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Blossom: What Scotland Needs to Flourish
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 deeper. BACK COVER What 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 it's 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 that's holding Scotland back. Drawing from its people, history, and the author's own passionate and outspoken perspective this is a plain-speaking but incisive call to restore control to local communities and let Scotland flourish.
430 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 26, 2013
13 people are currently reading
81 people want to read
About the author
Lesley Riddoch
14 books15 followersLesley Anne Riddoch (born February 1960) is a Scottish journalist and radio broadcaster. Born 1960 in Wolverhampton, England, Riddoch moved with her Scottish parents to Belfast in 1963, then to Glasgow in 1973, where she attended Drewsteignton, a fee-paying private school then located in the affluent suburb of Bearsden. In 1978 she attended the University of Oxford and graduated with an honours degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. She was also elected president of the student union in 1981. After graduating she studied for a postgraduate diploma in journalism at Cardiff University.
From 1989 to 1994 she presented the BBC Radio Scotland programme Speaking Out and was one of the presenters of Radio Four programme You and Yours. In 1993 Riddoch won a Cosmopolitan woman award for Communication and in 1994 her Radio Scotland production team won best talk show award. One of the Speaking Out programmes took the Silver Quill Law Society award that same year. Between 1999 and 2005 she had her own daily radio programme the Lesley Riddoch Show on Radio Scotland.
From 1989 to 1994 she presented the BBC Radio Scotland programme Speaking Out and was one of the presenters of Radio Four programme You and Yours. In 1993 Riddoch won a Cosmopolitan woman award for Communication and in 1994 her Radio Scotland production team won best talk show award. One of the Speaking Out programmes took the Silver Quill Law Society award that same year. Between 1999 and 2005 she had her own daily radio programme the Lesley Riddoch Show on Radio Scotland.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 25, 2014
One vision of a possible future...
The run-up to this September’s referendum on Scottish Independence has led to a rash of books on the subject of how Scotland should best be governed, as we all indulge in some intense navel-gazing. Some books attempt to take an unbiased approach, others are arguing strongly for one side or the other. This one is an unashamed polemic, arguing not so much for independence as it’s currently being offered, but for a return to localism in politics – a vision inspired by a damning comparison of Scotland to the similarly sized countries in the Nordic belt.
Lesley Riddoch has been one of Scotland’s leading journalists for decades, both in print and on radio and television. She draws on many of the stories she has covered in her long career in painting a picture of Scotland that is, quite frankly, bleak. Her position is that the root cause of Scotland’s poor showing in any comparisons of health or life expectancy is the people’s lack of control over their own environment. In Riddoch’s view, simply separating Scotland from the UK would merely mean a change in location of an over-centralised state from London to Edinburgh – instead she argues strongly for a return to much smaller local councils with real powers; and for strong community schemes, particularly with regard to housing and health, where residents are able to decide their own priorities and take control of their own surroundings.
To make her point, Riddoch looks in general at the history of housing and land ownership in Scotland, pointing out that still today 60% of the land is owned by 1,000 people – often the same families as controlled it in the days of feudalism. She highlights the emptiness and lack of productivity of much of the land – carefully managed as ‘wilderness’ pleasure grounds for the benefit of the few – and contrasts this with the cabin culture of the Nordic states, where city-dwellers regularly own a small piece of the countryside where they can retreat to nature for weekends and summer breaks. In Scotland, in Riddoch’s view, city-dwellers have almost no contact with the countryside, thus missing out on the health benefits of a more outdoors existence; but perhaps more importantly, feeling that they have no control over how this vast resource is managed and controlled.
Riddoch offers ideas for solutions to the problems she highlights by giving examples of, in her view, more successful forms of land management and community housing schemes. As a trustee of the Isle of Eigg Trust, she was involved in the successful community buy-out after years of mismanagement by a variety of absentee landlords. She shows the difficulties of bringing the buy-out to fruition, but gives a rosy picture of how community involvement has improved the lives of the islanders and slowed the drift to the cities. She discusses in depth the tradition of tenement-dwelling in Scottish cities, suggesting that with some modernisation this type of shared housing space is a way of keeping community spirit within cities and stopping the spread of housing out into what she clearly sees as soulless suburbs. She suggests that the decline in formal use not just of Gaelic but of the much more broadly based Scots leads to a sense of inferiority and unwillingness to speak publicly on the part of those for whom Scots is still the first language. (She reminds us of one of my own pet hates – that a child speaking Scots will be told to speak ‘properly’ - i.e. speak English.) And she draws on some successful community health schemes to bolster her argument that local involvement works more effectively than national government in improving health outcomes.
