On my way to a lecture at lunchtime today I couldn't resist Private Eye's cover, (the bubble says "Now I can lie through my teeth") and inside there was this most appropriate cartoon. In my own defence I must insist that I do have more sociable hobbies as well.



A Scottish historian, Christopher Watley, was talking about the 1707 Union based on work he and Derek Patrick had done for their book The Scots and the Union published late last year.

It was a fascinating insight into the process of historical research; looking for original documents, analysing their contents, following paths that others who had looked at the same sources had not, finding new sources and most importantly coming to conclusions.

Their conclusions, which I found convincing - but then I'm easily swayed, run counter to the current popular received wisdom of Scots being bullied and bribed into a union with England. They see it as the outcome of the wish to safeguard Scottish presbyteriarism, the wish to preserve the limitations on royal authority that came from the Glorious Revolution and the need to cure the economic basket case that Scotland was at the time.

It was a stimulating hour. I must read the book sometime soon.