A comprehensive review of rural policy in Scotland, that includes a profile of rural Scotland, and assessment of current policy, and a series of policy recommendations.

The report The Economic Implications for the United Kingdom of Scottish Independence (HL 152) examines the effects on the United Kingdom economy should the Scottish people vote in favor of independence in 2014, creating an independent Scottish state. The decision the Scots will have to make is not a simple one. It will have far-reaching constitutional, political and social, as well as economic consequences. This report considers a number of economic aspects of separation, including: impact on the single market in the UK; international investment in Scotland; location implications for medium and small companies; Scotland's currency; the role of the Bank of England if Scottish financial institutions needed emergency support; regulation of Scottish financial institutions; division of assets and liabilities; underlying fiscal position of Scotland post-indepen

Politics in Scotland is an authoritative introduction to the contemporary political landscape in Scotland and an essential text for undergraduate and postgraduate students of Scottish Politics. Written by leading experts in the field, it is coherently organised to provide a clear and comprehensive overview of a range of themes in contemporary Scottish Politics. Key topics include: • Government and electoral behaviour. • Representation and political parties in Scotland. • Public policy and Scotland’s relationship with the rest of the world. • Scottish politics both in the run up to and after the 2014 referendum. • The Future of Scottish government and politics. This textbook will be essential reading for students of Scottish politics, British Politics, devolution, government and policy.

Scotland's Choices, now fully revised for the critical last few months before the referendum, explains the choice that Scotland will have to make in September 2014. The authors clearly explain the issues and how each of the options would be put into place

The UK Government is undertaking a major cross-government programme of analysis prior to the referendum on Scottish independence in 2014. The aim is to provide a comprehensive and detailed analysis of Scotland's place in the UK. This paper examines how Scotland might arrange its currency and wider macroeconomic framework. It reviews the current UK arrangements and examines the options for change. In the event of a vote for independence Scotland would have to establish its own institutional framework, and the current system of risk-sharing would end. An independent Scottish state would have four main currency options: continue to use sterling with a formal agreement with the continuing UK (a sterling currency union); use sterling unilaterally with no formal agreement ('sterlingisation'); join the euro; or introduce a new Scottish currency. This paper examines all these options and concludes that all of them would be less likely to be economically suitable for both Scotland and the rest of the UK.

Although a small country, Scotland’s geology is complex, internationally renowned and offers an accessible outdoor research laboratory and training ground for earth science. The onshore and offshore geology together encompass examples of all Earth’s geological periods and preserve many classic examples of sedimentary basins and orogenic belts. Palaeontological findings have provided key evidence for the evolution of life. With a wide spectrum of contributors, full-colour figures and photographs and, for each chapter, a Topic Box highlighting key research developments and challenges, this 5th edition of The Geology of Scotland represents a major update and expansion from the 4th edition. A revised Introduction summarizes the geological evolution of Scotland, the nature of the crust and the societal relevance of geology to climate change and sustainability. The final three chapters provide a modern view on energy, water and minerals, environmental concerns and geoconservation. The intervening chapters cover the geological periods, including much new geochronological data and exciting new palaeontological discoveries.

Designed for violinists who have never fiddled in the Scottish style or for anyone who would simply like to brush up on their "Scottishness," this guide discusses ornamentations and their applications, bowing styles, rhythmic issues and stylistic interpretations. It covers five basic types of tunes: airs, marches, jigs, reels and strathspeys, as well as Scottish fiddle history and regional styles. Accompanying video clips demonstrated by former U.S. National Scottish Fiddling Champion, Melinda Crawford, show how to execute all of the different techniques and how to perform more than 44 full-length traditional Scottish fiddle tunes. Transcriptions of the tunes are included within the guide. Includes access to online video.