Riddoch states quite clearly at the outset that the book is a polemic and has carefully cherry-picked her examples to back up her arguments. Overall, I found myself in agreement with her more often than not, though I do get somewhat tired of being told how great the Nordic countries are – I read Scandi crime and they seem just as dismally drunken and angst-ridden as your average Scot as far as I can see, and with even worse weather! Riddoch produces statistics to back up her arguments of course and, while I happily believe them, I also believe that statistics can be found to support any argument anyone chooses to make. Sometimes the statistics that are left out are just as revealing. A quick Google search brings up statistics that ‘prove’ Scotland is pretty much in line with the rest of the Nordic belt in terms of crime, access to healthcare etc; just as much as the ones Riddoch quotes ‘prove’ the opposite. So I felt Riddoch over-egged that portion of the pudding, but she’s by no means alone in that – it’s become a Scottish tradition to praise all things Nordic. It’s also a Scottish tradition to run ourselves down and I felt Riddoch did a little too much of that. It seemed to me that, while what she said about the gloomy aspects of Scottish health and welfare were on the whole unarguable, she failed to mention that great strides have been made over recent years, especially since devolution. Still a long, long way to go, of course – but I did feel that a little bit of self-congratulation wouldn’t have gone amiss amidst the overall message of doom and gloom. But maybe I’m just a glass-half-full kind of gal…
The very fact that Riddoch got me agreeing and arguing with her in turn shows that I found this a thought-provoking and provocative read – not one that’s directly related to the independence debate, though definitely on the Vote Yes side, but one that argues beyond that for one kind of society we might aspire to if we’re willing to make fundamental reforms to our system of government. Recommended as an interesting addition to our current obsession – but one for Scots only, I would think.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
The run-up to this September’s referendum on Scottish Independence has led to a rash of books on the subject of how Scotland should best be governed, as we all indulge in some intense navel-gazing. Some books attempt to take an unbiased approach, others are arguing strongly for one side or the other. This one is an unashamed polemic, arguing not so much for independence as it’s currently being offered, but for a return to localism in politics – a vision inspired by a damning comparison of Scotland to the similarly sized countries in the Nordic belt.
Lesley Riddoch has been one of Scotland’s leading journalists for decades, both in print and on radio and television. She draws on many of the stories she has covered in her long career in painting a picture of Scotland that is, quite frankly, bleak. Her position is that the root cause of Scotland’s poor showing in any comparisons of health or life expectancy is the people’s lack of control over their own environment. In Riddoch’s view, simply separating Scotland from the UK would merely mean a change in location of an over-centralised state from London to Edinburgh – instead she argues strongly for a return to much smaller local councils with real powers; and for strong community schemes, particularly with regard to housing and health, where residents are able to decide their own priorities and take control of their own surroundings.
To make her point, Riddoch looks in general at the history of housing and land ownership in Scotland, pointing out that still today 60% of the land is owned by 1,000 people – often the same families as controlled it in the days of feudalism. She highlights the emptiness and lack of productivity of much of the land – carefully managed as ‘wilderness’ pleasure grounds for the benefit of the few – and contrasts this with the cabin culture of the Nordic states, where city-dwellers regularly own a small piece of the countryside where they can retreat to nature for weekends and summer breaks. In Scotland, in Riddoch’s view, city-dwellers have almost no contact with the countryside, thus missing out on the health benefits of a more outdoors existence; but perhaps more importantly, feeling that they have no control over how this vast resource is managed and controlled.
