Category: Institutions

Voice and Partnership: The Bottom Line for Scotland on Brexit?

Laura Cram The difference of the EU referendum vote in Scotland versus the whole UK and the so-far limited inclusion of the Scottish Government in formulating the UK’s Brexit strategy have created genuine political tensions, writes Laura Cram. She argues that the question of Scotland’s constitutional future has always been much more an issue of …

Scotland in the Single Market, rUK Out – What Would It Take?

Kirsty Hughes In-Depth Analysis If Scotland is to remain in the Single Market while the rest of the UK leaves it, substantial political and technical challenges would need to be overcome, writes Kirsty Hughes. She outlines the key questions facing Scotland’s continued participation in the Single Market and argues that, until the UK’s full post-Brexit …

Six Unrealistic Brexit Expectations the UK Government Should Avoid

Anthony Salamone While the UK’s record on negotiating with the EU has been mixed, it is nevertheless nearing one of the largest and most important diplomatic endeavours in its history with the Brexit negotiations, writes Anthony Salamone. He sets out six strategically unrealistic expectations which the UK should take care not to embrace, in order …

Drawing the Battle Lines: The Ongoing Standoff Between the UK Government and the ECHR

Dimitrios Kagiaros The UK government’s proposed derogation from the European Convention on Human Rights is based on inconsistent reasoning and would mark a departure from the justifications usually offered, writes Dimitrios Kagiaros. He argues that, rather than insulate UK soldiers from court challenges, the derogation could in fact weaken their human rights protections, and that …

Scotland and Brexit – Outlook Worsens as Options Narrow

Kirsty Hughes In-Depth Analysis Both hard Brexit and soft Brexit scenarios each present their own challenges for the UK, writes Kirsty Hughes. She suggests that, for Scotland, it is almost certain that it will exit the EU with the rest of the UK, and that, in the event of independence, the question then becomes whether Scotland …

Theresa May’s Great Repeal Bill – A Scottish Own Goal?

Tobias Lock The Prime Minister’s outlining of the Great Repeal Bill to bring all EU law into UK law, to be sorted through later, has many elements of strategic thinking, writes Tobias Lock. He suggests, however, that a wholesale legal relocation would clearly touch on competences devolved to Scotland, and the politics around legislative consent …

While Europe’s Eye is Fix’d on Mighty Things: Implications of the Brexit Vote for Scotland

David Edward and Niamh Nic Shuibhne The variation in vote outcomes across the different parts of the UK in the EU referendum has brought existing constitutional questions to the fore, alongside the new challenges associated with exiting the EU, write David Edward and Niamh Nic Shuibhne. Outlining some of the options for Scotland, they argue …

Brexit and the Balkans: Implications for Future EU Enlargement

Eamonn Butler In-Depth Analysis The UK’s withdrawal from the European Union has the potential to impact EU enlargement to the Western Balkans in a multitude of ways, writes Eamonn Butler. He argues that, while EU leaders have reaffirmed their commitment to enlargement, accessions are likely to be pushed back several years and the remaining EU …