The UK’s Changing Democracy presents a uniquely democratic perspective on all aspects of UK politics, at the centre in Westminster and Whitehall, and in all the devolved nations. The 2016 referendum vote to leave the EU marked a turning point in the UK’s political system. In the previous two decades, the country had undergone a series of democratic reforms, during which it seemed to evolve into a more typical European liberal democracy. The establishment of a Supreme Court, adoption of the Human Rights Act, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish devolution, proportional electoral systems, executive mayors and the growth in multi-party competition all marked profound changes to the British political tradition. Brexit may now bring some of these developments to a juddering halt. The UK’s previous ‘exceptionalism’ from European patterns looks certain to continue indefinitely. ‘Taking back control’ of regulations, trade, immigration and much more is the biggest change in UK governance for half a century. It has already produced enduring crises for the party system, Parliament and the core executive, with uniquely contested governance over critical issues, and a rapidly changing political landscape. Other recent trends are no less fast-moving, such as the revival of two-party dominance in England, the re-creation of some mass membership parties and the disruptive challenges of social media. In this context, an in-depth assessment of the quality of the UK’s democracy is essential. Each of the 2018 Democratic Audit’s 37 short chapters starts with clear criteria for what democracy requires in that part of the nation’s political life and outlines key recent developments before a SWOT analysis (of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) crystallises the current situation. A small number of core issues are then explored in more depth. Set against the global rise of debased semi-democracies, the book’s approach returns our focus firmly to the big issues around the quality and sustainability of the UK’s liberal democracy.

This book examines the extent to which Brexit has impacted upon the operation of the British Constitution, prompting in turn consideration of how some of the factors which contributed to the outcome of the 2016 referendum, as well as the event of Brexit itself, might inform debates surrounding constitutional reform moving forward. The work seeks to make sense of the constitutional implications of Brexit and to revisit some of the key debates that have taken place in respect of particular constitutional reform proposals in order to assess the extent to which recent Brexit-related developments inform the perspectives which are taken upon their merits and prospects. The book is divided into two parts. The first provides some context for the substantive treatment of the potential impact of Brexit on constitutional reform debates which forms the focus of Part II. Part II centres on various specific constitutional reform themes or issues, which are explored further within the context of Brexit. For each such issue, the main parameters of the debates which have taken place are sketched out before moving on to consider how it has informed, or may come to be informed, by the phenomenon of Brexit. By so doing, it looks to some future directions for constitutional reform which take account of the factors driving the discourses which gave rise to the referendum outcome and subsequent developments, as well as offering meaningful responses to these. The book will be of interest to academics, researchers and policy-makers working in the areas of constitutional law, constitutional politics, philosophy and history.

This book provides an appealing and informative overview of the outstanding landforms and landscapes of Scotland. Scotland is internationally renowned for the diversity of its geology, landforms and landscapes. The rock record spans most of geological time, from the Archaean to the Palaeogene, and represents the outcome of tectonic plate movements, associated geological processes, and sea-level and climate changes. Scotland incorporates primeval gneiss landscapes, the deeply eroded roots of the Caledonian mountain chain, landscapes of extensional tectonics and rifting, and eroded remnants of volcanic complexes that were active when the North Atlantic Ocean opened during the Palaeogene. The present relief reflects uplift and deep weathering during the Cenozoic, strongly modified during successive episodes of Pleistocene glaciation. This striking geodiversity is captured in this book through 29 chapters devoted to the evolution of Scotland’s scenery and locations of outstanding geomorphological significance, including ancient palaeosurfaces, landscapes of glacial erosion and deposition, evidence of postglacial landscape modification by landslides, rivers and wind, and coastal geomorphology. Dedicated chapters focus on Ice Age Scotland and the associated landscapes, which range from alpine-type mountains and areas of selective glacial erosion to ice-moulded and drift-covered lowlands, and incorporate accounts of internationally renowned sites such as the ‘Parallel Roads’ of Glen Roy, the Cairngorm Mountains and the inselbergs of Assynt. Other chapters consider the record of postglacial rock-slope failures, such as the famous landslides of Trotternish on Skye, and the record of fluvial changes since deglaciation. The sea-level history of Scotland is addressed in terms of its raised and submerged shorelines, while several chapters discuss the contrasting coastal landscapes, which range from the spectacular sea cliffs of Shetland and Orkney to the beaches and dunes of eastern Scotland. The role of geoconservation in preserving Scotland’s outstanding geomorphological heritage is outlined in the final chapter. The book offers an up-to-date and richly illustrated reference guide for geomorphologists, other Earth scientists, geographers, conservationists, and all those interested in geology, physical geography, geomorphology, geotourism, geoheritage and environmental protection.