An Independent Scotland in the EU: Timing and Challenges
COMMENT | With her speech to the Scottish parliament this week, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon set out an approach to a potential second independence referendum in the next two years. She included major caveats, not least Brexit going ahead and Westminster…
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Brexit and The Politics of Extending Article 50
COMMENT | Brexit faces yet another ‘crunch’ week. The UK could tumble over a ‘no deal’ cliff edge this coming Friday, yet most assume that somehow the UK and EU will shift the deadline forward a bit more. But what decision a frustrated EU27 will take at their…
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Brexit Showdown: Deal, No Deal, No Brexit
COMMENT | European Council president, Donald Tusk, has now called an emergency EU summit on Wednesday 10 April – ahead of the new Brexit day of 12 April. So the UK has just over a week to find a way ahead. Many expect a request for a long extension – but…
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GM Foods, the US-UK Trade Negotiations and Scottish Food Production: A Heady Mix
COMMENT | The first shadow boxing for the post-Brexit trade talks has begun. Wholly predictable hackles have been raised by the US ambassador, Woody Johnson, who has accused UK farming of being a ‘museum of agriculture’ which should embrace chlorine…
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The Endless Uncertainties of Brexit
COMMENT | Time is running short but uncertainty still reigns. And wherever Brexit goes next, uncertainty will remain a dominant feature. Political manoeuvrings continue. Theresa May’s strategy appears clear: to get a bit of legal cover that allows attorney general…
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What Comes after ‘No Deal’?
COMMENT | Recent weeks have seen a flurry of no deal scenarios played out in the media, by governments and by Brexit watchers. These have almost exclusively focused on the immediate economic impact of a no deal Brexit with concerns of food and medicine…
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Brexit and Scottish Independence: Two Sides of the Same Coin?
COMMENT | Some argue that the complexity and challenges – one might add chaos and damage – of the UK leaving the EU shows how hard it is to leave a union. Hence, so the argument goes, Scotland leaving the UK will be at least as difficult. I explore this in detail…
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The Costs of Brexit for Scotland
COMMENT | Around two-thirds of Scottish voters, perhaps as many as seven in ten, believe it is in Scotland’s elemental interests to be in the European Union. In the 30-plus months since the UK as a whole voted narrowly, and on a series of false premises and…
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