: This is a subject that is worth more than I can take up
: in John's valuable space. I will have to get a site of
: my own and try and explain the position.

Eh, don't worry about space. I have so much that I give it away. Just click the "Free Caldwell Pages" link on the left.

: There was much too-ing and fro-ing over Scots support and
: the Whigs (the presbyterian party of the time) were in
: control and nothing would satisfy them other than a
: ruler who was subservient to the Church and the
: people. ie: a constitutional monarch.

A little yes, and a little no. Charles acted as an absolute monarch. Scots were deeply loyal to the Kirk and didn't like Charles attempts to reform it and rose up against him in the late 1630s.

: These guys were ahead of their times and the times were
: not really ready for them.
: Once Charles I was beheaded he Scots brought in his son
: as theri king Charles II. This was a red-rag to
: Cromwell who came up to Scotland and beat the Scots at
: Dunbar. (another story in itself).

I think I cover Dunbar quite a bit in the Cromwell section under "Myths".

: movement even more radical and many left for Northern
: Ireland in order to be able to pursue their religious
: beliefs with more tolerence. This might weem strange
: for the Presbyterians of that time were not famed for
: their own tolerence!

I couldn't agree more!

: This is a brief overview from memory covering a very
: complex and confused period in Scottish History. I
: need to give it more justice in a condidered and
: researched article.

I've done more research on 17th century Ireland, but it all really ties together. I just finished a piece on the Williamite Wars leading up to the Great Migration to America.

: What I have tried to show is that there was a fundamental
: difference of opinion between the Presbyterian faction
: which believed that the king should be answerable to
: the people through parliament and to god through the
: church. the first part has become the principle of a
: good working constitutional monarchy. For the second I
: respectfully submit that they were a bit over the top.

I'll jump in on this one. On the surface I pretty much agree with everything you said, but it might be fun to bat around a bit.

I do think that a good balance was realized in the forming of America's government, and taken from those hard lessons learned from over a century of monarchies and religious persecution.

: Consequently rash, radical, staunchly patriotic
: Presbyterians were persecuted in their own eyes even
: though they supported the institution of the monarchy.

Ironic, isn't it?