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  1. Politics
8 April 2015updated 14 Apr 2015 7:05pm

The Returning Officer: West Fife II

A novel solution and a reformed scotland.

By Stephen Brasher

James Duncan Millar died in 1932, causing a by-election in 1933. The Liberal National James Henderson-Stewart won with Tory support. J L Anderson finished third for the Agricultural Party, declaring that he was a Tory.

The novelist Eric Linklater finished last for the National Party of Scotland. Linklater wrote the novel Magnus Merriman about the campaign. The hero becomes the National Party candidate for Kinluce, his membership paid for without his knowledge by his friend Meiklejohn, who tells him that the party is “the biggest thing that’s happened in Scotland for generations. It means the re-creation of a people, the rebirth of . . . Scotland.”

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Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com Our Thursday ideas newsletter, delving into philosophy, criticism, and intellectual history. The best way to sign up for The Salvo is via thesalvo.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team. The best way to sign up for The Green Transition is via spotlightonpolicy.substack.com
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