Riddoch offers ideas for solutions to the problems she highlights by giving examples of, in her view, more successful forms of land management and community housing schemes. As a trustee of the Isle of Eigg Trust, she was involved in the successful community buy-out after years of mismanagement by a variety of absentee landlords. She shows the difficulties of bringing the buy-out to fruition, but gives a rosy picture of how community involvement has improved the lives of the islanders and slowed the drift to the cities. She discusses in depth the tradition of tenement-dwelling in Scottish cities, suggesting that with some modernisation this type of shared housing space is a way of keeping community spirit within cities and stopping the spread of housing out into what she clearly sees as soulless suburbs. She suggests that the decline in formal use not just of Gaelic but of the much more broadly based Scots leads to a sense of inferiority and unwillingness to speak publicly on the part of those for whom Scots is still the first language. (She reminds us of one of my own pet hates – that a child speaking Scots will be told to speak ‘properly’ - i.e. speak English.) And she draws on some successful community health schemes to bolster her argument that local involvement works more effectively than national government in improving health outcomes.
Riddoch states quite clearly at the outset that the book is a polemic and has carefully cherry-picked her examples to back up her arguments. Overall, I found myself in agreement with her more often than not, though I do get somewhat tired of being told how great the Nordic countries are – I read Scandi crime and they seem just as dismally drunken and angst-ridden as your average Scot as far as I can see, and with even worse weather! Riddoch produces statistics to back up her arguments of course and, while I happily believe them, I also believe that statistics can be found to support any argument anyone chooses to make. Sometimes the statistics that are left out are just as revealing. A quick Google search brings up statistics that ‘prove’ Scotland is pretty much in line with the rest of the Nordic belt in terms of crime, access to healthcare etc; just as much as the ones Riddoch quotes ‘prove’ the opposite. So I felt Riddoch over-egged that portion of the pudding, but she’s by no means alone in that – it’s become a Scottish tradition to praise all things Nordic. It’s also a Scottish tradition to run ourselves down and I felt Riddoch did a little too much of that. It seemed to me that, while what she said about the gloomy aspects of Scottish health and welfare were on the whole unarguable, she failed to mention that great strides have been made over recent years, especially since devolution. Still a long, long way to go, of course – but I did feel that a little bit of self-congratulation wouldn’t have gone amiss amidst the overall message of doom and gloom. But maybe I’m just a glass-half-full kind of gal…
The very fact that Riddoch got me agreeing and arguing with her in turn shows that I found this a thought-provoking and provocative read – not one that’s directly related to the independence debate, though definitely on the Vote Yes side, but one that argues beyond that for one kind of society we might aspire to if we’re willing to make fundamental reforms to our system of government. Recommended as an interesting addition to our current obsession – but one for Scots only, I would think.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
January 9, 2018
This is quite a heavy book that delves into all aspects of Scottish life. Health (shite.) housing (poor) childcare (expensive.) equality (shite.) land ownership (awful) Councils (too big.) language (we are embarrassed.) gender equality (poor.)...... but the book goes onto list places, mainly in Scotland where big important battles have been fought and won and improvements have been made. The book both enthused me and frustrated me because from my own experience people are keen to opt for the way that it’s always been, rather than trying to forge something better for everyone. Good book
February 18, 2018
An inspiring an slightly nostalgic read from sunnier pre-Brexit, Indyref times. Lesley Riddoch, one of Scotland's best modern thinkers, gives clear answers so many questions about why our country is how it is and how situations we see as inevitable really aren't inevitable or even remotely normal in a northern European nation. This book makes you angry, makes you despair, and then makes you want to get up and do something about it.
February 11, 2018
interesting book, explained a lot of things which I have wondered about coming from Scotland.
September 30, 2014
A couple of weeks before the Scottish Referendum vote I went along to see Lesley Riddoch speak locally in a pro-independence debate. Her opening 10 minutes were incredible, and she then went on to paint a fantastic vision of what Scotland could be like in the future, why we are the way we are, what has led Scotland into asking for independence, in a way that a politician could never do. Politicians are forever confined behind party politics, answering questions on currency and EU membership and suchlike – short and medium term stuff that helps to scare people. Riddoch explained that once Scotland was independent we could rip the whole book up and reprogramme ourselves. Scotland didn’t need to be a carbon copy of Westminster except based in Edinburgh. She drew on examples of Nordic democracy and how it has worked and continues to work, despite differences in political opinion. I came out of the debate feeling utterly positive – she was a breath of fresh air, energising everyone in the room, and doubtless those in the room who weren’t for independence either. ‘Blossom’ is an extension of that debate. I bought a copy after the talk and she signed it ‘Seize the moment, September 2014’....so it was with some sadness that I picked up the book to read after the referendum where the majority of people in Scotland voted ‘no’ for independence.
