IT'S 2014. The Tories are running the UK, having won the election in 2010. An SNP government is re-elected in 2011. They hold a referendum on independence, and Scottish hostility to the Tories generates a yes vote. Alex Salmond and Michael Russell's less-than-secret plan? No, it's the opening of Alan Clements' excellent thriller Rogue Nation.The novel opens on 2 May, 2014, the morning after the Scottish people have voted by the slimmest of margins – 2,000 votes – to leave the United Kingdom. We are introduced to the main characters as they react to the news. Nick Jones, the modernising Tory prime minister, accepts the people's verdict and pledges a swift move to a "velvet divorce". Todd Macfarlane, the new Republican president who had consigned Obama to one term, ponders the impact on the US of losing the nuclear base at Faslane. Sammy Wilson, ultra-unionist hard man from Dennistoun, denounces yet one more betrayal of the loyalist working-class. George Wallace, senior special adviser to Ross Johnston, Scotland's SNP First Minister, with a hangover and too little sleep, starts to plan that morning's press briefing. And president Igor Churov of the Russian Federation calls on his top British specialist to initiate "Operation Braveheart".
Buy Rogue Nation HERE.
PS: Do you have an idea for a political novel? Have you written one? If so, please get in touch with me? I can't give more details yet, and sorry to be cryptic, but all will soon become clear.
54 comments:
On behalf of my fellow English people i wish the SNP all the luck in the world with any 'Independence' referendum!, i can't happen soon enough!.
Do enjoy your Independence-rule-from-Brussels, now take back your inept communist Politicians and get a border up!.
Bye! miss you alreadyyyyy!!.
How about a foreign power in a takeover of England by an infiltration of treasonous Politicians in collusion with the press and media to keep it all buried until its too late?, all without a bullet being fired!.
Oh wait thats actually happening.
How is being ruled by Brussels 'Independence?'.
Confused.
The SNP and their supporters seem to assume that the oil and oilfields off the Scottish coastline belong to them exclusively; and this is the basis for their fiscal independence and wealth. I question, indeed, challenge this thesis. I am not English, by the way; I am proud to be British and an Ulsterman. The oilfields belong to the United Kingdom, not Scotland alone.
Given that assertion, how could Scotland survive without dependence on funds from The UK and Europe?
The SNP is in for a battle if it thinks otherwise.
The year is 2018. Gordon Brown is still PM, having postponed the election of 2010 due to a major terrorist strike, claimed by the UK Government to be from North Korea but denied by Pyongyang. The standoff quickly developed into World War 3.
In 2013, and again in 2016, it seemed that the war was certain to end. However, unexpected terrorist attacks on civilians ended the highly advanced peace talks. Now, two years since the breakdown of the previous talks, diplomacy has again recommenced.
Concerned that another attack might halt the peace talks, a reporter sets out underground to investigate the culprits of the three attacks. What she discovers will change the shape of Britain forever....
Re: The first poster.
If Scotland becomes Independent and is run by Brussels then how do you put borders up?
This seems to be the typical kneejerk-jerk reactionist comments we north of the border have had to endure from silly, small minded little people with no beneficial input, just pathetic little output.
Obviously English people seem to think that they run thier own affairs.
How quaint.
Timothy Belmont - Mate i have only come round to supporting independence recently and im still undecided to who i will vote for at the next election but if we do vote for indepence then one part of the UK i would gladly put behind me is your little shit part of the world where you kill each other because of religion - If Scotland voted for independence and we were denied it then your in for a battle if you thinks otherwise.
Your part of the world is the most heavily subsidised part of Western Europe - all you give the UK is grievance politics and death - What area comes under Scots law is the area that will determine what share of natural resource's are ours.
Scots independence is not about England - i could not give a dung what you lot think about and your stuck up Conservatives who think and act like the BNP when it comes to Scotland - I have not got a problem with any other part of the UK except the bigots of Northern Ireland and the BNP mentality in the stuck up Oxford old boys School Conservatives - Honest we hate the Concervities in Scotland.
