Chapter 1: Introduction

On Thursday, December 18, 1997, Scottish Secretary Donald Dewar launched one of the most far-reaching changes to the British constitution by presenting a Bill to implement Scotland's first parliament in 300 years. The exuberant Secretary stated that the Bill was a more radical piece of legislation than dreamed of only one year before.

The Scottish Parliament became fully operational in the year 2000, and the Bill itself received the Royal Assent during the second half of 1998 in time for elections that were held in the first half of the following year. Sovereignty continued to rest ultimately with Westminster; the Queen remains head of state for the whole United Kingdom and the Government in London remains responsible for key "reserved" matters, including foreign policy, defense and national security. Thus, a powerful body of Scottish representatives got together in a Parliament of their own for the first time since the Union with England and the abolition of the Scottish Parliament in 1707.

It is an Irish song that contains the words "A Nation Once Again," but the Scots with their own "Scotland the Brave" can now hold their heads high with the re-establishment of control over their own affairs and begrudging English acceptance of their northern neighbors as a nation. It all began long ago.

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