The book delves into the Scottish psyche – how Scotland is a separate culture and country, not just a homogenized ‘British’ culture which is constantly rammed home, where in fact Britishness doesn’t exist, or only exists as an extension of Englishness (due to England’s overwhelming size), why Scotland has low confidence as a nation, why Scotland has the worst life expectancy in Europe, the historical feudal land ownership and how this still has connotations today. She takes a feeling or a commonly held opinion and drills right down into it, looking back at history and then case examples that lead right up to the current day that bring fact to the feeling that initially sounded quite arbitrary, or that sounded like a constant ‘chip’ on Scotland’s shoulder.
The book started off quite dry, with the first few chapters on the ‘Scottish Effect’ – countless disaffected and disenfranchised people, mainly in the major cities, who have had their confidence broken and why it has been a repeated pattern through the last few generations when Scottish industry and employment was effectively dismantled and families were left to just ‘get on with it’; then a chapter on Scottish housing and how it alone has shaped us as a nation. However, here she spoke for the cities which are mainly tenement blocks and I come from a different Scotland of small-town and rural, where there are very few tenements so I found this part difficult to identify with, although I could see her point relating to Glasgow/Edinburgh. The book got better as it went on to the island of Eigg community buyout from a succession of absentee landowners cracking the whip. The last few chapters of the book were fantastic – on Scottish gender equality and Scottish culture. Riddoch has a way with words that can paint a fantastic vision, that can drive home a point so well, all backed up with facts, history and reference.
Although I read this post-referendum I could see in reflection why Scotland voted no. This is a fantastic read, if only to understand the complexity behind the ideal for independence.
The book delves into the Scottish psyche – how Scotland is a separate culture and country, not just a homogenized ‘British’ culture which is constantly rammed home, where in fact Britishness doesn’t exist, or only exists as an extension of Englishness (due to England’s overwhelming size), why Scotland has low confidence as a nation, why Scotland has the worst life expectancy in Europe, the historical feudal land ownership and how this still has connotations today. She takes a feeling or a commonly held opinion and drills right down into it, looking back at history and then case examples that lead right up to the current day that bring fact to the feeling that initially sounded quite arbitrary, or that sounded like a constant ‘chip’ on Scotland’s shoulder.
The book started off quite dry, with the first few chapters on the ‘Scottish Effect’ – countless disaffected and disenfranchised people, mainly in the major cities, who have had their confidence broken and why it has been a repeated pattern through the last few generations when Scottish industry and employment was effectively dismantled and families were left to just ‘get on with it’; then a chapter on Scottish housing and how it alone has shaped us as a nation. However, here she spoke for the cities which are mainly tenement blocks and I come from a different Scotland of small-town and rural, where there are very few tenements so I found this part difficult to identify with, although I could see her point relating to Glasgow/Edinburgh. The book got better as it went on to the island of Eigg community buyout from a succession of absentee landowners cracking the whip. The last few chapters of the book were fantastic – on Scottish gender equality and Scottish culture. Riddoch has a way with words that can paint a fantastic vision, that can drive home a point so well, all backed up with facts, history and reference.
Although I read this post-referendum I could see in reflection why Scotland voted no. This is a fantastic read, if only to understand the complexity behind the ideal for independence.
November 11, 2014
I voted No in the Scottish Independence vote but read this after a Yes voting friend suggested it. And I am very glad I did. Being a past Sociology student this gave me a excellent detailed view of what makes Scotland and Scottishness unique. The problems of Scotland are recognisable and there is some great grass roots stories of 'people power'. It is well researched and written in an easy to read journalistic style although there is quite a bit of repetition. Despite it being detailed I whizzed through the chapters. The problem I had with it was that this is the author's opinion and it sometimes felt biased with almost every chapter missing something. To take one example the chapter on housing compares Glasgow tenements and highrises to England and Norway but ignores the great Paris inner city tenement living and the very successful Hong Kong high rises. There was also great moaning about the Forestry and their plantations of spruce and yet no mention of the horrible plantations of wind turbines. It was also very Central focused with the Borders hardy getting a mention. The author was good at pointing out the shortcomings of all the political parties but each chapter included the phrase 'In an Independent Scotland we could...' . In my opinion almost all the 'stuckness' as she put it could have been, and still could, be put right within the current devolved government if the political parties made better choices, gave some power back to local councils and used their powers over planning better.
