Scotland

On 14 September, the leaders of the SNP, Plaid Cymru and Sinn Féin met in Cardiff to sign a Memorandum of Understanding on constitutional change. The document commits the parties to closer cooperation, affirms the right of their respective … [Read more...] about When Is a First Minister Not a First Minister?

Devolution was always described as a process and not an event. Well, the devolution journey has moved on to a new phase with the May elections in Scotland and Wales, with the result that three nationalist parties now hold power outside England. The … [Read more...] about What do the May Election Results Mean for Devolution?

One of the core principles of international human rights law is universality. Universality means that human beings are endowed with equal human rights simply by virtue of being human, wherever they live and whoever they are, regardless of … [Read more...] about Human Rights: A New Front in the Battle Over Devolution?

The Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill  was published by the Scottish Government in April 2023. The Bill has now been approved by the Scottish Parliament. Among other things, it introduces a number of significant changes to the … [Read more...] about The Abolition of ‘Not Proven’ in Scots Law

The notion that it’s for the people of Scotland to decide their future is relatively uncontroversial. It has been the organising principle around which Scottish politics has revolved for decades. Yet how self-determination is practiced has become a … [Read more...] about Whose Right to Decide? Scotland and Independence

For more than a decade, the question of Scotland’s place in the UK was at the front and centre of political debate – a determiner of voter behaviour and a precursor to the Scottish government’s legislative agenda. Through, and as a consequence of, … [Read more...] about A Quiet Union: The Calm Before the Storm?

For citizens in a modern democratic society, knowledge and the access to it is a necessity to enable us to keep the powerful in check. It is curious, then, that among the initiatives most regretted by former Prime Minister Tony Blair, was the … [Read more...] about The Guards Can’t Guard Themselves

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

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 … [Read more...] about In Review: Two Constitution Society Events in Edinburgh

For Scotland, the campaign continues, and the dream shall never die. These, the assuaging words of then-First Minister Alex Salmond announcing his intention to resign the morning after losing the Scottish independence referendum in September 2014. … [Read more...] about A tale of two paradoxes: Sturgeon’s legacy to the constitution

On 23rd November, the UK Supreme Court delivered a unanimous judgment on a Reference by the Lord Advocate concerning whether the Scottish Government could introduce a draft bill legislating for a referendum on Scotland’s independence. Can’t touch … [Read more...] about Reference by the Lord Advocate of devolution issues under para 34, sch.6 of the Scotland Act 1998