Tag: England
If England players must sing the national anthem at the football World Cup, it should not be ‘God Save the Queen’
With the football World Cup approaching, England manager Roy Hodgson is insisting that his players sing the national anthem before each game. We asked a number of democracy experts to share their views on Hodgson’s rule. In the first of a series of posts on this issue, we find a broad consensus that while singing the […]
Will the Scottish referendum (whatever the outcome) lead to a federal constitution for the UK?
Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones has suggested the UK’s unwritten constitution is no longer able to manage the complexities of devolution, a problem that will need to be addressed regardless of the choice Scotland makes in the independence referendum. Dr Mark Elliott argues this raises important questions not only about the extent of devolution, but […]
Survey research suggests that ‘ever looser union’ is the direction of travel for the UK
The debate in the Scottish independence referendum suggests even a no vote will be followed by greater autonomy for Scotland. In Wales, too, the National Assembly has extended its powers and may continue to do so, while England is also seeing clamour for devolution. In this post Richard Wyn Jones questions whether the UK’s institutions […]
The implications of Scotland’s independence referendum – for Cornwall
The publication of the Scottish Government’s White Paper has refocused British political attention north of the border. However, there could be implications elsewhere. Cornwall, too, has always had a strong regional – and indeed national – identity, which could see demands for self-government rise should Scotland opt for the UK’s exit door, according to Peder […]
The ‘English Question’, what we can learn from the Cornish Assembly Campaign, and why an English tier is not enough
Cornish calls for devolved Government have been heard consistently since the 1960, with campaigners even managing to amass the signatures of 10% of the county’s population just over a decade ago. Dr Joanie Willett argues that the debate around the future of England as a political entity must consider the creation of regional governance structures which […]
Unfinished devolution has created constitutional imbalances in the UK
In the 2012 audit of UK democracy, Stuart Wilks-Heeg, Andrew Blick, and Stephen Crone considered how effectively the UK constitution matched the territorial structure of the UK. Following England and Scotland’s national football teams facing each other in a rare match at Wembley, this post draws on their analysis to explore how the UK’s nations have fared in constitutional reforms of recent […]
The Government’s proposal for an ‘English only’ stage in the House of Commons could create problems
The Coalition Government has proposed a new measure to counteract some of the asymmetries brought about by devolution, which could see English MPs enjoying what amounts to a ‘Fourth Reading Veto’. Andrew Blick argues that this measure, if successful, could fundamentally change the way the House of Commons deals with legislation, and makes the case […]
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