Friday, October 24th, 2014 The Referendum on Scottish Independence and After: The UK on the Path to Quasi-federalism?

DateTimeLocation
Friday, October 24, 201412:00PM - 2:00PMSeminar 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.

Contact

Edith Klein (e.klein@utoronto.ca)
416-946-8962

Speakers

Alan Trench
Alan Trench is one of the UK’s leading devolution experts. He was formerly Professor of Politics at the University of Ulster, and holds honorary appointments at the Constitution Unit at University College London and the School of Social and Political Science at the University of Edinburgh, as well as acting as specialist adviser on constitutional matters to the House of Commons Welsh Affairs Committee. Combining a background as a lawyer and political scientist, he has written on a range of aspects of devolution including its constitutional structure, financial arrangements, and impact on public policy and administrative structures. He also has a strong interest in the comparative working of federal systems. Over the last two years, he has been heavily involved in the Institute for Public Policy Research’s ‘Devo More’ project, which has sought to establish a workable model for enhanced devolution for the UK as a whole. When he has time, he also writes the ‘Devolution Matters’ blog: http://devolutionmatters.wordpress.com/.

Main Sponsor

Centre for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies

If you are attending a Munk School event and require accommodation(s), please email the event contact listed above to make appropriate arrangements.

Disclaimer: Please note that events posted on this website are considered to be public events – unless otherwise stated – and you are choosing to enter a space where your image and/or voice may be captured as part of event proceedings that may be made public as part of a broadcast, webcast, or publication (online and in print). We make every effort to ensure your personal information is kept and used in compliance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). If you have any questions please get in touch with our office at munkschool@utoronto.ca or 416-946-8900.