Curious choice of the name of the hero as one "George Wallace" Observers of American political history on the 1960s will know what I mean. By the way the state of Alabama's state flag is a saltire cross (anglice St.Andrews) but red on a white background
One thing that David Cameron must insist on (and bear in mind an Independence referendum can only be triggered by a UK Act) is that the franchise must be extended to all Scots (especially those currently resident in England) After all ex pats can vote in Parliamentary elections so unlike Tony Blairs disqualification of us ex pats in 1998, we must have a say on a matter as significiant as an independence referendum and certanly no voting rights must be given to non-UK citizens on the register who happen to citizens of other EU States. Indeed I would go so far as saying that such a vote can only be given to British citizens either resident or born in Scotland.
Good on you mate, Bird of Prey.
All we get is the same soothsayers of doom who all claim to be forensic ecomomists but know nought. If Scotland votes to have the same status as France or Germany then it their priviledge.
Alan Clements, husband of Kirsty Wark, best mate and holiday companion of Jack McConnell, the Labour Party's last First Minister of Scotland...he couldn't be being a bit mischeivous could he?
Can I just say as an Englishman, how pleased I would be if Scotland voted for their own independence.
You can keep your Oil, Whisky, Tweed jackets and Salmon farms. I don't want any of it. It would be a small price to pay.
Just bugger off and don't come back.
I'm sure we can find replacement bases for the military. It ain't that much of a problem.
If you had been independent in 2008, we wouldn't have had to bail out your useless RBS. We often hear the Scots point of view, indeed, all the time. What about us English who don't want to have anything to do with the whinging Scots? Do we get a say? Can we have a referendum on that please Dave C?
RE: At June 21, 2009 1:35 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...
Re: The first poster.
If Scotland becomes Independent and is run by Brussels then how do you put borders up?
This seems to be the typical kneejerk-jerk reactionist comments we north of the border have had to endure from silly, small minded little people with no beneficial input, just pathetic little output.
Obviously English people seem to think that they run thier own affairs.
How quaint.
-----------------
This Englishman wants his country to be truly 'Independent', out of TWO 'Unions', not just take the Scotch approach and get out of one Union and then prostitute yourself off to the other 'Union' and then pretend that your an Independent country as opposed to an EU Region like Scotland is and will be even after voting for 'Independence', i couldn't live with the shame of that, England out of the EU and back into the world!, which is outward looking and thinking big.
The only difference will be that the Scotch Region will be ruled from Brussels outside of the laughably titled 'United Kingdom' rather than being ruled from Brussels within it, which is small and inward looking.
Hope that clarified it for you.
And as for putting up with comments from the other side of the border, the English have had to put up with bitter and twisted scots spouting off for centuries, well no more, the party is ending, more and more English people are wising up, its not like we need your Region politically, militarily or financially anyway, in fact once rid it will be akin to cutting off a ball and chain from ones ankle, we can live quite easily without bitter and twisted inferiority complex ridden fringe Regions.
Roll on the return of Scotch Irrelevance.
Re: June 21, 2009 2:43 PM
Sadly this poster sums up everything that is rotten to the core with the little Englander mentality. Nothing but hatred and bile from a resident Quisling.
The bravado of the little Englander wanting his country back.
Unfortunately/Fortunately England is unrecognizable as the pale faced, St. George flag waving knuckledraggers of Ye Olde England.
Dem Dayz iz gone bruva innit.
Hallelujah praise the lord.
How about this.
I mad man takes over the reigns of the European Union and merges all EU states into one complete union and in the UK a seperatist group starts fighting to liberate the people from this dictator.
Can i just say on Scottish independence, i think you should go for it, people in the late 1800s said Ireland could never be independent and it has done very well being a sovereign nation and i think England would get alot of benefits from Scottish Indepdence too.
Dear Sir,
The best work of political fiction in the modern era is undoubtedly Alistair Darling's 2009 Budget. However, even this masterly tome comes nowhere near the classics of the master - Brown - during his No 11 era. These works had everything - drama, subterfuge, hidden plots and of course endings that took weeks to reconcile after reading.
In a lighter vein, the children's fantasy, Where's Gordo (see here) puts all except the last four pages of Forsyth's 'Day of the Jackal' to shame.
Meanwhile 'Parliamentary Expenses' (redacted version) comes a close second.
Bird of Prey
"Honest we hate the Concervities in Scotland."
Thank you for speaking for all Scots . Presumably I was out when you phoned to ask my opinion , though ,or you wouldn't have been able to make that statement .
Why have we all this bile spewed back and forth between the natives of the most successful political union in history ?
I find it particularly distasteful when English posters blame all Scots for the Labour party's corrupt government . I've never voted for them , but plenty in England did , or they wouldn't be the government .
