The Windsor Framework (hereafter “the Framework”) was adopted in 2023 to regulate post-Brexit affairs in Northern Ireland. To avoid a hard land border on the island of Ireland the Framework requires Northern Ireland to remain aligned to certain rules … [Read more...] about Democratic Scrutiny and the Windsor Framework: Where Are We Now?
Last week, as part of a series of events and publications linked to the tenth anniversary of the EU referendum, the Constitution Society, together with the Irish Consulate and the Scottish Council on Global Affairs, welcomed guests to the French … [Read more...] about Edinburgh Panel Event: Brexit at 10
On Monday the Constitution Society went on the road to Belfast to host two panel talks on the legacy of the Brexit vote for Northern Ireland 10 years after the EU Referendum. On a blustery March afternoon, members of the public made their … [Read more...] about 10 Years Since the Brexit Vote: A Constitution Society Event in Belfast
On 3 February the UK Information Commissioner’s Office opened a formal investigation into xAI in relation to the processing of personal data in the creation of non-consensual sexualised imagery by Grok. The ICO is assessing whether Grok complied with … [Read more...] about The UK and the EU: How to Solve a Problem Like Grok?
The High Court in Northern Ireland was recently asked in Dillon and Ors v Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to consider whether the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 (Legacy Act) was compatible with human rights … [Read more...] about The Sunlit Uplands of Rights Protection in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland’s political dynamics have always been some of the most turbulent inthe United Kingdom. Much of the division and disruption comes from the divide thatexists on the constitutional future of Northern Ireland. Should it continue as part … [Read more...] about Reporting the divide? The media and the constitutional debate in Northern Ireland
The Deposit Return Scheme The Scottish Government’s quest to introduce the beleaguered Deposit Return Scheme (“DRS”) appears to be like trying to catch lightning in a bottle. Originally, Scotland was due to launch the UK’s first DRS for drinks … [Read more...] about The Deposit Return Scheme and the UK Internal Market
Review of Richard Johnson and Yuan Yi Zhu, Sceptical Perspectives on the Changing Constitution of the United Kingdom (Bloomsbury, 2023) It is by now a truism that the Brexit referendum of 2016 brought constitutional issues to the fore of … [Read more...] about More Bonaparte than Bagehot
When I was commissioned by The Constitution Society in July 2022 to write a report on the UK Government’s proposed ‘Modern’ Bill of Rights Bill, I would not have anticipated that by January 2023 the Bill would have been shelved under a new Prime … [Read more...] about Post-Brexit Britain needs an ambitious Bill of Rights rooted in integrity and purpose
The Moment of Brexit There are two interpretations of what followed the 2016 Brexit referendum. One (the predominant view) is that Theresa May, and especially Boris Johnson, got it all wrong: they should have called a second … [Read more...] about Why the United Kingdom needs a written constitution
The self-inflicted difficulties of the Liz Truss government have a variety of constitutional dimensions. The advent of an administration willing and able to embark upon the recent disastrous course of action is attributable in part to various … [Read more...] about The constitution and the fiscal statement disaster
The Northern Ireland Protocol Bill passed its second reading in the House of Commons last Monday. The Bill seeks to ease the delays on goods being brought from Great Britain into Northern Ireland by ensuring only those destined for the … [Read more...] about On the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill
