Rights and riots Radical Scotland: Uncovering Scotland’s Radical History from the French Revolutionary Era to the 1820 Rising

by Kenny MacAskill $KVGDCEM RCIGU 

Over the past four years, Kenny MacAskill has written on the Lockerbie bombing, Jimmy Reid and Red Clydeside. However, his latest offering is without doubt superior to those previous examples in terms of research and interpretation.

As the title makes clear, the book covers the years of radical struggle from the 1780s up to the Radical War of 1820 (a week of civil unrest that was in reality more of a skirmish than a war). The story is well told, the writing engaging; indeed, it’s a historical page-turner. The movement’s ups and downs are charted in detail, as are the lives of the leading actors such as radical 18th-century lawyer Thomas

Muir. These men and their families suffered a great deal at the hands of a vengeful state; some were transported for long periods to Botany Bay, others imprisoned, and some were executed. It is a story of unflinching courage and determination.

However, MacAskill is a lawyer and politician rather than a historian, and the absence of historical training leads to shortcomings in approach and analysis. Firstly, there is the conspiratorial claim that he is “uncovering” this historical moment after it has been hidden from the public by “the establishment”. But this story has in fact been told many times, and the volume adds little to what is already known. Secondly, there is the omission of important works from both the endnotes and the bibliography. For example, the chapter on the King’s Birthday Riots, which unfolded in Edinburgh in June 1792, fails to mention the seminal work on this subject by Chris Whatley. As a starting point for examining this period in Scottish political history, Radical Scotland is excellent, but it remains no more than that.

Bill Knox is honorary senior lecturer at the University of St Andrews