Rumours have been swirling for about a month now that Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont was facing an internal challenge. So in one sense, the news of her resignation is not a surprise. But despite…
Devo max would fundamentally undermine the UK, says Midwinter.
Steve Allen
Scottish National Party (SNP) leader-in-waiting Nicola Sturgeon recently confirmed that her party wants to see the Scottish parliament take control over almost all taxation, pensions, the welfare system…
“Viking!” was the word retired businessman Derek McLennan shouted to metal detector enthusiasts standing in a field in Dumfriesshire in south-west Scotland in September. He had just uncovered a hoard of…
Martin McGuinness believes it’s time for a border poll.
Sinn Fein
In the wake of the Scottish referendum, Martin McGuinness, the deputy first minister of Northern Ireland, renewed his party Sinn Féin’s call for a “border poll” to decide if Northern Ireland should leave…
Politics specialist Keating reflects on Scotland’s referendum.
Faculti
Political scientist Michael Keating, one of the stalwarts of our Scotland Decides ’14 referendum panel, offers a fascinating view of where the constitutional pieces will land after Scotland’s No vote…
Hong Kong students protesting election restrictions.
EPA/Jerome Favre
The referendum on Scottish independence was hailed in many parts of the world as a shining example of democracy in action. Not so in China. There, in a concerted campaign to shape public opinion, the state-controlled…
Whatever Sturgeon may say, there will be no devo max in Scotland.
Danny Lawson/PA
One of the unfortunate things about the independence referendum debate is that it did not help us clarify the most likely outcome: the offer of more powers commonly known as devo max. For some, this refers…
Nowhere was the relief over Scotland’s decision last week to remain part of the United Kingdom more acutely felt than with those responsible for Britain’s nuclear deterrent system, Trident. The Scottish…
I don’t think we’re in Falkirk any more.
warriorwoman531
After a flurry of interest in the Scottish referendum, with the vote featuring on the front page of the New York Times and dominating nightly news programmes, Americans may now be wondering what all the…
Scotland next first minister looks set to be a coronation.
Danny Lawson/PA
I was asked about three times this week by journalists covering the referendum whether David Cameron would have to resign in the event of a Yes vote. Nobody asked me about Alex Salmond. But when you lose…
“What’s that flag mean?” “No idea.”
Andrew Milligan/PA Wire
In the closing lines of my book, The Scots and the Union: Then and Now, I wrote: The union has been a fact of life for Scots for more than three centuries. Union is a habit, which, currently, large numbers…
In 28 of Scotland’s 32 local authority areas there was a majority in favour of No. The writing was on the wall as soon as the result was declared for Clackmannanshire in central Scotland. If Yes couldn’t…
How do you want your democracy?
Ray Collins/The Sun/PA Wire/Press Association Images
Eunice Goes, Richmond American International University
For years, Westminster politicians justified their neglect of constitutional issues by saying there are no votes in the constitution. In other words, voters are not really that interested in knowing how…
Separating power is not so easy.
Owen Humphreys/PA Wire
The vote, in the end, was decisive, with the Better Together campaign winning with 55% of ballots cast. As a Glaswegian living in Southampton, I’ve watched from afar, saddened not to be in my home nation…
In its independence referendum, Scotland voted to remain in the United Kingdom by 55-45%. Our panel looks at what happened, and where it leaves the UK and Scotland. Neil Blain, Professor of Communications…
Jubilation: No supporters celebrate.
Lynne Cameron/PA Wire
In the end, Scots pulled back from the brink. After a referendum that saw support for independence start well behind in the polls, it grew over the long campaign. Dennis Canavan, former Labour MP who chaired…
Scotland has rejected the opportunity to become an independent nation by leaving the United Kingdom. Defeat was conceded by the Yes side as votes were still being counted. So, an astonishing campaign is…
In the last three weeks of the Scottish referendum campaign, Gordon Brown had already emerged as the galvanising force on the No side. This reached new heights on Wednesday in Glasgow when he made what…
The figure of Alex Salmond dominated the Scottish independence referendum, much as he has dominated the country’s political landscape for the past seven years. So his resignation following the defeat of…
I moved to Scotland from the US 10 years ago. Little did I know that I would be helping to decide whether Scotland would secede from the rest of the United Kingdom and become an independent country. I…