The Man Who Fooled Scotland

"Edinburgh's a dump made up o' conmen wi' no consciences, vain aristocrats and mindless neds. Quite simply, ye cannae beat it." It couldn't possibly be said that Alexander Durie is normal. - First of all, everybody calls him Shug. - Secondly, he's a crook. - Lastly (and probably most importantly) he's a Burgher. And it's these factors combined which transformed him into: The Man Who Fooled Scotland. 'The Man Who Fooled Scotland' is a contemporary working class novel set in Edinburgh. Told from the perspective of a middle class Englishman, Nigel Banchory, the novel has a fish-out-of-water feel. This, combined with the potent hyperbole utilised by Nigel through the use of a first-person narrative, provides the novel with a rather comedic edge. This, however, belies a darker aspect to the novel. With all possible deference to Robert Tressell, 'The Man Who Fooled Scotland' could be described as a modern-day 'Ragged Trousered Philanthropists'. Social conditions within central-belt Scotland, especially Leith, serve as a constant backdrop to the novel. The author had plenty of material to draw upon before writing this novel, from both personal and familial experience. All of the characters in the novel, including Nigel and Shug, are based on real people or are amalgamations of real people. The novel is largely a catalogue of real events. In writing this novel, the author is endeavouring to share these incidents with the wider public. To show another aspect to Scotland.