Open Scotland?: Journalists, Spin Doctors and Lobbyists

Scottish devolution brought high hopes for an open political culture. But how far have these been fulfilled? This authors of this text argue that in the field of political communication, the old, established ways of the British state are firmly in place and that Westminster and Whitehall still cast long shadows over Edinburgh. This study offers the first full-scale coverage of how media, politicians and lobbyists interact in the new Scotland. Based on first-hand access to the key players, Philip Schlesinger, David Miller and William Dinan have written an inside account of the struggles to establish the rules of the game for covering politics. They have talked to the journalists of Scotland’s political media pack, at the heart of the new political system and who have a decisive impact on the image of the Scottish Parliament and government.