This study looks afresh at the assumption that those in the Scottish parliament who voted for the union of 1707 sold their country. The world of Scottish politics after the union is then explored from the perspective of the people at the top of the ruling elite. It is the world of the squadrone, Argyll, Ilay, Bute and Dundas, where there was little civic virtue. Much is learned by looking at the century as a whole in describing their struggles, their motives and ideas, their place within the politics of Great Britain and the challenges to their complacency.

Throughout the author's life in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) his father was a member of the Northern Rhodesia Police and the author sets about recording various incidents in the life of a youngster growing up in the numerous towns and police stations at which his father served. The family moved to Southern Rhodesia in 1964. Finalizing his secondary schooling at Chaplin School, Gwelo, Rhodesia, in 1965, the author joined the British South Africa Police (BSAP) in March 1966 and elected to go into the district branch of the Force. The author traces his career from a young patrol officer,...