Last week the Constitution Society went on the road to Edinburgh to host two events connected with what is increasingly termed the “territorial constitution”. Some months in the planning, the Society is indebted to our partners who helped make both events at the University of Edinburgh such a success.
Constitutional Futures
On the morning of the 15th of June, the Society and the Centre on Constitutional Change partnered to host a half-day conference entitled “Constitutional Futures”. The conference offered the opportunity to reflect on a tumultuous twelve months for devolution in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Beyond this, speakers were able to discuss what we might infer or predict as we head into a pivotal period for the future of devolution, independence, or unification across Britain and Ireland. Whatever course is taken, the consequences for the UK constitution will be significant.
The first panel focused on Scotland and was made-up of Dr Coree Brown Swann (Queen’s University Belfast), Professor John Curtice (University of Strathclyde) and Professor Nicola McEwen (University of Glasgow). In opening the panel, Professor Curtice mapped the course of public opinion and its impact on the constitutional question in Scotland. He was at pains to stress that while the SNP might suffer a set-back following the resignation of Nicola Sturgeon as First Minister and the ensuing crisis over the SNP’s finances, this was not the same as suggesting appetite for independence had disappeared. Indeed, in some ways we might see current polling on independence not as a response to crisis within the Scottish National Party but rather as a reversion to the pre-Covid norm.
Next on the Scotland panel, Dr Brown Swann outlined the results of the 2021 Scottish Election Survey. Dr Brown Swann highlighted that Yes and No voters in Scotland largely conceptualise the question of independence in different terms, be that democratic or economic. This lack of a common language for discourse on the constitution has the potential to lead to increasing polarisation on the question of independence. Professor Nicola McEwen’s paper then turned away from that question and focused instead on the other constitutional issues facing devolution and Scotland in 2023. In particular, the breakdown of inter-governmental relations represents an epoch; a shift from the ‘devolve and forget’ policy of Whitehall and Westminster towards more active confrontation.
The second panel of the day focused on Northern Ireland. Former senior civil servant Dr Andrew McCormick joined Dr Lisa Claire Whitten (Queen’s University Belfast) and Dr Joanne McEvoy (University of Aberdeen) to look beyond the suspended Stormont towards the future of GB, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland relations. Here perhaps more than in the first panel Brexit and its consequences were central to the discussion, with the challenges of administering the Windsor Framework and its political consequences discussed at length. Dr McEvoy outlined work done in collaboration with the Royal Irish Academy in engaging with border communities north and south on constitutional questions and highlighted the degree of alienation such discussions often cause. Dr McCormick gave an overview of the challenges facing unionism in the years to come and their constitutional ramifications, and Dr Lisa Claire Whitten focused not on the question of Irish reunification but on the constitutional difficulties already facing Northern Ireland. Each panel concluded with a question-and-answer session from the gathered audience, with a rigorous and full discussion following both panels.
After the successful half-day conference, we might reflect on the question Professor Andrew Blick posed in his opening remarks. Are the situations in Scotland and Northern Ireland usefully compared? Unsurprisingly the issue was not completely resolved in our discussions, but it is worth reflecting that if the constitutional and political positions of Scotland and Northern Ireland are not comparable, then there are at least productive discontinuities which we might explore. Constitutional Futures offered us not just a glimpse into the immediate future of devolution, but also more than a glimpse at productive avenues for future exploration.
Peter Taylor Keynote Lecture
The second event of the 15th June was a keynote lecture by BBC special correspondent Peter Taylor on the role of Operation Chiffon and the development of the peace process in Northern Ireland. This event was hosted by the Constitution Society in collaboration with both the Consulate of Ireland in Edinburgh and the Modern Irish History Seminar at the University of Edinburgh.
After opening words from the Society and the Consul General, Peter Taylor took to the stage in front of an eager audience. Beginning with his arrival in Northern Ireland in the immediate aftermath of Bloody Sunday, Taylor’s lecture spanned the conflict and outlined the challenges and eventual successes of the security services in attempting to broker a ceasefire and eventual peace settlement.
In what proved to be a detailed lecture informed by over 50 years covering Northern Ireland, Taylor was able to convey the immense risks taken by those on all sides who attempted to drag often reluctant forces towards peace. Questions followed on how Taylor was able to maintain the trust of all factions during the conflict, the role of peace movements within and outside of Northern Ireland and the significance of prisoners in advancing the peace process.
Spilling out into a warm Edinburgh evening after the lecture’s conclusion, the audience was left to reflect on the remarkable success, amid so much catastrophe, of the peace process. As we look to a changing constitutional future in Northern Ireland, it behoves us to remember how difficult that peace was to accomplish. Peter Taylor’s keynote lecture for the Society reminds us of the crucial role fostering understanding of constitutional issues plays in navigating the often challenging terrain of the territorial constitution. The Society will seek to make sections of discussions from both Constitutional Futures and Peter Taylor’s lecture available online in the near future.
Dexter Govan.
Dexter Govan is Director of Research at the Constitution Society. He holds a doctorate in Irish and British history from the University of Edinburgh.
The Constitution Society is committed to the promotion of informed debate and is politically impartial. Any views expressed in this article are the personal views of the author and not those of The Constitution Society.