State of Emergency

by Richard Drysdale

State of Emergency is a political thriller set in Scotland in the future. The independence referendum is about to be won when the Westminster Government decides to prevent it by declaring a State of Emergency and imposing Direct Rule. The plot centres around how Scotland reacts and how the UK government deals with the reaction. It is an action packed thriller that examines themes such as the use and abuse of power, the surveillance state, loyalty and betrayal and relationships at a time of deep national crisis. It is set in London, Edinburgh, Fife and Skye. The book sets out to provoke debate and thought about issues central to Scotland's future.

Genres: Scotland

255 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2016

Reviews

[Kriegslok · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this is perhaps not a great literary work it is an excellent and all to believable political thriller. I think the author wrote this in order to present the Scottish public with an idea of what Scotland is dealing with in trying to secure freedom from its status as one of the last colonies of Westminster. London does not happily let go of its bits of red on the map. If it does it likes to trash the place on the way out or insert a pliable client in place of direct rule. Interestingly Catalonia has seen things move in the direction suggested in this work as Spain tries to crush by any means the struggle for freedom there.

This novel starts from the premise that Scotland is about to vote for independence and the usual soft terror from London is increasingly seen as having failed to crush the support for independence as it did by the skin of its teeth first time round. In London there is cross-party unionism and no one wants to let the "FJ's" mess up what has been a very nice little arrangement for all south of the border and a not insignificant elite north of it. Say the PM "Te whole point of the Holyrood system was that it was designed specifically to prevent the bloody separatists from gaining control". The attitude of the London unionists is caught well "We must not stand by and watch Scotland go independent due to the irresponsibility of its people. The issues are much too important for Scottish voters to be left to themselves to decide". The author has done his homework and has a good idea of how the security and intelligence agencies operate (St Andrews University features) and the sometimes strained relations between the legislative and executive even when they are essentially on the same side as here. The interests of finance and economics in independence also come into play, here concerns are less those of vain glories of imperial control and rather concern how short and long-term gains can be maximised in any outcome. While the economy is not a central player in this tale it is the one which wins the day driving from the back-seat.

A cornered and terminally ill empire tends to act irrationally in its dying gasps, which can mean it is violent and brutal even when the outcome against it seems clear. How violent and brutal is allured to just a little here, maybe in a society not successfully integrated into the empire could be more so. Worth reading for all those supporting Scottish freedom as a what to expect and prepare for, worth reading by unionists to understand why Scotland wants to be free of imperial rule from Westminster and why freedom is only a matter of time.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy read. How far would the WM government go to prevent Scotland gaining independence? A chilling insight into one possible scenario. Thought the government view on Scotland was pretty accurate complete with the arrogance one expects of WM.
There were some timeline continuity issues that jarred for me, and a confusion on the passage of time in several places that I felt could have been solved with further proof reading. There was a degree of unbelievability to certain events. While the FM is likely to do some campaigning in their own constituency, they are likely to spend an awful lot of it around the country, and Murdo would have had little time to get so close to him.
At times the characters seemed a little superficial, and the relationship between the two characters a little too predictable.
However, it was an enjoyable quick read

[Shona Candlish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worryingly truthful at times, this is the story of the worst case scenario for Scottish democracy. It was possibly a bit too coloquial for an effective portrayal of Westminster.

[Lynne Hook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant!

I really enjoyed this,gripping at times. The last chapter with the independent celebrations brought tears to my eyes. I just pray that I see it in my lifetime!

[Lynne · Rating 2 out of 5]

More like a political history book than a thriller. Disappointing.

[Ian A · Rating 3 out of 5]

decent read

An excellent premise for a book and the key plot lines are clearly established. However the concluding chapters all feel a bit rushed. Good but not great.

[SadieReadsAgain · Rating 3 out of 5]

In my attempt to find novels based around the Scottish independence referendum, I came across this. Not quite what I was looking for, as it's a fictional version of events and not my usual sort of read, I decided to give it a go in the absence of many other options.

In this story, political espionage is the game as Westminster attempt to infiltrate the party driving the independence movement in Scotland. On the eve of the referendum, when a vote for independence is all but secured, Westminster imposes Direct Rule on Scotland and attempts to round up its political opponents.

I hadn't been decided on reading the blurb whether the author was coming from a "damn the Jocks, crush the all" perspective or not. Very quickly it becomes obvious that this is a guy who is pro-independence and unashamedly writes from that bias. All fine with me, but will no doubt ruffle others, particularly as the events of the book are extreme when it comes to just what extremes opponents are painted as going to.

On the whole, this was just a bit of fun. I loved the out-and-out villainy of the No camp, and the excitement of the chase. It's no literary ground breaker, but for those of us who lived through it and are still hoping for independence one day it was certainly cathartic.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has a good plot, it's just a pity it was so underwritten. The main characters are just ciphers, I didn't feel they were real at all. And then 2 of them just die! Luckily, I am an independence supporter, but it does read like a manifesto in many places.

[JJ Beech · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing read