd monie a weary fit, Sin auld lang syne. We twa hae paidl'd in the burn Frae morning sun till dine, But seas between us braid hae roar'd Sin auld lang syne. And there's a hand my trusty fiere, And gie's a hand o thine, And we'll tak a right guid-willie waught, For auld lang syne

Glossary

auld lang syne - times gone by be - pay for braes - hills braid - broad burn - stream dine - dinner time fiere - friend fit - foot gowans - daisies guid-willie waught - goodwill drink monie - many morning sun - noon paidl't - paddled pint-stowp - pint tankard pou'd - pulled twa – two