Podcast Summary

Episode Overview

Podcast: New Books Network
Host: Dr. Miranda Melcher
Guest: Dr. Marc Mierowsky
Episode: A Spy Amongst Us: Daniel Defoe's Secret Service and the Plot to End Scottish Independence (Yale UP, 2026)
Date: February 10, 2026

This episode explores Marc Mierowsky's new book about Daniel Defoe—not just as the famed author of Robinson Crusoe, but as a political operative and spy during one of the most turbulent moments in British history: the union of Scotland and England in the early 1700s. The discussion interprets Defoe as part of a vibrant network of spies, agents, and statesmen dedicated to ending Scottish independence and building the modern British state. The episode intertwines Defoe's espionage, the wider politics of statecraft, and the ongoing relevance of these events in today’s debates about Scottish sovereignty.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Write About Defoe the Spy? [01:03–03:25]

• Marc Mierowsky's Motivation:
  • He's a lecturer focusing on late 17th and early 18th-century literature and political thought.
  • Defoe is an ongoing fascination, especially the overlap between his gritty, real-world political experience and his literary output.
  • "His was a politics that was tested ... forged in the foundry of real world experiences." (Mierowsky, 01:46)
  • After editing Defoe’s correspondence, Mierowsky realized he now had the material to reconstruct spy networks and write for a broader audience.

2. The Book’s Structure: Not a Biography [03:25–07:37]

• Focused Analysis, Not Cradle-to-Grave:

  • “This isn’t really a biography…there’s a more interesting analysis…about him and his work in these areas, but also wider questions around... the role of intelligence in creating…a more modern state.” (Melcher, 03:30)
  • Mierowsky positions the work as narrative and group biography; it zooms in on Defoe’s interactions within networks that shaped emerging British statecraft.
  • Emphasis on personal relationships, intrigue, and the machinery making political change possible.

• Interest in 'Shadowy Figures':

  • The book highlights not just ministers, but their agents: writers, spies, political operatives—“ad hoc, tenuous, shadowy figures that exist at that one level below the ministers.” (Mierowsky, 06:38)
  • Argument: These operatives are vital for implementing policy.

3. Who Was in the Network? Triumvirate and Agents [08:12–12:24]

• The ‘Triumvirate’:

  • Godolphin (Treasury, Lords), Marlborough (military, Anne’s favor), Harley (Commons, then Secretary for the North incl. Scotland).
  • Describes personal ties, shared ambitions, and their attempts at “managerial independence”—a forerunner of executive power.

• Harley’s Espionage Network:

  • Recognizing the importance of public opinion, Harley cultivates writers and informants.
  • “Harley starts building this network of writers and operatives…and that becomes the... lot of Harley’s ad hoc network of intelligence agents.” (Mierowsky, 10:31)
  • Agents include Defoe, William Paterson, John Ogilvy, among others.

4. The Unexpected Starting Point: Water Pipes and Metaphor [12:24–17:36]

• Opening the Book in 1703 with London’s Water Pipes:

  • A metaphor for clandestine channels of political power and information.
  • The Hampstead Water Company’s network provides a “concrete way to bring us into this network.”
  • William Paterson is a “connector”: founder of the Bank of England, Darien Scheme, and direct link between Defoe and Harley.

• Defoe on the Run:

  • Fleeing charges of seditious libel after “The Shortest Way with the Dissenters.”
  • Writes covertly to Paterson, offering covert service to Harley as a way out—beginnings of his role as a political operative.

5. Why Was English Control over Scotland So Urgent? [18:08–22:36]

• Geopolitical and Dynastic Threats:
  • Scotland’s Parliament could threaten English security, especially given historical ties to France.
  • Concerns over the Protestant succession (after 1701’s Act of Settlement) and potential for Jacobite restoration via France.
  • “Defoe at one stage says it’s either going to be union or war ... I think he’s not altogether wrong.” (Mierowsky, 21:46)

6. Scottish Public Opinion (and Its Political Impact) [22:48–29:11]

• Widespread Opposition:

  • “Scottish public opinion is overwhelmingly against the union … overwhelmingly against an incorporative union.” (Mierowsky, 23:19)
  • Preferred a federated union; instead, centralization from London was forced.
  • Public protests, riots, addresses, and petitions against incorporation became a real threat to the political process.

• Political Maneuvering:

  • English and Scottish Parliaments’ negotiations happened behind closed doors, with public influence limited until the ratification process—a moment that brought mass unrest.

• English Government Response:

  • Deploys operatives like Defoe to counter Scottish opposition and manage the volatile street politics.

7. Defoe’s Role as a Political Operative in Scotland [29:11–35:55]

• Defoe’s Cover and Mission:

  • Claims to be traveling for business and personal safety, but is actually Harley’s agent.
  • After imprisonment, Defoe becomes “indebted” to Harley and agrees to undertake political intelligence.
  • Builds a sophisticated network of distribution agents, both for intelligence gathering and propaganda dissemination.

