‘Scotland, like the rest of the UK, remains deeply divided following referendums on our future. The questions raised in both 2014 and 2016 remain the same. And, if breaking a relationship of forty years has proved so intractable, how much harder would be the fracture of a relationship that’s lasted more than 300 years? In a forensic examination of the arguments of both heart and head, John Lloyd makes a powerful case for building on the strengths we have, rather than plunging into years of uncertainty and of lost opportunity for generations to come.’
Alistair Darling, Former Chancellor of the Exchequer
‘John Lloyd has written a personal and moving but also historically informed plea to preserve the Union between England and Scotland. His argument is not just the familiar one that the Scottish National Party understates the economic risks of independence. He also shows how little sense separation makes in the present state of Europe and the world. Best of all, his is not merely a defence of the status quo, but a call to regenerate the Union.’
Niall Ferguson, Milbank Family Senior Fellow, the Hoover Institution, Stanford University
‘John Lloyd is a shrewd, eloquent and reliable purveyor of home truths. His new book on the Scottish Question, which calls out lazy sentimentality and wishful thinking, will cause controversy as well as consternation in many quarters.’
Colin Kidd, University of St Andrews
‘A splendid trumpet blast in defence of Scotland’s Union with the rest of Great Britain, as timely as it is ringing.’
Tom Holland, historian and author
For Ilaria Poggiolini
polity
Copyright © John Lloyd 2020
The right of John Lloyd to be identified as Author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
First published in 2020 by Polity Press
First published in paperback in 2021 by Polity Press
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All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purpose of criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.
ISBN-13: 978-1-5095-4268-0
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Lloyd, John, 1946- author.
Title: Should auld acquaintance be forgot : the great mistake of Scottish independence / John Lloyd.
Description: Cambridge ; Medford, MA : Polity, 2020. | Includes bibliographical references. | Summary: “An incisive critique of the quest for Scottish independence”-- Provided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2019038609 (print) | LCCN 2019038610 (ebook) | ISBN 9781509542666 (hardback) | ISBN 9781509542673 (paperback) | ISBN 9781509542680 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH: Self-determination, National--Scotland--History--21st century. | Nationalism--Scotland. | Scotland--History--Autonomy and independence movements. | Scotland--Politics and government--21st century.
Classification: LCC DA828 .L55 2020 (print) | LCC DA828 (ebook) | DDC 320.1/509411--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019038609
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019038610
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Every effort has been made to trace all copyright holders, but if any have been overlooked the publisher will be pleased to include any necessary credits in any subsequent reprint or edition.
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This book has benefited from advice and insights from many, some of whom have been consulted often, a few of whom don’t want public thanks. Those who haven’t said they don’t include: Wendy Alexander, Ali Ansari, Brian Ashcroft, Arthur Aughey, Alex Bell, Miguel Beltran de Felipe, Paul Bew, Nigel Biggar, Lucy Hunter Blackburn, Keir Bloomer, Vernon Bogdanor, Nick Butler, Jim Campbell, Alan Cochrane, Maeve Connoly, Colin Copus, Gordon Craig, Alistair Darling, Chris Deerin, John Denham, Mure Dickie, Gerry Fisher, Jim Gallagher, Steven Gethins, Anthony Giddens, Brian Girvin, Rosemary Goring, Elga Graves, David Greig, Kevin Hague, Michael Ignatieff, Ian Jack, Alvin Jackson, Mark Jones, John Kay, Michael Keating, Christine Keay, Alex Kemp, Michael Kenny, George Kerevan, Colin Kidd, Calum MacDonald, John McClaren, Iain McClean, Greg McClymont, Gavin McCrone, Jim McColl, John Nicholson, Lindsay Paterson, Ray Perman, Jim Philips, Murray Pittock, David Purdie, Malcolm Rifkind, Graeme Roy, Christopher Rush, Michael Russell, Astrid Silins, Paul Silk, Jim Sillars, Lucas Stevenson, Adam Tomkins, Jim Tomlinson, David Torrance, David Ure, David Webster, Andrew Wilson, Janice Winter, Martin Wolf.
John Thompson and his colleagues at Polity Press – including Susan Beer, Julia Davies, Emma Longstaff and Evie Deavall – have been most helpful, efficient and attentive. My agent, Toby Mundy, was as always deeply and forensically engaged in the development of the book. My English–Jewish actor son, Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, played Macduff in the Globe Theatre’s Macbeth in the summer and autumn of 2016, speaking in a strong Scots accent partly borrowed from me, but strengthened. It made me think about the pity of sundering a British state that had come to be largely accepting of human mixing – an element in my deciding to write this book.