Overview

Scottish devolution brought high hopes for an open political culture. But how far have these been fulfilled? Open Scotland? argues that in the field of political communication the old, established ways of the British state still remain firmly in place. Westminster and Whitehall still cast long shadows over Edinburgh.This book offers the first full-scale coverage of how media, politicians and lobbyists interact in the new Scotland. Based on their exceptional first-hand access to the key players, Philip Schlesinger, David Miller and William Dinan have written an inside account of the struggles to establish the rules of the game for covering politics.They have talked to the journalists of Scotland's political media pack who are at the heart of the new political system and who have a decisive impact on the image of the Scottish Parliament and government. They have observed and interviewed the professional lobbyists and reveal their strategies for achieving a respectable image in Scottish public life. And they have analysed some of the key rows and the failures of news management inside Scotland's government.Open Scotland? offers an insight to the world of lobbyists, journalists and spin doctors, revealing the motivations behind the news stories in Scottish politics today.

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9781902930282

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Reviews

A brilliant new study -- Peter Preston Not only does this case study shed needed light on the importance of institutional structures to the quality of public communications, but its detailed and multifaceted analysis of the inner workings of an actual public sphere sets this book apart as a notable contribution to the growing literature on public communications systems. This fascinating and well-researched study explores just how far the opportunity for making a new politics and encouraging a different political culture has been recognised ... Its judgements are made on the basis of a far more comprehensive body of evidence than most accounts of similar topics... this study deserves attention from anyone concerned about the present conditions of mediated democracy and the real limitations on getting very far beyond them. A brilliant new study Not only does this case study shed needed light on the importance of institutional structures to the quality of public communications, but its detailed and multifaceted analysis of the inner workings of an actual public sphere sets this book apart as a notable contribution to the growing literature on public communications systems. This fascinating and well-researched study explores just how far the opportunity for making a new politics and encouraging a different political culture has been recognised ... Its judgements are made on the basis of a far more comprehensive body of evidence than most accounts of similar topics... this study deserves attention from anyone concerned about the present conditions of mediated democracy and the real limitations on getting very far beyond them.

Author Information

Philip Schlesinger is Professor in Cultural Policy at the University of Glasgow and Deputy Director of CREATe, the RCUK Centre for Copyright and New Business Models in the Creative Economy. Author of Putting Reality Together and Media, State and Nation, his latest, co-authored, book is Curators of Cultural Enterprise. A Fellow of the RSE and the Academy of Social Sciences, and an editor of Media, Culture & Society, he is presently researching EU cultural policy and also developments in British film policy.

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