Scotland and the Union, 1707 to 2007

257 Pages·2008·0.69 MB·English

by  T. M. Devine

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T. M. Devine
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‘Combines timeliness with bite. It should be read with the closest attention in both
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countries as the Westminster and Edinburgh parliaments increasingly talk past
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each other.’
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Professor Peter Hennessy, Queen Mary, University of London

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‘An essential road map to a matter of vital public concern. Devine’s outstanding team n
of historians and political scientists offer authoritative coverage of the Union from its D
origins to the present – with suggestions of its possible futures.’
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Professor Colin Kidd, University of Glasgow h edited by
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T. M. Devine

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Written by the cream of academic talent in modern Scottish history and politics, this
book provides a comprehensive examination of the past, present and future prospects n
of the Anglo-Scottish Union. A scholarly but accessible read, its contributors do not shy i ScoTlanD
away from the controversies surrounding the Union. Their cutting-edge research is o
presented in a lucid style, serving as an excellent introduction to some key aspects n
of the Anglo-Scottish relationship between 1707 and 2007.

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Scotland and the Union, 1707–2007 covers all the key themes:
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Why the Union took place 7 Union
A growing acceptance of the Union in the 18th century – anD The
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The impact of Scots’ central role in the British Empire
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The politics of unionism 0
The challenge of nationalism 7
Thatcherism and the Union
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Devolution and prospects for the future d
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e 1707–2007
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No other volume considers the entire 300-year experience of union – from its origins b
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in the early 18th century to the historic parliamentary victory of the SNP in May 2007. T
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This is the essential text for understanding one of the most burning issues in British M
public life today.
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T. M. Devine is Sir William Fraser Professor of Scottish History and Palaeography at the e
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University of Edinburgh. He is a Fellow of the British Academy and of the Royal Society
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of Edinburgh. n
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Cover image: Scotland flags flying before the start of the RBS Six Nations rugby match against England at Murrayfield, 2006. © PA Photos.
ISBN 978 0 7486 3542 9
Edinburgh University Press E
22 George Square d
Edinburgh EH8 9LF in
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www.eup.ed.ac.uk u
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cover design: clareturner.co.uk g
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Scotland and the Union
1707–2007
For
Margaret Begbie
Scotland and the Union
1707–2007
Edited by
T. M. Devine
Edinburgh University Press
©editorial matter and organisation T. M. Devine, 2008
©the chapters their several authors, 2008
Edinburgh University Press Ltd
22 George Square, Edinburgh
Typeset in Adobe Sabon
by Servis Filmsetting Ltd, Manchester, and
printed and bound in Great Britain by
Antony Rowe Ltd, Chippenham, Wilts
A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978 0 7486 3541 2 (hardback)
ISBN 978 0 7486 3542 9 (paperback)
The right of the contributors to be identified as authors of this work
has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act 1988.
CONTENTS
List of Figures and Tables vii
List of Contributors viii
Preface ix
1. Three Hundred Years of the Anglo-Scottish Union 1
T. M. Devine
PART ONE FOUNDATIONS
2. The Making of the Union of 1707: History with a History 23
Christopher A. Whatley
3. Popular Resistance, Religion and the Union of 1707 39
Karin Bowie
4. The Treaty of Union: Made in England 54
Allan I. Macinnes
PART TWO HISTORY
5. The Legacy of Unionism in Eighteenth-Century Scotland 77
Alexander Murdoch
6. The Spoils of Empire 91
T. M. Devine
7. Imperial Scotland 109
