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Scottishness Reflections on identity.
 When Holyrood asked prominent Scots to define what it meant to be Scottish, the results were as varied as the personalities.
Shirley Manson… Brian Cox… Winnie Ewing… Atta Yaqub… Jack McConnell… and dozens more painted a fascinating picture of what it means to live and breathe Scotland The timing of publication last year was prescient; debate over the relationship between England and Scotland was gaining new momentum, fuelled by the World cup and the question of whether Scots should back Becks and Co – and a Scottish Prime Minister-in- 
waiting choosing Paul Gascoigne’s goal against Scotland in Euro 96 as his favourite footballing moment. Now the focus has moved from the pitch to politics. Scotland will elect a new Parliament in a few months time. The SNP is riding high in the polls. The 300th anniversary of the Union
between England and Scotland has recently been "celebrated". South of the border, the cry of “English votes for English laws” is growing louder. The outcome of events this year will be of fundamental importance, perhaps even more so than the result of a football match. A good time, then, to revisit Scottishness: Reflections on identity. Holyrood Magazine has commissioned another eclectic mix of Scots (by birth and adoption) to share theirperspective. Key figures from across Scottish society – from science to sports, photography to politics, law to literature, fashion to film, economics to education – give us their interpretations of Scottishness. Scots are egalitarian. Scots are determined. Scots like a drink and a laugh and thrive overseas, whatever the soil. Sounds like a recipe for success? Yes, but some revel in their underdog status and worse; they suffer tall poppy syndrome. Perhaps the balance between positive and negative is shifting, and for the better. Scottishness: Reflections on identity 2007, published this summer, will provide a fresh and compelling insight into the heart of the nation.
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