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Sceptical Scot

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Kirsty Hughes

About Kirsty Hughes

Kirsty Hughes was founding director of the Scottish Centre on European Relations. A writer and commentator on European and international politics, she has worked at a number of European thinktanks including Chatham House, Friends of Europe, and the Centre for European Policy Studies.

Insurgent, disruptive or flailing Labour?

February 12, 2025 by Kirsty Hughes 4 Comments

A six-hour cabinet meeting last Friday appears to have done little to give the flailing Labour government much of a new strategy. It came at the end of a week when a YouGov poll put Reform just ahead of Labour (25% to 24%) with the Tories trailing on 21%.

Hope and powerlessness: the world in new year 2025

January 1, 2025 by Kirsty Hughes Leave a Comment

The new year presents challenges amid global conflicts and power struggles, highlighting a deep sense of hopelessness. Yet, meaningful hope exists through activism and accountability in political leadership, as demonstrated by brave movements and public dissent toward fostering a better future.

The EU and UK under Trump 2.0

November 12, 2024 by Kirsty Hughes Leave a Comment

A week after Trump’s election victory, the EU – and wider Europe including the UK – look weak and uncertain. Muddling through is not going to be enough in an increasingly unstable, conflict-ridden and climate-damaged world.

Seven questions on the Council of the Nations and Regions

October 10, 2024 by Kirsty Hughes Leave a Comment

Keir Starmer is due to chair the inaugural meeting of the UK government’s newly created ‘Council of the Nations and Regions’ in Scotland this Friday. The summit is due to focus on investment and growth ahead of a much bigger international investment summit to be held in London the following Monday.

EU climate challenges – and politics

September 25, 2024 by Kirsty Hughes Leave a Comment

“European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, has unveiled her new team for the next five years. But are the climate and biodiversity crises going to receive the deep and urgent attention they need or are security and competitiveness challenges taking over as priorities? “

Ten years after: the enduring case for indy in Europe

September 15, 2024 by Kirsty Hughes Leave a Comment

“The EU and independence debate have been inevitably intertwined in the last ten years since the independence referendum. The case for independence in the EU is strong in many ways. But why did Brexit not have more of a sustained and dynamising impact on the political push for independence?”

Looking for political dynamism in UK/Scotland

August 9, 2024 by Kirsty Hughes Leave a Comment

“The real political question may be where new energy and ideas come from. Are Scottish Labour or the SNP capable of providing that energy? Or will it come from a wider, new and innovative political and social debate across Scotland? If not, the current doldrums may continue and that’s not to the benefit of our politics whoever wins in 2026”

The change election: UK and Scotland

July 7, 2024 by Kirsty Hughes Leave a Comment

“A new, centrist UK government, one acknowledging geopolitical instability as well as the need for change domestically, and holding a large majority, looks pretty enviable to plenty of European and international players. Meanwhile, the SNP in Scotland looks on the ropes. Can it find the energy to regroup and recover or does dynamic change now lie with Labour alone?”

Who wants to (re)join the EU?

June 25, 2024 by Kirsty Hughes Leave a Comment

The UK needs a serious debate about re-joining the EU….A substantial majority now backs re-join yet Labour (and the Tories) don’t want to discuss even easing the UK’s hard Brexit, let alone what UK politics would need to look like to make a serious re-joining bid.

Can the SNP win on July 4?

May 23, 2024 by Kirsty Hughes Leave a Comment

“With a cautious, centre-right Labour party offering six lukewarm pledges, any confident, pro-EU, pro-independence, social democrat (if the SNP still is) party should be moving ahead not sinking in the polls. Can the SNP still win?”

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