Scotland and Northern Ireland: Constitutional Questions, Connections and Possibilities

Abstract

IN HER SUBMISSION TO THE OPSAHL HEARINGS ON THE NORTHERN Ireland problem in 1993, the literary and cultural critic Edna Longley made a simple point about the ‘Anglo-Irish Agreement’. This term for what was a pact between the UK and Republic of Ireland governments is, she argued, a misnomer: ‘[It] obscures the contested area, and panders to the belief – in both London and Dublin – that the UK is coterminous with England.’ Longley later urged that the Northern Ireland problem should be viewed more widely, in its proper context as part of the ‘melting pot’ of cultures of the two islands, Britain and Ireland.

Scotland, Northern Ireland and Devolution: Past and Present

“…3 Nevertheless, it can be argued that there is much to be gained in studying the interactions between Scotland and Northern Ireland in relation to the area of devolution and constitutional change, provided that care is always taken to allow for the crucial differences in the respective contexts. 4 This article attempts to show that in the period following the Second World War, the Northern Ireland example of devolution influenced debate on the question of home rule for Scotland much more than has been appreciated to date. Further, it is contended that the Ulster example was important to those constitutional thinkers in Scotland such as John P. MacKintosh who found themselves battling against a 'Unitary State' tide of assumptions in British politics generally and the Labour Party in particular until the late 1960s.…”