George Monbiot: Independent Scotland could show a way out of climate crisis

George Monbiot interview highlights the need for mass mobilisation to combat climate change. The 2014 Scottish Independence movement provides a good example of how to create a mass movement in the 21st century.

Type of Resource
newspaper article
Date Published
Primary Author or Creator
Spowart, Nan

Getting ahead of the curve What next for Scotland and the Union?

In this article Alun Evans (formerly Scottish Office making the case for the Union) focuses on the hurly-burly of the 2014 referendum campaign, and his own suggestions for securing a long-term future for the Union.  His solutions - full tax devolution, spending, domestic policy, and energy policy.  Agreement on shared responsibilities, continuation of the monarchy, monetary policy set by UK, defence and foreign policy set by UK.  [The expanded devolution that was promised but neve delivered]

Type of Resource
Lecture
Date Published
Primary Author or Creator
ALUN EVANS
Additional Author(s) / Creators
British Academy

Scotland, Secession, and the European Union

This paper discusses Scotland’s relationship with the EU in the context of two different secession events. The first concerns the question of an independent Scotland’s EU membership in the event of Scotland’s secession from the UK. The second discusses the position of Scotland in the context of a UK in-out referendum on EU membership. This chapter concludes that in neither case should Scotland be forced to leave the EU against its will.

Type of Resource
Academic Paper
Date Published
Primary Author or Creator
Sionaidh Douglas-Scott
Additional Author(s) / Creators
Queen Mary School of Law

Constructing the Visual Online Political Self: An Analysis of Instagram Use by the Scottish Electorate

Through a qualitative analysis of images shared on the platform Instagram, we demonstrate that the Scottish electorate did indeed used image-sharing for political self-expression -- posting a variety of visual content, representative of a diversity of political opinion. We conclude that users utilised Instagram as a platform to craft and present their "political selves". 

Type of Resource
Academic Paper
Date Published
Primary Author or Creator
Jamie Mahoney
Additional Author(s) / Creators
Tom Feltwell, Obinna Ajuruchi, Shaun Lawson

Whose voices are heard in the news? A study of sources in television coverage of the Scottish independence referendum

This analyses the referendum coverage on BBC’s Reporting Scotland in the final month of the campaign. Findings suggest that, despite the presence of many types of sources, male-dominated political elites were the main focus in the news.  The coverage more broadly manifests a liberal democratic logic whereby the media represent the views of politicians and political organisations to the public, whose role is to make an informed choice between them, with comparatively limited opportunities to participate in the mediated political debate.

Type of Resource
Academic Paper
Date Published
Primary Author or Creator
Marina Dekavalla
Additional Author(s) / Creators
Alenka Jelen-Sanchez

The Yes Volunteers: Capturing the biggest grassroots campaign in Scotland’s history

Much has been said about the Yes campaign, much has been written about its vibrancy and excitement, openness and inclusivity. It was planned to be the biggest grassroots campaign in Scotland’s history, it has been said that it brought new people to politics and represented a departure from the type of campaign seen when political parties fight for our vote. Yes was said to have been positive and Better Together was supposed to have been negative.

Type of Resource
Assessment report
Primary Author or Creator
Iain Black
Additional Author(s) / Creators
Sara Masden, Common Weal