Scotland: The Road Divides

About the Book: 

Scotland is one country with many systems and part of many Unions - the UK, Europe and global.

What is our role and our future? How ambitious are we? Has the SNP victory in 2007 changed forever the mindset of Scottish politics or have we been here before? Is the 300-year-old Union in danger? What is the state of Scottish politics today? Is it the end of traditional loyalties? Is a seismic shift in public opinion underway? How will the Scottish landscape look in the future.

Scotland: The Road Divides is a hard-hitting, incisive, and informed look at where the devolution journey has taken us - from the heady days of the new Blair government in 1997 to the dramatic events of 2007 - and where do we go from here. Arguing that the Union must adapt to survive, McLeish and Brown contend that the devolution referendum paved the way for a bold new consitutional settlement. A contentious and pertinent commentary, this book maintains that many politicians have not come to terms with the dramatic changes and do not appear to understand the 'new politics'.

About the Author:

RT HON HENRY McLEISH began his political career as an elected member in local government in 1974, and was leader of Fife Regional Council for five years. In 1987 he was elected as a member of the UK Parliament and acted as Minister for Devolution and Home Affairs in the Labour government from 1997 to 1999. In the first Scottish Parliament he was Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning from 1999, and in 2000 he became First Minister of Scotland until 2001. Retiring from politics in 2003, he is now an adviser, consultant, writer author and broadcaster and lectures in the USA and elsewhere on the European Union and politics.