Getting It Together

About the Book: 

‘Getting it Together’ was a favourite catch phrase coined by the late Jim Boyack, former Convener of the Campaign for a Scottish Parliament. Getting it Together: The History of the Campaign for a Scottish Assembly/Parliament 1980-1999 is an eyewitness account of the Campaign for a Scottish Assembly/Parliament’s (CSA/P) tireless efforts to bring an arena for Scottish politics back home to the nation. Written by the Campaign’s Vice Convener, it gives the inside story of the CSA/P’s efforts – both seen and unseen – that laid the groundwork for the Scottish Parliament today.

This story influenced what the Scottish Parliament does now and will do in the future. In March 1999 the Campaign for a Scottish Parliament, which had been established in March 1980 as the Campaign for a Scottish Assembly, met for the last time. There was no longer a need for the CSA/P – their dream of a Scottish Parliament was a reality – but there was a need to tell CSA/P’s story to the nation. At that meeting, Bob McLean was asked to undertake a history of the organisation so that future generations could understand the struggle to establish the first steps to home rule. This is that story.

About the Author:

BOB McLEAN was Vice Convenor of the Campaign for a Scottish Assembly/Parliament. He is now works for the City of Edinburgh Council. He now writes and lectures on aspects of Scottish and Irish history, in particular the Irish War of Independence, the Irish Free State, and the Scottish Labour and Home rule movements.