Building sub-national government
Westminster must choose between leaving the EU and retaining the UK
What is more in Westminster’s interest – to follow through the result of the referendum by leaving the EU, or to secure the survival of the United Kingdom? Jo Murkens continues his discussion on Britain’s constitutional arrangement arguing that the power-sharing with Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland since 1997 has changed the UK constitution, allowing space for […]
The constitutional settlement of the UK has been thrown into flux – an overarching polity is urgently needed
The Brexit result has revealed the weaknesses of the liberal outlook and highlighted the endurance of identity politics, a pattern that has been seen across the globe in recent years. But Sean Swan writes that while global issues are important, we need to focus on the local and recognise the UK state is no longer […]
Forget independence for London – but the capital now needs its own devolved government more than ever
London has vote to remain in the EU while the rest of the UK – and especially England – voted to leave. This has led to calls for London to declare independence. Independence is not going to happen. But as Tim Oliver argues, a fully devolved government for London is possible. It’s time the UK […]
Brexit is a Godsend for the strongest Scottish ‘Yes stories’, but a second referendum may still turn up a ‘No’ vote
Paul Cairney says that his gut says that there will be a second referendum on Scottish independence and that Yes will win comfortably. Yet, predicting political events and outcomes right now is like predicting the weather. The result is not inevitable, largely because the key factors prompting people to vote No have not gone away – […]
Detoxifying the UK’s exit from the EU: a multi-national compromise is possible
Public discussions about how the UK is to exit from the European Union have been too simplified, and have failed to come up with any solution that recognizes that only England and Wales in fact voted to leave. Brendan O’Leary outlines a way forward where those nations wanting to remain in the EU might be […]
Assuming Brexit takes place, we are at the beginning of a fundamental transition – but we do not know where it will lead us
The political ramifications of Brexit keep making themselves known, with Labour pondering Leadership change, the Prime Minister resigning, and Scotland perhaps heading for a second independence referendum. Here, Andrew Blick looks at the constitutional ramifications of Brexit, arguing that if it goes ahead, we are on the brink of fundamental constitutional change. Similar PostsTo appreciate the importance of […]
Jean-Claude Juncker is wrong and dangerously out of touch to demand an immediate Brexit
The EU referendum has turned UK politics on its head, with one and possibly two party leaders being sacrificed, a new Prime Minister in the pipeline, Scotland’s leader seeking a second independence referendum, and even the question of Irish reunification back on the agenda. The President of the European Commission, Jean Claude Juncker has suggested […]
Local authorities continue to keep citizens in the dark about council elections and their results and outcomes
Local elections in England took place in May, but the outcome of those elections is in many cases difficult to ascertain, particularly with regard to the make-up of the administration governing ‘No Overall Control’ authorities. Here, Chris Game laments this, and argues that is unacceptable for local authorities to continue keeping citizens in the dark when […]
Federalism provides a desirable path forward for the UK’s constitution – and may be the only means of preserving the Union
The UK is soon to decide whether to maintain its membership of the European Union, with only two years having elapsed since the referendum on Scottish independence. Meanwhile, the government is assisting in the creation of ‘city regions’ in England. Andrew Blick argues that given all of this, the time is right to turn to […]
Beyond the nation state: How European cities and regions responded to the financial crisis
The financial crisis affected European countries in radically different ways, with some countries emerging relatively unscathed, while others suffered extreme economic problems that still persist today. But as Riccardo Crescenzi, Davide Luca and Simona Milio outline, the effects were also substantially different between individual cities and regions. Based on recent research, they demonstrate which regions […]
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