Only our enemies can gain from this .
Jesus Wept. The level of small-minded bigotry and petty bitterness on display in this thread should make every single person born in the geographical British Isles hand their heads in shame.
My English friends, the mantra of "I wish the Scots would be independent - yeah, how d'you like them apples, Jock?" lost its novelty sometime around 1976. Move on. For the love of God, move on.
I'm going to use the word "Scotch" in place of "Scots" or "Scottish". Yeah, that'll stick it to them. Henry V has got fuck-all on me.
Grow. Up. Please. I will pay you money if you grow the fuck up and start acting like intelligent adults instead of mentally-deficient adolescents.
Iain, sent you a message via Facebook. Got several UK based political novel ideas and even one in first draft form.
A plot based on Russia being willing to "supply Scotland's oil and gas needs"? Hmm, now let me think; don't we have rather a lot of oil already? Isn't it our southern neighbours who might be more in need of oil and gas? Back to the drawing board, Mr Clements.
Maybe it's time that someone wrote a novel which accepted the reasonable premise that Scotland as an independent nation would be a successful nation. Why do we get all these "Scotch on the Rocks" stories that are based on the premise "unionism good, independence bad"? Did Joke McConnell give you the idea for the plot, Mr Clements?
The Booker Prize isn't in the post...
Anonymous 3.38 (and at other times?): The thing is though that about half of us (Telegraph Poll 2007) really do want to be independent of Scotland. We are not resistant to moving on. If the SNP really thought it could win a referendum on independence it would have introduced a bill for one and dared the other parties in Holyrood and Westminster to block it. No doubt when Salmond believes he can win, that is what he will do. So far as half of us south of the Tweed are concerned it can't come soon enough. The other half don't much care one way or the other.
Isn't this the same Alan Clements, well known Labour supporter, married to other well known Labour supporter, Kirsty Wark?
The same Alan Clements who said in August 2002 Alex Salmond will never in his lifetime become First Minister Mmmm.
If the Scots do go independent, could they plase take Andy Murray away with them? Thanks.
Russell -
No . You've got to keep him .
We're getting Joanna Lumley , though .
English taxes for England
English law for England
Home rule for England.
Wyrdtimes -
What a waste of a climactic tricolon !
Thanks, Iain. Having written my dissertation on the West Lothian Question - and proposed Scottish independence as the best solution - i've just bought a copy. Should be fascinating.
Russell said...
If the Scots do go independent, could they plase take Andy Murray away with them? Thanks.
...........
Okay but only if you take Tim er what ever his name is back. He was rubbish...
What amazes me is the nastiness of some of the English people who have posted on here. Keep it up because you are doing wanders for Scottish independence
The Young Oligarch said...
Bird of Prey
"Honest we hate the Concervities in Scotland."
Thank you for speaking for all Scots . Presumably I was out when you phoned to ask my opinion , though ,or you wouldn't have been able to make that statement
.........
Ah so you have met my flat mate then ? lol ill clip his wings for him.
I wouldn't go as far as saying we have the most successful union in the world, on what basis are you drawing that conclusion ?
AMW@6.04: Murray may well be a great tennis player, but can you not see that his public persona - humourless, boorishly rude and arrogant, insular, parochial, chauvinist, a born whinger and a bad loser - almost perfectly meets the English stereotype of a Scotsman?
Only two details are missing; the Giro and the White Lightning bottle.
Have a nice Independence Day!
Don't forget independence for the Kingdom of Elmet...
The thing is that, as long at there's no spine to the so called unionist parties in Scotland then we'll never get off the slippery slope to independence.
As someone asked GB recently, "why do you think DC wants you to stay?" Someone needs to ask why the SNP are over the moon about this Calman Report?
We now have NO party in Scotland that will stand up for the Union. The Tories had one chance, and Annabel 'who?' Goldie completely blew it and has now rushed into implementing the Calman Comm recommendations in full by Labour!
All the while DC sits in London measuring the drapes!
Russell said...
AMW@6.04: Murray may well be a great tennis player, but can you not see that his public persona - humourless, boorishly rude and arrogant, insular, parochial, chauvinist, a born whinger and a bad loser - almost perfectly meets the English stereotype of a Scotsman?
Only two details are missing; the Giro and the White Lightning bottle.
Have a nice Independence Day!
