The violent unrest that has caused so much damage in the UK has not in fact happened across the UK. It has almost been exclusively confined to England. True, violent riots also took place in Belfast, Northern Ireland, but, interestingly enough, even there they were largely perpetrated by British loyalists, along with a few far-right extremists from Dublin. The … [Read more...] about The trouble with – and in – England
England
Your country needs EU – a journey led by poets
Was it about the powers we gain or how we use them? Christine De LucaThe morning after, and the many more mornings to come…how do we feel? Who are we? What are we for? Writing before the 2014 Scottish referendum, Edinburgh’s then Makar Christine De Luca anticipated the dawn of 19 September and that morning’s mixed emotions. Her finely balanced poem ends with gentle rousing: … [Read more...] about Your country needs EU – a journey led by poets
GE2019 and #indyref2
Once again, Scotland and England have diverged sharply in their electoral choices. Campaigns in both countries focused on Brexit but in Scotland equal prominence was given to the prospect of a second referendum on independence. In 2014, Scots voted by 55 per cent to remain in the United Kingdom after a campaign in which both sides shared the wish to stay in the … [Read more...] about GE2019 and #indyref2
You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
So a Tory party in the thrall of zealots has all but engineered Britain’s reckless departure from Europe.Theresa May’s stated casus belli is cutting immigration but the dull thread stitching her Lancaster House strategy speech together was a desperate attempt to steal UKIP’s seductive clothing.The legitimacy of her mandate for such drastic action is far from certain. … [Read more...] about You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone