The Bargain: Why the UK Works So Well for Scotland

By Tom Miers

Three hundred years ago Scotland entered into an extraordinary bargain with its English neighbour. Like all the best deals it involved giving away little – the tokens of sovereignty – in exchange for major gains: economic, political and cultural. Control over key domestic matters was retained. Today that Bargain, updated for the democratic era, is better than ever.

In this incisive book, Tom Miers – a Conservative councillor for the Scottish Borders – sets out his stall in the debate over Independence and calls for Unionists to equip themselves with a full understanding of this Bargain and how it applies in today’s world. The Union is not just about money, or even sentiment about a shared past, but a canny and sophisticated arrangement that benefits all nations of the UK and is the foundation of Scotland’s success and unique place in the world.

Cutting through the rhetoric, the author lays out the information required to counter the Scottish Nationalist argument.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Birlinn
• Release date: May 5, 2022
• ISBN: 9781788853491

Tom Miers

Tom Miers has researched and written extensively on public policy in Scotland, publishing numerous articles and short books on the subject over the last two decades. He studied History at The University Edinburgh and, after a career in finance, worked with a number of think-tanks and campaign groups in Edinburgh, London and Brussels. He lives with his family near Berwick-upon-Tweed.