Europe
Independent Scotland in EU: timing and challenges
Independence is far from guaranteed and big issues such as currency are unresolved but Scotland’s chances of (re)joining the EU as a member state have improved.
So sorry, England
‘Even if Scotland cannot now save the UK from Brexit, it could still enable the UK Government to proceed with its existing EU deal but at a price.’
Scottish exports: where they really go
‘In short, (these) statistics confirm that putting up barriers with our largest international trading partner (EU) is only likely to weaken Scotland’s growth prospects’
Citizen’s assembly to break Brexit deadlock?
We should not imagine that they could magic away all the current quandaries over Brexit. But they could play several important roles in clarifying options, reflecting on solutions, overcoming division, and reinvigorating democracy in the…
Beyond the Irish backstop
Could Brexit pave the way for a united Ireland? A recent RTÉ/BBC poll demonstrated that although 62 per cent of Northern Ireland voters perceive that Brexit increases the likelihood of a united Ireland, just 35…
Euro at 20: time for reform
Post-Brexit (if/when?) the EU will undertake a big debate on how to reform the eurozone: does Scotland wish to take part?
Commons Brexit choices narrowing
Soft, hard, Norway plus, no deal or second referendum? However divided the parties and however unstable UK politics becomes, the UK’s politicians cannot put the choice off any longer.’ Kirsty Hughes on Tuesday’s Commons vote
A Scottish teacher’s Brexit journey across Europe
The bike suits her as a way to get around, supporting an injured ankle and allowing her to travel independently under her own steam. “I’m really loving the travelling. I’m comfortable with the rhythm of…
Reforming referendums: how can their use and conduct be improved?
‘Campaign spending categories make it almost impossible to tell what campaigners are spending on social media. The Commission recommends that these gaps in transparency be closed and that a repository of online political advertising should…
Leave voters don’t want a ‘Global Britain’
‘For them (Leave voters), Brexit wasn’t about rebooting Britain as a global player, in fact it was about recognising we have limited capacities—particularly economically—and that these should be focused almost exclusively domestically.’
The future of Europe depends on democracy
‘I call them the cheerleaders of Putin – Farage, Le Pen, Wilders. They were doing only one thing. They take the money from the Kremlin. They take the intelligence of the Kremlin. Like Mr Arron…
Rudolph von Ripper: artist eyewitness to Nazi terror
Eyewitness artists’ accounts of brutality in Nazi concentration camps are extremely rare. Sian Mackay describes her discovery of Rudolph von Ripper’s forgotten portfolio, work that deserves to stand alongside the art of his contemporaries Otto…