.................
Some home truths little englander..
England have the fattest people in Europe = FACT
England has the top ten poorest areas in the UK = FACT
England has more drug related deaths per head then Scotland = FACT
Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Newcastle, Hull, Blackburn, Preston, in fact every single city in England outside of London has a lower wage Scale than Scotland = FACT
England is a great nations but its in the crux of an obesity epidemic.
Remember England is not just about the south east and London. Get that through your thick skull.
Oh you keep your fat pie eating royal family (tv ones) they sum up the pie eating englander just fine.
Now away and do some Morris dancing you tube.
Iain can you see why so many Scots despise the Conservatives ? The are the BNP in tweed and stereotype the Scots as if they are somehow superior to the rest of us.
Iain,
Why is it that a pulp fiction book with no literary merit or basis in fact brings on such bile against Scots from some of your correspondents?
I find it disgusting that the whole nation of Scotland should be vilified because it just so happens that the unpopular UK PM of the day comes from that nation. Would the same bile be expressed against Yorkshire if the PM came from there I wonder?
Come the UK general election I can guarantee you will see the people of Scotland voting en masse to rid themselves of New Labour in the same way as the people of England will likely vote to rid themselves of New Labour - the only difference being that the people of Scotland will turn to the SNP instead of the Tories who spoiled their chances years ago because they demonstrated an attitude to Scots and Scotland that is very similar to that being expressed here by some of your correspondents.
New Labour are in terminal decline in Scotland save for a few tribal heartlands in the Central West area around Glasgow where New Labour have created an enclave of dependency culture and that will fall to the SNP too in time. Elsewhere New Labourites are deserting to the SNP and that process will accelerate as the election arrives.
Far too many lies are told by unionist politicians and their media acolytes about Scotland and its economic viability as a nation state. Far from of scaring the people of Scotland by this as they would like, it would appear instead they have alienated many people of England into thinking that Scotland and Scots are somehow dependent on largesse from England, judging by you correspondents.
Scotland is NOT a poor nation - in fact it is a wealthy nation by European standards even without 90% of UK oilfields which by the way geographically has been recognised by the UN as being Scotland's Oil. Whilst we are at it I should also point out that the oilfields were not exploited by the UK who gave up that role when they sold Britoil in 1982/85 - they were exploited under license by oil companies most of whom were non-UK.
With regards to RBS and HBOS I would remind you that Northern Rock and a tranche of Building Societies in England also went under. The fact that RBS was based in Scotland was an accident of geography as it is a multi-national bank and the one major factor that led to its demise was its disastrous takeover of the Dutch bank AMRO. HBOS went under because of the disastrous non-retail activities of its Halifaxt parent based in Yorkshire. Throughout all this both RBS and Halifax have run what is probably the UK's most successful Retail banking services throughout the UK from HQ's in Scotland. Dunfermline BS problems were no different from many other BS in England but for political reasons the UK government decided to make an example of it instead of assisting it with a recovery.
It may surprise you to know that the SNP contains Tories as well as left of centre politicians. It may also surprise you to know that it contains a very large number of English people in its ranks as well as other nationalities.The SNP is a broad church of people who are united by one desire and that is to see Scotland self-governing.
continued........
The SNP government of Scotland do not want the Barnett formula - they want full fiscal autonomy and that means raising taxes and spending according to the wishes and priorities of the people of Scotland and NOT some distant government in a UK parliament in London that cares little about the people of Scotland except when they need their votes.
I should also point out that as a matter of principle the SNP MP's at Westminster NEVER vote on UK parliamentary matters that have nothing to do with Scotland - it is only unionist MP's that vote on England only matters in Westminster.
So in summary - please don't tar us in Scotland with the same brush you use to vilify the PM and the government of the day. Please also understand that the people of Scotland will see to it that an independent and successful Scotland is coming sooner or later and please appreciate that an independent Scotland will always be England's closest friend no matter what.
your little shit part of the world where you kill each other because of religion
What a charmer!
DAMN i thought this was true for a minute!!.
Hurry it up will you up there!.
A great near-future 'political thriller' dealing with a very similar base scenrio is Ken Mcleod's The Execution Channel. I won't attempt to summarize it, but it's gritty to a, erm, different point.
At June 21, 2009 7:00 PM , Russell said...
Do I sense you're a failed tennis player?
