On June 23, 2016, the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union. For the United Kingdom, the Brexit vote represents one of the most cataclysmic shifts in British politics – the relatively stable years of David Cameron’s tenure as Prime Minister quickly shifted to a more uncertain future under Theresa May. Initially, May looked […]
United Kingdom
They Voted No – Now What? Scottish Devolution After the Vote
On September 18, 2014, Scotland held a referendum with only one question on the ballot: Should Scotland become an independent country? In the end, the vote came to 54.2% against an independent Scotland and 45.7% for an independent Scotland. However, this does not mean that the balance of power in the UK will remain the […]
The West Lothian Question: What’s the difference between “English” & “British”?
The recent referendum in Scotland raised some important questions about devolution, the process of Westminster gradually granting what former Prime Minister William Gladstone called “home rule” to Wales, Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. For instance, what does it mean to be British –a word too often used synonymously with “English”- and what justification would be […]
UKIP and Friends: Free Expression and the New Right in the United Kingdom
In August of 2014, a profoundly disturbing story broke in the United Kingdom. In the small city of Rotherham, in South Yorkshire, approximately 1400 children had been the victims of sexual abuse since 1997 as local authorities failed to respond. A report released by Alexis Jay, former Chief Inspector of Social Work in the town, […]