Independence from UK

Scottish independence: what would it mean for the rest of the UK?

Stephen Richard — Wed, 06 Oct 2021 10:02:46 +0000

Scottish independence: what would it mean for the rest of the UK?

Primary Author or Creator

Philip Rycroft

Stephen Richard Wed, 10/06/2021 - 11:02

Additional Author(s) / Creators

Prospect Magazine

Date Published

Tue, 08/18/2020 - 12:00

Category

Independence

Type of Resource

Article

Fast Facts

What sort of country would England be without Scotland and Northern Ireland be? That is perhaps the biggest question of them all and one worth asking before indifference south of the border becomes the handmaiden to nationalist seduction to its north.

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There is no doubt that the UK’s international reputation would take a hit. Would other powers, friendly as well as hostile, ask how a diminished UK could keep its permanent seat on the UN Security Council? Once a beacon of stability, a country that had turned its back on its near abroad and then fallen apart would not walk tall in international counsels.

Emotionally, the shock would be profound. The integration of 300 years could not be sawn through without huge pain, on both sides. If leaving the EU was like a parting from an extended family of second cousins, this would feel like the disintegration of the ancestral home. Over 800,000 people who were born in Scotland live in England and close to 500,000 people born in England live in Scotland. For many of them, separation would force a potentially deeply painful reassessment of national belonging.

Those without personal connections to Scotland might shrug this off as the unfortunate consequence of a decision taken by the people of Scotland; that’s where the blame would lie. But surely over that would be a shroud of failure, that something that had endured so long through so much adversity had come apart, that even those so close to England had chosen to walk a different path.

Nor would it necessarily stop there. For Northern Ireland, a UK shorn of Scotland would hardly make continued adherence to the union more attractive. The secession of Scotland would likely accelerate the already evident trend of increasing support for reunification.

Resource Address (URL)

https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/philip-rycroft-scottish-independenc…

Keywords

Independence from UK

UK survival

Language English

Brexit and Territorial Preferences: Evidence from Scotland and Northern Ireland

Stephen Richard — Tue, 05 Oct 2021 17:48:35 +0000

Brexit and Territorial Preferences: Evidence from Scotland and Northern Ireland

Primary Author or Creator

Lesley-Ann Daniels

Stephen Richard Tue, 10/05/2021 - 18:48

Additional Author(s) / Creators

Alexander Kuo

Date Published

Sun, 02/28/2021 - 12:00

Category

Independence

Type of Resource

Academic Paper

Length (Pages, words, minutes etc...)

26pp

Fast Facts

The paper analyses the support for Scotland's independence and support for Ireland's unification. The harder the border with EU, the more support in Scotland's independence is indicated. It follows the sentiment toward the EU closely. In Northern Ireland the support for unification follows religious lines.

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Publius: The Journal of Federalism, Volume 51, Issue 2, Spring 2021, Pages 186–211, https://doi.org/10.1093/publius/pjab004

Resource Address (URL)

https://academic.oup.com/publius/article/51/2/186/6154430?login=true#277537296

Keywords

Brexit

Independence from UK

Language English

The Future of the United Kingdom’s Territorial Constitution: Can the Union Survive?

Stephen Richard — Tue, 05 Oct 2021 08:33:44 +0000

The Future of the United Kingdom’s Territorial Constitution: Can the Union Survive?

Primary Author or Creator

Aileen McHarg

Stephen Richard Tue, 10/05/2021 - 09:33

Date Published

Sat, 01/05/2019 - 12:00

Category

Sovereignty

Type of Resource

Academic Paper

Length (Pages, words, minutes etc...)

23pp

Fast Facts

The arrangements for the countries of the UK are likely to continue to develop through piecemeal change. This change process is more difficult as a result of the 2016 referendum on the EU. This presents an ongoing threat to the survival of the UK as a unitary state.

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The 2014 Scottish independence referendum has failed to settle the question of Scotland’s constitutional future, notwithstanding that a clear majority voted to remain part of the United Kingdom (UK). Since the referendum, the UK Parliament has legislated to fulfil the promise made to the people of Scotland that substantial additional powers would be devolved to the Scottish Parliament and its status as a permanent part of the UK constitution guaranteed. Nevertheless, a growing body of opinion argues that more comprehensive reform to the UK’s territorial constitution is required to ensure the long-term survival of the Union. This chapter outlines the nature of the UK’s current territorial constitution, arguing that, while it is formally unitary, constitutional practice suggests that it is better viewed as a union state. However, as currently constituted, the territorial constitution fails to either to adequately recognise the territorial diversity of the UK or to provide sufficient territorial cohesion to maintain the legitimacy of the UK state. An adequate programme of territorial reform therefore needs to go beyond further devolution of powers to Scotland to address problems of lack of security for the autonomy of the UK’s constituent parts, lack of attention to institutions of shared rules, and lack of constitutional reciprocity. Nevertheless, the chapter also identifies major obstacles to the achievement of comprehensive reform of the territorial constitution. It concludes that the territorial constitution is more likely to continue to develop through continued piecemeal and evolutionary change, and that, in the current climate of territorially-polarised politics, exacerbated by the result of the 2016 referendum on membership of the European Union, this represents an ongoing threat to the survival of the Union.

pp 139-162 in: López-Basaguren A., Escajedo San-Epifanio L. (eds) Claims for Secession and Federalism. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-59707-2_8

Resource Address (URL)

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-3-319-59707-2_8

Keywords

Language English

Scottish Independence: A Practical Guide

Stephen Richard — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 17:02:58 +0000

Scottish Independence: A Practical Guide

Primary Author or Creator

Jo E. Murkens

Stephen Richard Fri, 09/24/2021 - 18:02

Additional Author(s) / Creators

Peter Jones and Michael Keating, University College London, Edinburgh University Press

Publisher

Edinburgh University Press

Alternative Published Date

2002

Category

Independence

Type of Resource

Book

Length (Pages, words, minutes etc...)

137pp

Fast Facts

This book is the first serious study of the likely road to independence, and the consequences for the Scottish people and the Scottish economy. Scottish Independence starts with a detailed guide to the stages along the route to independence and goes on to analyse the legal, political and economic consequences.It asks key question

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How might Scotland achieve independence? And what would be the consequences, for Scotland and the rest of the UK? Independence is ever-present on the Scottish political agenda. This book is the first serious study of the likely road to independence, and the consequences for the Scottish people and the Scottish economy.

Scottish Independence starts with a detailed guide to the stages along the route to independence and goes on to analyse the legal, political and economic consequences. It asks key questions:

*If Scots vote for an SNP government in Edinburgh, how will that government deliver its manifesto promise of achieving independence in Scotland?
*If the Scots attain independence, what will change? What will Scotland's place be in the world? Can Scotland remain in the EU?
*What are the economics of independence? Would there be a flight of capital and a stock-market fall? How much economic freedom would an independent Scotland have?
*How much would change in the daily lives of Scots as a result of independence? How much autonomy would Scotland have as a small independent state in Europe?

Scottish Independence will have an impact on public policy and on academic thinking, and is of key interest to politicians, civil servants, academics, journalists and anyone interested in Scotland's future.

Keywords

Referendum

European Union

International relations

Economy

Independence from UK

Language English