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Sceptical Scot

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Federalism

Can muscular unionism save the Union?

November 3, 2022 by Iain McLean Leave a Comment

“Muscular unionism didn’t work in Ireland in 1921 and there is no reason to expect it to work now. Ignoring the votes, and the people elected, in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, is not unionism. It’s imperialism.”

Labour’s revival puts SNP on the defensive

October 11, 2022 by James Mitchell 5 Comments

“The process of recovery has begun for Scottish Labour.  It can now focus on winning back what Anas Sarwar describes as ‘soft SNP’ voters.  This will not be plain sailing.  The SNP remains a formidable campaign organisation…” Prof James Mitchell on how Labour’s revival has put the SNP on the defensive.

A Welsh rethink

September 16, 2021 by Anwen Elias and Matt Wall 1 Comment

A conversation about a future which has already been decided from the top won’t encourage people to talk. Genuine consensus must emerge from the bottom up.

Holyrood needs a second, reforming chamber

March 27, 2021 by James Mitchell 2 Comments

Scottish Parliament designed by Enric Miralles bearing strong resemblance to Barcelona market

“Holyrood needs to revive its commitment to power sharing and subsidiarity.  At its inception, the Scottish Parliament could legitimately claim to be bold and innovative.  It can be again.”

Boris is the new Maggie, Brexit the new poll tax

February 7, 2021 by James Mitchell Leave a Comment

‘Devolution was grafted onto an unreformed centre, an unreformed state.  Without addressing what is literally the central problem, the prospect of constitutional stability looks remote. There are glimmers of hope. The assumption that there is no demand for reform in England ignores recent, albeit rudimentary, developments in need of leadership, elaboration and mobilisation.’

England’s constitutional key

November 1, 2020 by Jim Gallagher 7 Comments

‘… a different kind of constitutional structure from a typical federal state, but a structure which discharges the same functions…For Scots, endlessly split over the unhelpfully binary independence question, change in the UK offers a different option which not just constructive unionists but thoughtful nationalists will be attracted to…’

Federalism is not enough for Labour

September 20, 2020 by Mark Lazarowicz Leave a Comment

‘…presenting a policy package combining real home rule for Scotland in its own right, and a longer term commitment to the UK becoming a partnership union, would show that Scottish Labour was prepared to contribute constructively to the debate about the future relationship of Scotland with rUK, rather than being perceived as the junior partner to the Tories in a hard-line unionist front”

Binary choice and multi-party politics

August 16, 2020 by James Mitchell Leave a Comment

‘.Like the Bourbons, the Conservatives have learned nothing, and forgotten nothing.  But Labour are in danger of the same.  Time is running out for a reasonably well developed alternative option that might be included in a future referendum.  Not only would this enrich a stale debate but would allow Labour to escape the potentially lethal embrace of working with the Tories again.’

Independence or bust

June 14, 2020 by David Gow 7 Comments

John Lloyd book review: ‘What marks the book out is Lloyd’s personal transition to virtually self-hating Scot. This is not just the regular Unionist assertion that Scotland is too wee, too weak, to cut it as an independent country but a visceral assault on “Scotland’s self-serving, self-pitying, self-obsessed keening about others, mainly the English, stealing their birthright and smashing their culture” and/or continuous “moral superiority.”‘

A new strategy for the Union

October 18, 2019 by Akash Paun Leave a Comment

‘The Sewel convention will need to be revived and reformed, with stronger guarantees that Westminster will not rewrite the rules of devolution without agreement.’

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