Tag: Craig McAngus
How do nationalist parties reform their organisational profiles? The cases of Plaid Cymru and the SNP compared
The SNP swept Scotland’s electoral map at the General Election, winning almost all of the Westminster seats on offer. But what of its organisation? Craig McAngus argues that ‘stateless-nationalist-regionalist’ parties like the SNP and Plaid Cymru have, in response to the introduction of devolved assemblies and the incentive of power, become more ‘normal’ in organisational […]
The election has transformed Scottish politics, and created a context where another referendum is possible
The SNP have swept the electoral map in Scottish, winning all but three seats. With a Conservative government south of the border, Craig McAngus argues that the ‘significant change’ threshold put on another referendum by the SNP may now have been breached. The SNP have won 56 of Scotland’s 59 seats. This is an unprecedented […]
The best of Democratic Audit’s 2014 coverage of Scotland’s democratic future
2014 was a momentous year for democracy north of the border, with long serving Alex Salmond stepping down to be replaced by the first female First Minister Nichola Sturgeon. More dramatically still, the country decided its future, opting to stay within the UK, despite a spirited ‘Yes’ campaign which can legimitamtely claim to have changed […]
“Not bad for a 28-page report”: Experts respond to the Smith Commission’s proposals on Scottish governance
The Smith Commission yesterday published its official recommendations for the future of Scottish governance following the Scottish independence referendum. Democratic Audit asked Iain McLean, Coree Brown, Norman Bonney, Craig McAngus and Paul Cairney to give their views on the proposals and their implications. (Part 2 can be found here.) Similar PostsThe best of Democratic Audit’s 2014 coverage of […]
The Darling-Salmond TV debate offered a poor account of Scottish democracy
The much anticipated debate between Alex Salmond and Alistair Darling occurred yesterday. Craig McAngus summarises the debate, writing that, though civic engagement is alive and well in Scotland thanks to the referendum debate which has stimulated discussion amongst Scots at the grassroots level about key existential questions, the ‘big debate’ was a very poor example of democracy in action. […]
National identity and party affiliation are set to play a key role in the Scottish referendum, whose result is more uncertain than opinion polls suggest
‘DevoMax’ will not be an option on the ballot paper in the Scottish Independence Referendum this year even though it is more popular among the electorate than independence. Arno van der Zwet and Craig McAngus explore how Scottish attitudes to the two options vary according to national and party identity. They find that perceptions of national identity polarises assessments […]
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