SCOTLAND RECLAIMED

MURRAY RITCHIE

The inside story of Scotland’s first General Election is a record of events in public and behind the scenes as witnessed by Murray Ritchie, Scottish Political Editor of The Herald, during the campaign for control of the new Scottish Parliament. In the months of constitutional upheaval in Scotland, Murray Ritchie kept a diary of his dealings with politicians, pollsters, spin-doctors, fellow journalists and broadcasters. This personal record provides a privileged study of how rival politicians and parties campaigned to win over electors and to impress public opinion through the media. Political strategists resorted to the black arts, placing unprecedented pressure on newspapers, as they conducted the toughest campaign in Scottish history. This book is a detailed account of how politicians reacted before the cameras and in private to the peaks and troughs of a fascinating campaign. It offers, too, an accessible reprise of the Scots’ long fight for a Parliament of their own after the Union with England in 1707 and explains how that legislature became a reality in the spring of 1999. The establishment of the first democratically-elected Scottish Parliament now raises searching questions about the future construct and even survival of Britain itself. The book includes a forward by Professor Tom Devine, a preface by Harry Reid, Editor of The Herald and the author’s postscript describing the Parliament’s momentous first six months of existence.

MURRAY RITCHIE was recalled in 1997 by The Herald from his post as European Editor to cover the evolution of Scotland’s new political dispensation. He was a behind-the-scenes observer throughout the referendum and election campaigns, familiar with all the major players and on the spot when most of the key decisions of the campaign were in the making.

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