• Assessing and Shaping Public Opinion:

  • “He’s building this nascent intelligence network. It’s both an intelligence and a propaganda network ... The better you know a constituency of readers, the better you can directly target your writing to shape their ideas.” (Mierowsky, 32:32)

• Transition in Intelligence:

  • The system is moving from “ad hoc, gentlemanly” intelligence to something more professional, but still a far cry from modern agencies.

8. Danger, Propaganda, and Influence in Edinburgh [36:47–41:16]

• Risk and Cover:

  • “There is danger, I think. And Defoe confronts this directly during some of the riots, though it’s very hard to tell because he is prone to exaggerating…He does have a novelist’s temperament.” (Mierowsky, 37:19)
  • Defoe infiltrates religious and economic committees, befriends ministers, and influences “the calculation of the equivalent” (financial compensation to Scotland).

• Anonymous Publishing and Persuasion:

  • Publishes reviews and pamphlets, often anonymously, using a variety of rhetorical voices to sway both politicians and public opinion.

• Was Defoe Decisive?

  • Counterfactuals are hard— but Mierowsky sees Defoe’s contribution as pivotal in an environment where union was far from inevitable.

9. Defoe: The Link Between Spy and Novelist [41:16–44:49]

• Methodological Overlap:

  • First-person perspective in novels mirrors the assumption of cover stories as a spy.
  • Defoe as a “reader of mankind”—observational skills and impersonation serve both espionage and literature.

• Quote:

  • “Adopting a cover story is what a novelist does. And if we think about it, there’s a lot of novelists who are spies in Defoe’s own age…” (Mierowsky, 43:36)

10. The Union’s Legacy and Present-Day Relevance [44:49–50:06]

• A Contingent, Not Inevitable, Union:

  • The union was “unstable, restless, up for continual debate” from its origins.
  • “We need … a dispassionate look at its formation because it wasn’t this sort of transcendent, wonderful fait accompli. It was a much grubbier, a much more negotiated, cleverly negotiated by England, much more compromised geopolitical compact.” (Mierowsky, 49:36)

• Modern Parallels:

  • Brexit and Scottish independence debates echo 1707 debates about sovereignty, economics, and national benefit.

11. Future Research Directions [50:06–52:43]

• Ongoing Work:
  • Academic book on Jewish naturalization and immigration policy.
  • A “non-traditional” biography—not of Defoe himself, but of Robinson Crusoe as a character with enduring influence.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “His was a politics that was tested … forged in the foundry of real world experiences.”
  — Marc Mierowsky [01:46]

• “The best cover is the one that’s closest to fact, but it’s not the whole fact.”
  — Marc Mierowsky [30:10]

• “Scottish public opinion is overwhelmingly against the union … overwhelmingly against an incorporative union.”
  — Marc Mierowsky [23:19]

• “He’s building this nascent intelligence network. It’s both an intelligence and a propaganda network…to know the people, but also seeding propaganda to shape their views.”
  — Marc Mierowsky [32:31]

• “There’s a lot of novelists who began as agents of some kind. And those are just the ones we know about…there might be a lot of novelists who worked in the secret services before.”
  — Marc Mierowsky [43:39]

• “We need … a dispassionate look at its formation because it wasn’t this sort of transcendent, wonderful fait accompli. It was a much grubbier, a much more negotiated, cleverly negotiated by England, much more compromised geopolitical compact.”
  — Marc Mierowsky [49:36]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:03] – Why Defoe and this book?
• [03:25] – Not a traditional biography; group biography explained
• [08:12] – Who was in the group (Triumvirate, agents)
• [12:24] – Opening with water pipes and William Paterson’s role
• [18:08] – Geopolitical context: Scottish threat, succession
• [23:13] – Scottish public opinion, the “incorporative” union
• [29:11] – Defoe’s cover, Harley’s network, coordination
• [32:31] – Intelligence + propaganda: Defoe’s network-building
• [36:47] – Danger to Defoe, his infiltration in Scotland
• [41:16] – Novelist as spy: methodological cross-over
• [44:49] – Modern relevance: Brexit, Scottish independence
• [50:06] – Mierowsky’s next projects

Summary for New Listeners

This insightful episode is essential listening if you want to understand Daniel Defoe as much more than a novelist; he was embedded in the networks that helped shape the modern British state, battling over Scottish independence at the dawn of the 18th century. Marc Mierowsky’s book, discussed here, not only uncovers the clandestine operations and personal ambitions of operatives like Defoe, but also brings into relief the contested, contingent nature of the union that still shapes politics today. Whether you’re interested in history, espionage, literature, or modern sovereignty debates—this conversation is rich with context, color, and contemporary resonance.