I shan't be reading Mr Wark's book. The quality of his television programmes is bad enough but I do enjoy a good political novel.
Stella Rimmington's novels are riveting Iain.
AMW -
I can't think of a more successful union . The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth , or the united kingdom of Bohemia and Hungary weren't all that great .
Germany and Italy are federations of smaller states , but their history is , shall we say , chequered .
British is best .
Marian -
"The Scottish people will..." - You're speaking for me , again , and I don't like it .
You are correct , however , regarding the obnoxious statements of Little Englanders . Little Scotlanders are often the same .
Nice to see Subrosa interjecting some sense . I was in Dundee recently for the first time in 15/20 years .Braw wee toon ! (Affectionate diminutive)
Anonymous 2:43 - Have you noticed ... we're vacating the premises?
commie scotland will become the poor man of europe when their anti english nonsense ends with them joining the euro.
does this book end with rule from brussels? so the opposite of independence...all odd and a bite mad.
another problem the snp antienglish party have:where are they going to fund their portion or uks debt mountain.it must be £130bn.10%brussels has no cash,scottish commie gilts,not a runner.this really is turning out to be a joke.
Todd Macfarlane is a really unfortunate choice of name. Does Spawn feature in the book at all?
When I watch TV quiz shows I am often amazed by English ignornamce of their own history. So to you anti-Jock ranters from south of the Border, remember this: in 1707 we never wanted to joint your country in the first place. But of course most Englishmen have no idea what 1707 is all about!
As for the financial situation, Gt Britain is supposed to be a union of two kingdoms, therefore economics dictates that Scotland, two-thirds the size of England but with just one ninth of the population, will cost more to run on a pro-rata basis.
Finally, when you kick us out of the Union, where are you going to place the Trident nuclear missle base - The Wash? The Thames Estuary? Southampton Water?
What gets on my nerves is the Scottocentricity of the argument.
Its always about Scotland and never about England and yet we pay molst of the the bill for the UK and have only ever recieved airbrushing at the best or more likely vilification from the British and the Scots.
If an English person makes even a very mild comment, minimal compared with the rivers of abuse we get from Scotland ,then you are immediately condemned as a "little Englander". eg Cameron.
So bloody unjust and so biased.
Iain, you might care to mention that if there is a referendum in England on union with Scotland, which in natural justice there ought to be, then the majority for English independence is likely to be be well ahead of thye corresponding vote north of the border.
"Finally, when you kick us out of the Union, where are you going to place the Trident nuclear missle base - The Wash? The Thames Estuary? Southampton Water?
June 22, 2009 11:36 AM"
Anwser: Plymouth or Portland will do nicely. Already partly under way so I hear.
OMG. Roll on independence and then Scotland and England can possibly have a grown up, civilised relationship instead of this nonsense.
Re the novel - it will probably be rubbish because he will want to make it more exciting than it is.
Reality will be - independence referendum, months and possibly years of civil servants sorting out details, Scottish Parliament assumes powers formerly exercised by Westminster, things go on in most respects much as they dod before except the quality of decision making is rather better.
Not very exciting really!
"What amazes me is the nastiness of some of the English people who have posted on here. Keep it up because you are doing wanders for Scottish independence"
Why?
English people who want scotland expelled from the union are taking actions to speed up Scotlands break from the union.
Whats surprising about that?
"Its scotlands oil"
Several points.
Orkney and Shetland might choose to remain part of the union, and really, its their oil.
But, even if they do leave with Scotland, A claim is one thing, enforcing it is quite another.
Re Trident
We could go really left field and base it in the Falklands.
Or The British Indian Ocean Territory
Or be boring and base it at portsmouth or plymouth.
Just one more thing.
England is 90% of the UK's wealth and 80% of its population.
Anonymous DominicJ said...
What colour is the sky in your planet?
Engerland is 90% of the UK's wealth
ROFL!
Erudite lot of posters Mr Dale.
BNP at its Little Englander best.
They probably believe what the see on the BBC and read in The Mail.
I personally want the Commonwealth dissolved and the United Kingdom dissolved. I am English and they all hate us so what is the point in it all. England should also leave the EU, 40million a day, what a joke. You could make 40 people a day millionaires and get a better return on investment. Swizerland is not part of the EU yet and is doing rather well! I hope they never join as a full member.
To return to the novel, it's absolutely atrocious. Terribly written, completely implausible and very dull.
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