Blossom: a journey beyond independence

Blossom: 1. A term given to flowers of stone fruit trees and some other plants that flower profusely in Spring.

Blossoms provide pollen to bees, and initiate cross-pollination necessary for trees to reproduce by producing fruit. 2. A peak period or stage of development. Covering topics including housing, health, language and culture, Riddoch looks at the way in which Scots identify themselves and how this needs to change in order for the country to blossom as an independent nation or a strongly devolved one.

Arguing that limited access to security and wealth has left Scots feeling like outsiders in their own country, this book tackles fundamental and personal issues of identity that matter to ordinary Scots.

Designed to incite discussion and debate, this book will appeal to those who believe larger issues of self esteem and power lurk beneath the complexities of the independence debate and want to delve deeperBACK COVERWhat will it take for Scotland to blossom?

Imagine Scotland as a beautifully-knitted, warmth-providing sweater caught on a snag.

Its wearer tries to move forward but cannot. A pause is needed to lift the garment clear. Scotland is thus snagged. And no amount of tugging will free it from the stubborn, progress-inhibiting three-headed hook of inequality, distant control and top-down governance.

Weeding out vital components of Scottish identity from decades of political and social tangle is no mean task, but its one journalist Lesley Riddoch has undertaken.

Dispensing with the tired, yo-yoing jousts over fiscal commissions, Devo Something and EU in-or-out, Blossom pinpoints both the buds of growth and the blight thats holding Scotland back.

Drawing from its people, history, and the authors own passionate and outspoken perspective this is a plain-speaking but incisive call to restore control to local communities and let Scotland flourish.