In Place of Failure

The referendum is over, but Scotland's underlying social and economic problems remain, as they have since its brutal deindustrialisation under Thatcher. Jim Sillars sets out the arguments for a second referendum and for an urgent resolution, as the Vow has failed to deliver promised powers, and in particular the powers to rescue Scotland's poor from devastating cuts. As always, Jim Sillars is radical, knowledgeable and pragmatic: socialism with its feet on the ground. He dissects Better Together's claims, examines the strengths and the weaknesses of the last Yes campaign, and urges that we prepare for the next one now. Sillars is interested in sowing some seeds of doubt and opening up the debate, but as you read this book, you become increasingly aware of the wide political experience and the meticulous research that underlie his views and policies. In Place of Failure is the follow-up to In Place of Fear II, whose title was itself a reference to Aneurin Bevan's historic defence of the welfare state.Last year's book was one of the key texts written in the heat of the campaign, whereas this longer work is more of a rallying cry to keep us informed and ready for the next appointment with Scotland's destiny.

Jim Sillars, born in 1937, followed his father into work on the railways before joining the Royal Navy as a radio operator. When he later joined the Fire Brigade, he started his political career, active in the Fire Brigades Union and the Scottish Trade Union Congress. He became the Labour MP for South Ayrshire in 1970 and worked tirelessly for the establishment of a Scottish Assembly. He split from the Labour Party in 1976 to help form the Scottish Labour Party (SLP). Having lost his seat in 1979, he worked in South-East Asia before returning to Westminster in the Govan by-election as an SNP MP. The Govan seat was lost in 1992. Sillars continues to write a column for Holyrood Magazine and occasional articles for various newspapers. He was married to the independent MSP Margo MacDonald, who died last year, and is an articulate spokesman for the cause of socialism and independence. Last year, Vagabond Voices published his first referendum book, In Place of Fear II.