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This book fills an important gap in our understanding of Scottish local government in the dynamic new context of the Scottish Parliament. It provides academics, students, practitioners, journalists and others with a broad-ranging yet detailed account, not just of how local government actually works, but also the main political issues and debates surrounding its multi-faceted roles in contemporary Scotland.It covers issues such as: *The nature and purpose of Scottish local government *The strengths and weaknesses of unitary authorities *Modernisation of political management arrangements *Roles and remuneration for councillors *Electoral reform and new methods for encouraging citizen participation *The growth of non-elected local governance *Best Value and the rise of the performance culture *The politics of council finance: including business rates, Council Tax and PFI *The wider context of central-local relations, multi-level governance and globalization The book contains a wealth of facts, figures, tables and diagrams. The accompanying analysis draws, in a supportive way, on literature from the traditions of public policy, public administration and political science.The end result is an original, modern, accessible analysis of Scottish local government in the context of devolution.A particular focus throughout is assessing the 'distinctiveness' of Scottish local government compared to the rest of the UK, and addressing the question -- to what extent has devolution made a difference to Scottish local government? Key Features: * Only modern work of its kind - fills a gap in our understanding of local government in Scotland * Accessible - offers the facts of how Scottish local government works, combined with incisive political analysis * Places Scottish local government in the context of the Scottish Parliament, Westminster, the EU and an increasingly globalised world ... Read more

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Exceptional piece of work!
Amanda Sloat is a keen observer and a fine writer.Her description ofthe development of Scotland's constitution was both informative and incisive.The book has an obvious market in university libraries, but I should think that anyone interested in Scottish history would want to own this book.Though Sloat is a scholar, her book has the appealing quality of being accessible.I recommend it. ... Read more

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This an account of the distinctive story of Scottish politics, from the collapse of Liberalism, the rise of radical Labour and of the Scottish National Party, to more recent Tory rule and the complexities of contemporary nationalism. The Scottish question is unlikely to go away, whether it is a clamour for devolution or independence. This book aims to answer a number of questions - could Scotland survive economically without England?; where does the fervour for Scottish home rule come from?; and what would a Scottish parliament mean for the Scot in the street? ... Read more

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Ewen Cameron explores the political debate between unionism, liberalism, socialism, and nationalism, and the changing political relationship between Scotland and the United Kingdom. He sets Scottish experience against that of the Irish, Welsh, and the Europeans, and considers British dimensions of historical change, such as involvement in two world wars and imperial growth and decline, from a Scottish perspective. He relates political events to economic, cultural, and social trends within the nation's borders, lowlands, highlands, and islands, and follows the evolution and growth of national self-confidence and identity, which fundamentally affected Scotland's destiny in the last century. Cameron concludes with a consideration of how such forces may transform Scotland in the twenty-first.

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Existing studies of early modern Scotland tend to focus on the crown, the nobility and the church. Yet, from the sixteenth century, a unique national representative assembly of the towns, the Convention of Burghs, provides an insight into the activities of another key group in society. Meeting at least once a year, the Convention consisted of representatives from every parliamentary burgh, and was responsible for apportioning taxation, settling disputes between members, regulating weights and measures, negotiating with the crown on issues of concern to the merchant community. The Convention's role in relation to parliament was particularly significant, for it regulated urban representation, admitted new burghs to parliament, and co-ordinated and oversaw the conduct of the burgess estate in parliament. In this, the first full-length study of the burghs and parliament in Scotland, the influence of this institution is fully analysed over a one hundred year period.Drawing extensively on local and national sources, this book sheds new light upon the way in which parliament acted as a point of contact, a place where legislative business was done, relationships formed and status affirmed. The interactions between centre and localities, and between urban and rural elites are prominent themes, as is Edinburgh's position as the leading burgh and the host of parliament. The study builds upon existing scholarship to place Scotland within the wider British and European context and argues that the Scottish parliament was a distinctive and effective institution which was responsive to the needs of the burghs both collectively and individually. ... Read more

