What a State! Is Devolution for Scotland the End of Britain?

by Alan Taylor (Editor), Ian Bell (Contributor), Alasdair Gray (Contributor)

How New Labour reshaped Britain. The inside story of the creation of a Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly.

Through significant new analysis and published writing, Scotsman writers and contributors explain how Tony Blair was persuaded to abandon his deep-seated scepticism and endorse devolution proposals which have changed the nature of Britain's constitutional settlement more fundamentally than any reform since the introduction of universal suffrage.

Through essays, sketches, commentary and analysis by Gavin Esler, Edward Pearce, Lawrence Donegan, Ian Bell, Alasdair Gray, Angus Calder, Alan Massie, Kirsty Milne, Alan Taylor, Robert McNeil, Peter MacMahon, Tim Williams, Tam Dalyell, Gordon Brown and Tim Luckhurst, this book tell the story of Scotland's reemergence as a nation within the United Kingdom.

Has Labour destroyed its own power base? Does Blair really understand what he has done? Will Scottish politicians retain their influence at Westminister? Will the advent of the Edinburgh parliament persuade the Scottish diaspora to return home? Can London resolve the emerging anachronisms in the existing order? Does devolution set the stage for independence within Europe? How have the representatives of Britain's European Union and NATO allies really reacted to the change? Will Scotland's cultural life blossom anew?

160 pages, Paperback

First published October 20, 1999

About the author

Alan Taylor is a journalist and founder of The Scottish Review of Books. he is a regular contributor to a variety of publications and in an earlier incarnation was a reference librarian.

Reviews

[Verminicious Knid · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably came too early into devolution to carry enough meat.