Continental 'meze' comes to Scotland in a new book of tapas style recipes with a Scottish twist for the perfect dinner party nibbles, lunchtime light bites and super snacks! In this new publication, lifestyle author and foodie Karon Grieve transforms many well-known and much loved Scottish ingredients and dishes into super snacks0́4spoon-sized nibbles that are perfectly at home at a dinner party, picnic, in a lunchbox or even on a mid-week teatime table. Small food is gaining in popularity with European tapas and meze style dishes turning up in our supermarkets and in restaurants, and while Scottish cuisine might conjure up thoughts of big, hearty meals or high-end luxury dishes like smoked salmon and oysters, the whole spectrum of our national larder can be amply enjoyed simply by shrinking it down0́4by having a wee taste of everything. Featuring soups, fish and seafood, meat and chicken, vegetarian, sweets and even a few drinks, this recipe collection has something that everyone will enjoy. Classic recipes are reinvented as Balmoral Bites, Scotch Party Pies and Wee Crabbit Cakes, which are detailed alongside Karon's more unusual dishes like Skirlie Sacks, Frozen Drambuie Souffles and Burns Baubles. All the recipes are as simple as possible, quick to make and use ingredients that are easy to find in the shops, so anyone can have a go.

Scotland’s future in the Union is in question. Since Devolution in 1997, there has been a sea-change in Scotland’s sense of itself. A distinct Scottish political culture has emerged: confident, assertive and increasingly divergent from that of its southern neighbours. Yet, as this timely and perceptive book shows, Scottish nationalism has been on the rise since the Second World War. Today, the Scottish National Party are in the ascendant, winning nearly half of all votes cast in the 2019 General Election and most of the seats. The Scottish Parliament has been a legislative trail-blazer, enacting progressive legislation well before England and Wales. And Scotland voted overwhelmingly to remain in the European Union, putting it at odds with much of the rest of the United Kingdom on the most important political decision this century. The country has transformed from the socially and politically conservative climate of the post-war period to a nation contemplating, for the second time, a move to independence – for all the uncertainty and turmoil that would bring. At a time when the country’s future has topped the agenda in Britain and abroad, this book unpicks the complex weave of Scottish politics, society and culture, providing an essential insight into Scotland’s present – and its future.

Understanding Scotland has been recognised since publication as the key text on the sociology of Scotland. This wholly revised edition provides the first sustained study of post-devolution Scottish society. It contains new material on: * the establishment of the Scottish parliament in 1999 * social and political data from the 1997 general elections * the new cultural iconography of Scotland * Scotland as a European society. For anyone wishing to understand Scottish society in particular or the general issues involved in nation building, McCrone's clear-headed coherently argued account of the main issues will be essential reading.

Scotland has a parliament for the first time in almost 300 years, and this book is an account of how this came about. The authors trace the origins and history of the demand for home rule in Scotland, focusing particularly on developments following the failure of the first referendum on the issue in 1979, which culminated in a second referendum in September 1997. This major political event attracted national and international interest, and its decisive result was a milestone in Scottish history. This work presents an analysis of the referendum campaign at both national and local levels, including media coverage of the event and the outcome. The reactions of voters are explored on the basis of a large survey of the electorate, and lessons to be learnt about referendums in the UK and elsewhere are discussed.

David Torrance combines nationalist theory with empirical historical and archival research to reassess the relationship between 'nationalism' and 'unionism' in Scottish politics, challenging a binary reading of the two ideologies with the concept of 'nationalist unionism'.

This book is the culmination of 15 years of research and travels that have taken the author completely around the world twice, as well as on other travels in the Mediterranean, the Baltic, and around the Pacific rim. Its purpose has been to try to understand the role of cultural differences within nations and between nations, today and over centuries of history, in shaping the economic and social fates of peoples and of whole civilizations. Focusing on four major cultural areas(that of the British, the Africans (including the African diaspora), the Slavs of Eastern Europe, and the indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere -- Conquests and Cultures reveals patterns that encompass not only these peoples but others and help explain the role of cultural evolution in economic, social, and political development.

Poet and critic Robert Crawford explores in eloquent detail the literary-cultural background to Scottish nationalism in the lead-up to the referendum on independence for Scotland from the United Kingdom in September 2014. He begins with the totemic Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, in which the Scots routed the English and preserved their independence until the two nations' parliaments united in 1707. Paying particular attention to Robert Burns and continuing up to the present day, he examines how writers have set out in poetry, fiction, plays and on film the ideal of Scottish independence. Publication coincides with the 700-year anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn.

JOHN is brought up on an isolated farm near York, spends his spare time birdwatching, lives with an unsympathetic stepfather and loving mother, and attends Hull University as the government pays his expenses. He worries about serious relationships with girls and has no idea of what career to follow. His experience so far is as a farm hand and a hospital porter. A letter he finds at home confirms his biological father is alive but has no intention of helping him. On Bonfire Night 1965 (Guy Fawkes Night), during his final undergraduate year, he meets a fellow student, JEAN-LOUISE, and a romantic relationship develops. In many ways she is different from John; she is a town girl, brought up by loving parents, is an only child, has opposing politics and knows what she wants to be – a fashion buyer for Marks & Spencer. The obstacle is her mother is ill with muscular dystrophy and she must help take care of her parents. She surprises John by encouraging his birdwatching. John joins Ford of Britain as a graduate trainee and after an uncertain start, is placed in industrial relations and decides to study for a graduate degree with the Institute of Personnel Management. He also discovers more about his real father. What happens to the couple during the subsequent 10 years as they navigate their careers, have to deal with events that take place in Britain during the period and manage personal issues at home, are the subjects of this book. There is panic buying during the 1974, 3-day working week, the affects on home life of Britain's entry into the Common Market, annual inflation driven above 25 percent in part because of trade union militancy, and many other national incidents. A unique feature of the novel is the use of bird species to illustrate human behavior and character. At the end of each chapter there is an illustration of the featured bird from that chapter to provide a summary of the bird's appearance and habitat in case the reader is interested. The novel blends British history, ornithology, success at work, discrimination against women and the challenges of home life into a single story.

Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations has been among the world books for over two hundred years and has gathered a mythology, which does scant justice to the actual book. One reason for this was that the Wealth of Nations was one of a series of studies through which Smith hoped to complete his system of moral, social and natural philosophy. The Individual in Society illustrates this system, especially in relation to Smith's other major work, The Theory of Moral Sentiments and examines its relation to the Wealth of Nations. Included are: * Chapters on the views of important commentators such as Zeyss, Eckstein, Jacob Viner and James Bonar * Discussion of the ethical and sociological background of Smith's work and its influence on the thought of the next century.