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How much independence can a small country like Scotland have? Lindsay Paterson argues that throughout the last 300 years the nature of Scottish independence has changed frequently. While nationalists have successfully challenged old forms of autonomy, pragmatic unionists have influenced the outcome of these protests, negotiating workable compromises with England and the wider world. ... Read more

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This study reveals how the Irish-born, and their offspring, in one 19th century British city came to define and understand their "Irishness" through political action. It proposes that the organization and representation of "Irishness" in Glasgow (and, by extension, Scotland) eventually led to a secular, even a radical 'fusion' of loyalties, detailing how the Glasgow Irish elaborated a secular sense of "Irishness" from the time of Daniel O'Connell onwards. Based on extensive research, this work aims to amplify the non-native reader's knowledge of the origins of the Glasgow Irish, through emphasizing the importance of Ulster connections, and to contribute to the ongoing debate on the nature of Irish political identity in urban Britain and USA. ... Read more

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Exploring professional culture within political institutions, this book focuses on the obstacles to decision-making, stressing the importance of criticizing old policies as well as developing new ones. It exposes the conflict between the two main conceptions of professionalism and identifies "unwritten rules" which prevent the effective criticism of existing social policies. This critique of decision-making by political institutions is based on a study of Strathclyde Regional Council, Europe's largest local authority, but can be applied to institutions at all levels. ... Read more

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The first volume in a series designed to set out the amended and annotated text of Scottish legislation in specific subject areas. This book covers the whole range of Scottish local government legislation, from boundary changes to the community charge. ... Read more

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Before James I and Charles I there was an earlier purely Scottish line of Stewart Kings.
The Stewart Kingdom of Scotland 1371-1603 by Caroline Bingham is a great book about the rise of the Stewart Dynasty of Scotland before they assume the English throne.The first chapter paves the way for the Norman Conquest and the rise of the High Stewards or Stewarts to the victory of Robert the Bruce.Then Walter the 6th High Steward marries Margery Bruce.Their son becomes King Robert II first Stewart King of Scotland.The second chapter explains the path of Robert II and Robert III who reigned in name but Scotland was ruled by Robert Duke of Albany and his family.Then with there downfall a chapter is dedicated to each King James.James I returns from captivity in England and attempting to reassert himself over his nobles and leading to his ultimate murder.Then James II who asserts himself by reducing the power of the Black Douglases through murder and continues the policies of his father which ultimately leads to his death from an exploding canon during the siege of Roxburgh. James III is not the warrior but more of an artist and possible [...].He rules well but favors his low born Male favorites gaining the displeasure of his nobles leading to their rebellion using his heir and leading to his ultimate murder.James IV proves to be a great monarch continuing to subdue his wayward nobles and the highlands.His pride is his ultimate downfall and he falls in battle on the fields of Flodden against the English.James V falls under the sway of the Douglas branch of Angus who attempt to spoil and ruin James but he ultimately asserts his power and attempts to rule well be ultimately dies young and disappointed leaving illegitimate sons who stir up trouble for his legitimate daughter the tragic Queen Mary of Scots.The chapter on Mary is short and reviews all the highlights of the infamous life of the Queen of Scots.Then the final chapter shows the development and rise of James VI and his impact on Scotland ending just as Elizabeth I dies and James becomes King James I of England leaving Scotland behind.This book doesn't go to deep into the weeds but shows the strengths and weaknesses of this colorful yet tragic dynasty impacted Scottish politics for over 15 generations and held the throne of Scotland for over 300 years.This book is a nice review of the early Stewart dynasty which is often overshadowed by the even more tragic and colorful Stuart version of the dynasty in England.This is a great book for the Scottish historian and Stewart Dynasty fan. ... Read more

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Scotland and Nationalism provides an authoritative survey of Scottish social and political history from 1707 to the present day. Focusing on political nationalism in Scotland, Christopher Harvie examines why this nationalism remained apparently in abeyance for two and a half centuries, and why it became so relevant in the second half of the twentieth century.
This fourth edition brings the story and historiography of Scottish society and politics up-to-date. Additions also include a brand new biographical index of key personalities, along with a glossary of nationalist groups. ... Read more

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