T. M. Devine
8. The Politics of the Union in an Age of Unionism 123
Ewen A. Cameron
PART THREE CHALLENGES
9. The Challenge of Nationalism 143
T. M. Devine
10. Thatcherism and the Union 157
Richard J. Finlay
11. The Death of Unionism? 175
W. L. Miller
vi Contents
PART FOUR DEVOLUTION AND THE FUTURE
12. Where Stands the Union Now? Scottish–English Relations
after Devolution 195
Charlie Jeffery
13. How Firm are the Foundations? Public Attitudes to the
Union in 2007 210
John Curtice
14. Future of an Unloved Union 228
Neal Ascherson
Index 240
FIGURES AND TABLES
FIGURES
11.1 Unionist and nationalist votes, 1945–2005 177
11.2 Nationalist votes, 1929–2005 178
11.3 Constitutional preferences, 1974–2003 180
11.4 National identities, 1974–2003 181
11.5 Losing the devolutionists 184
11.6 Scottish Muslims switch to SNP 188
TABLES
16.1 Scottish ratios in the eighteenth-century imperial elite 104
16.2 Scottish ratios in Indian service, 1720–1813 105
18.1 General elections in Scotland, 1910–35 125
18.2 General elections in Scotland, 1945–70 126
12.1 Policy attitudes in Scotland and England 202
13.1 Trends in forced choice national identity 213
13.2 Trends in Moreno national identity 215
13.3 Trends in constitutional preferences, 1997–2007 217
13.4 Whose economy benefits most from the
Union, 2000–7? 218
13.5 Perceptions of fairness of government spending,
2000–7 219
13.6 Perceived impact of Scottish Parliament on
Scotland’s voice in the Union 219
13.7 Who ought to have most influence over the way
Scotland is run, 1999–2006? 221
13.8 Who has most influence over the way Scotland is run,
1999–2006? 222
13.9 Trends in demand for more powers for Scottish
Parliament 222
13.10 Trends in support for ‘fiscal autonomy’, 2001–7 224
CONTRIBUTORS
Neal Ascherson Writer and journalist; honorary lecturer in the
Institute of Archaeology, University College London.
Karin Bowie Lecturer in History, University of Glasgow.
Ewen A. Cameron Reader in Scottish History, University of
Edinburgh.
John Curtice Professor of Politics, University of Strathclyde.
T. M. Devine Sir William Fraser Professor of Scottish History and
Palaeography, University of Edinburgh.
Richard J. Finlay Professor of Scottish History, University of
Strathclyde.
Charlie Jeffery Professor of Politics, University of Edinburgh.
Allan I. Macinnes Professor of Early Modern History, University of
Strathclyde.
W. L. Miller Edward Caird Professor of Politics, University of
Glasgow.
Alexander Murdoch Senior Lecturer in Scottish History, University
of Edinburgh.
Christopher A. Whatley Professor of Scottish History and Vice-
Principal and Head of the College of Arts and Social Sciences,
University of Dundee.
PREFACE
On 1 May 2007 the parliamentary Union between England and
Scotland achieved its 300th anniversary and to mark the occasion a
seriesof lectures and debates were held in the University of Edinburgh.
The public response was remarkable. Venues such as the McEwan
Hall and the Assembly Hall were filled to capacity with well over
4,000 people attending the four events which took place between
January and April 2007. The series also attracted great interest
fromthe national and international media. The fact that the future of
the Union was itself a central element in the May 2007 elections to the
Scottish Parliament added huge contemporary relevance to the dis-
cussions.
This book has been published as a direct result of the ‘Scotland and
the Union’ series. Most of the chapters which follow are versions of
the presentations which were given during the course of the pro-
gramme, while others have been specially commissioned to ensure
coherence and fuller coverage of key aspects of the long relationship
between the two ancient nations of England and Scotland since 1707.
The debate format which was an important part of some of the ori-
ginal events has been retained. For instance, the origins of the Union
remain an issue of considerable dispute among scholars as is evi -
dent from the differing perspectives offered by Allan Macinnes and
Christopher Whatley in Chapters 4 and 2, respectively. Throughout,
the focus of the book is on the experience of the Union from the per-
spective of Scotland, although it is hoped that English readers will
also find its contents of interest. There is surely no more vital issue in
Scottish politics today than the future of the Union but that question
must also be a matter of considerable significance for all citizens of
the United Kingdom. The tercentenary of 1707 has predictably pro-
duced a number of studies on the origins of 1707. However, this book
is the first to attempt an examination of the entire three hundred
years of this historic association, while the topic is brought fully up
to date by including chapters on the post-devolution era. The subject