As a young reporter John MacKay took the first calls on the Lockerbie Bombing. As a news anchor he conducted the final TV interviews of the Yes and No campaigns in Scotland’s Referendum. His journey in journalism has taken him to the key events through the most dramatic decades of Scotland’s peacetime history. Using contemporary scripts, transcripts of significant interviews, diaries and recollections, he charts Scotland’s transformation as a society and as a nation.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgements Preface Introduction 1986 Hercules the Bear Women get legal right to claim housekeeping Concerns over Chernobyl explosion Gartcosh closure 1987 Barlinnie riots General Election 1987 Industrial unrest over privatisation aids threat Demolition of Apollo Theatre Sunday opening of shops 1988 Orkney tales Refugee concerns Glasgow Garden Festival Piper Alpha Jim Sillars wins Govan by-election David Murray buys Rangers Lockerbie bombing 1989 NHS restructuring proposals Bellgrove train crash Annual Scotland England football rivalry under threat Rangers sign first Catholic House of Commons televised Channel Tunnel concerns for Scotland 1990 Eastwood helicopter crash Rangers invited to join European Super League Ten die in plane crash on Harris Neil Kinnock – Scottish Assembly free to raise taxes Genetic fingerprinting Offside rule changed 1991 First Gulf War Downing Street mortar attack Orkney child abuse allegations Council Tax replaces Poll Tax Newton rail crash 1992 Ravenscraig closure General Election 1992 Scottish Super League Changes to goalkeeper passback rules Barcelona Olympics ERM crisis 1993 Braer disaster `Not Proven’ campaign Rangers in new Champions League British football’s most expensive signing Nelson Mandela in Glasgow 1994 Celtic takeover by Fergus McCann Frederick West’s Scottish victims John Smith’s death Tridents submarines on the Clyde Gordon Brown steps aside for Tony Blair First T-in-the-Park Girl Guide bus crash National Lottery launch Catholic Church sex abuse scandal 1995 Ecstasy deaths M77 motorway Local Government reorganisation Death of Davie Cooper Rising poverty Skin cancer increasing Braveheart premiere Quebec Referendum Big freeze 1996 Killer asbestos Rising drug deaths Dunblane Last Polaris submarine Greenock torture trial Oasis at Loch Lomond Labour propose Referendum on Devolution Glasgow sick city of Europe First commercial windfarm E-coli outbreak 1997 General Election 1997 Conservative wipeout in Scotland Death of Princess Diana Devolution Referendum Hamilton curfew 1998 Housing shortage World Cup 1998 Edinburgh tram proposal Scottish Six ruled out 1999 1 First Scottish Parliament election Donald Dewar becomes Scotland’s first First Minister Opening of Scottish Parliament Glasgow Airport crash Scotland v England European Championship qualifiers 2000 Clause 28 row Fuel crisis Donald Dewar’s death Henry McLeish becomes First Minister First Minister meets the Pope Madonna’s wedding 2001 Lockerbie Bomber conviction Foot and Mouth outbreak Resignation of First Minister Henry McLeish Jack McConnell becomes First Minister 2002 Lockerbie Bomber’s appeal Champions League Final in Glasgow French school bus crash Firefighters’ strike Cowgate blaze Catholic schools row 2003 Iraq War Scottish Parliament elections 2003 Celtic in UEFA Cup Final Holyrood building fiasco 2004 Rosepark Care Home fire Alex Salmond returns as SNP leader Holyrood Inquiry Opening of new Scottish Parliament building 2005 Auschwitz anniversary Make Poverty History march G8 Summit at Gleneagles Civil Partnerships 2006 Smoking ban Bird Flu scare East European immigration 2007 Scottish Parliament election 2007 Madeleine McCann disappears Alex Salmond becomes First Minister Gordon Brown becomes Prime Minister Glasgow chosen to host Commonwealth Games 2008 Death Row Scot returns home Rangers in UEFA Cup Final Wendy Alexander resigns as Scottish Labour leader Banking crisis 2009 RBS post worst losses in UK financial history North Sea helicopter crash Lockerbie Bomber freed Peter Tobin sentenced to life 2010 General Election 2010 Coalition Government Pope Benedict visits Scotland Ed Miliband new Labour leader in UK Big Freeze Tommy Sheridan convicted 2011 Scottish Parliament elections 2011 SNP majority Scottish Government Launch of Scotland Tonight Hurricane Bawbag 2012 Scottish Independence debate Rangers go bust Death of Lockerbie Bomber Olympic Torch in Scotland Andy Murray wins first Grand Slam Olympic Homecoming parade Kevin Bridges interview Oscar Pistorius interview Andy Murray interview 2013 Death of Margaret Thatcher STV Independence debates Andy Murray wins Wimbledon Scottish Government white paper on Independence Clutha tragedy Death of Nelson Mandela 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow Scottish Independence Referendum Johann Lamont resigns as Scottish Labour Leader Nicola Sturgeon becomes First Minister George Square tragedy 2015 General Election 2015 Conservative majority government SNP landslide in Scotland Death of Charles Kennedy Debate on more powers for Scotland