September 12, 2014
Lesley Riddoch is a great public speaker, with an engaging, inspiring style, and this book about how Scotland could be a better country is written in the same style. Personally I found that the style was irritating at times, being overly journalistic in a ‘human interest’ style, with one-line paragraphs like ‘In Scotland the story was different.’ or, just, ‘Hardly.’ I also found the sub-editing to be absolutely atrocious – Luath Press, don’t you have anybody who knows how to punctuate English? However, desite its faults, nobody could accuse the style of being dry. I whizzed through the chapters at quite a pace.
The great skill of the author here is in taking well-researched facts, either from referenced, scholarly sources, or from her own research as a journalist, and linking them together and presenting them in a way which makes them crystal clear to the reader. Her arguments about what is wrong with the country she loves, and how these faults could, with a lot of time and effort, be remedied, were entirely convincing for me. This includes chapters on health, local government (the problem in Scotland is that it is not local at all) and land ownership, all of which are real eye-openers.
This book is a must-read for anyone who takes an interest in Scotland as a real country where people live, regardless of their views on independence.
The great skill of the author here is in taking well-researched facts, either from referenced, scholarly sources, or from her own research as a journalist, and linking them together and presenting them in a way which makes them crystal clear to the reader. Her arguments about what is wrong with the country she loves, and how these faults could, with a lot of time and effort, be remedied, were entirely convincing for me. This includes chapters on health, local government (the problem in Scotland is that it is not local at all) and land ownership, all of which are real eye-openers.
This book is a must-read for anyone who takes an interest in Scotland as a real country where people live, regardless of their views on independence.
April 18, 2014
Sees Scotland from angles I haven't been in .. Housing, the relationship with land and houses and local authorities and landlords.... I can't get over what high implications and what tremendous influences these have had on the national psyche. Riddoch's use of language is refreshing, full of confidence and her self possession is evident in her command of Scots .
It's a good book. There are sections that make me want to weep... sections that I just don't agree with but all in all .. it's a must read. If you are at all concerned about our future relationship with our own land then you need to read it. If you want to live in freedom read it.
It's a good book. There are sections that make me want to weep... sections that I just don't agree with but all in all .. it's a must read. If you are at all concerned about our future relationship with our own land then you need to read it. If you want to live in freedom read it.
May 10, 2014
Learned a lot from this book, particularly as regards housing and land use, but found that it didn't really hold together as a cohesive whole. Nonetheless, the ideas are compelling and suggest a clear way forward for Scotland. I think it's best to imagine Riddoch delivering each chapter on air, as the style is very chatty. This is sometimes quite distracting, as in the conclusion, which is marred by excessively cliched language that distracts from the importance of what is being argued. I'd give it a 4 for ideas, but a 3 for style.
September 5, 2014
What a great book. I started to read this book on recommendation and was quietly convinced it was probably too much hard work to read. How wrong I was. It is a very informative and clever book. It was full of things I didn't know and full of new insights. At the same time the Scotland and Scottishness Lesley Riddoch describes is a feast of recognition. It is was a joy to read, it made me want to make a difference and it gave me even more appreciation for the country I live in. Thanks so much for writing this book Lesley Riddoch.
November 15, 2014
It made me cry and it made me angry. But it also made me laugh and give quite a few wee misty eyed nostalgic sighs. I think I liked it most because it spoke about a Scotland I know and recognise. I could see my life in its pages. It very nearly came close to almost making me feel like finally I belong somewhere. It gave me hope.
February 28, 2014
Essential, fascinating read for anyone with even a passing interest in Scotland, and Scotland's future.
April 18, 2014
starts well but later could have benefited from stricter editing to avoid repetition and keep it sharper.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews