Tag Archives: Scotland

White Paper: Navigating the NHS in the United Kingdom as a Foreigner

Posted on October 4, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive summary The NHS is four systems (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) with shared principles but different rules for some charges and entitlements. Your route to care depends on (1) where you are in the UK, (2) your immigration status/visa, … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Scottish Independence: An ROI Perspective

Posted on October 3, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive summary Bottom line: On current public accounts and trade patterns, an independent Scotland would begin with a sizable structural fiscal gap (≈11–12% of GDP on a net basis) alongside material border-related trade frictions with rUK (its dominant market), which … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Contrasting Approaches to Informing Travelers about Parking: Newcastle & Stirling versus Edinburgh & Berwick

Posted on October 3, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Parking is one of the most consistent sources of frustration for visitors to UK cities. The way cities inform travelers about availability, rules, and enforcement varies considerably. This paper contrasts Newcastle and Stirling, which lean toward practical, traveler-oriented … Continue reading →

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White Paper: What Was Lost: Scotland in the Wars of the Auld Alliance and in the Brain Drain of Empire

Posted on October 2, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Scotland’s history is marked by two great forms of loss: first, the devastation of recurrent wars fought against England in the medieval and early modern periods, often within the framework of the Auld Alliance with France (1295–1560); second, … Continue reading →

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White Paper: The Effects of History and the Seeming Marginality of Scotland on Relations Between Scotland and England

Posted on October 1, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary The relationship between Scotland and England is one of the most enduring and complex in Europe. From centuries of armed conflict to the eventual Treaty of Union in 1707, their shared history has shaped both nations’ identities, economies, … Continue reading →

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Beautifying East Lothian’s Towns and Cities: A White Paper on Causes, Constraints, and a Practical Path Forward

Posted on October 1, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary East Lothian’s settlements—Haddington, Musselburgh, North Berwick, Dunbar, Tranent, Prestonpans, Cockenzie & Port Seton, and others—enjoy strong fundamentals: historic fabric, coastal settings, compact high streets, and rail links to Edinburgh. Yet many places feel visually “under-curated”: cluttered streets, worn … Continue reading →

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White Paper: The Anglo-Scottish Borderlands between Edinburgh and Berwick: A Cockpit of War

Posted on October 1, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary The corridor stretching from Edinburgh in the north to Berwick-upon-Tweed in the south served for centuries as one of the most militarized and contested landscapes in the British Isles. Its geography, fortifications, and socio-political importance made it a … Continue reading →

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White Paper: The Political and Military History of the Kingdom of Strathclyde

Posted on September 29, 2025 by nathanalbright

Introduction The Kingdom of Strathclyde, sometimes called Alt Clut (“Rock of the Clyde”) after its fortress base at Dumbarton Rock, was one of the most enduring Brittonic successor states to Roman Britain. Existing from at least the 5th century until … Continue reading →

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The Kingdom of the Picts: A White Paper on Political and Military History

Posted on September 27, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive summary From late Roman times to the mid-9th century, the peoples later called “Picts” forged powerful polities north of the Forth, culminating in the over-kingdom of Fortriu and a period of regional hegemony. Their ascendancy was punctuated by decisive … Continue reading →

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White Paper: The Political and Military History of Dál Riata

Posted on September 26, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive summary Dál Riata (also Dalriada or Dál Riata) was a Gaelic overkingdom spanning northeast Antrim (Ireland) and the western seaboard of Scotland (Argyll, Kintyre, Islay, Jura, Mull, and adjacent isles). Between the sixth and eighth centuries it pioneered a … Continue reading →

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