The Referendum on Scottish Independence and After: The UK on the Path to Quasi-federalism?
Friday, October 24th, 2014
Date | Time | Location |
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Friday, October 24, 2014 | 12:00PM - 2:00PM | Seminar Room 208N, Munk School of Global Affairs 1 Devonshire Place |
Description
The referendum on Scottish independence has been a major event for the United Kingdom. Referendums on secession by a stateless nation in the developed world are rare enough; for one to happen in the UK, with its strong tradition of parliamentary government and representative rather than direct or plebiscitary democracy is more unusual yet. While the outcome of a No vote was widely expected, the campaign caused serious upheavals not just in Scottish politics but also at UK level.
The upshot has been a set of commitments to further devolution in Scotland, which will also have knock-on effects for Wales and Northern Ireland. There are also UK Government commitments to address the ‘English problem’, through ‘English votes for English laws’ in Parliament. The UK has entered its own era of constitutional mega-politics, in a way it may not have intended or expected.
This talk will look at how the referendum came to be called, the strategy of the campaigns and how those campaigns played out. It will then look at the emergent plans for further devolution and what those mean not only for Scotland but for the rest of the UK as well.
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