News and opinion
Local election in England: all politics is local?
Arianna Giovannini looks at the local election in England. She stresses that all politics is local, but that’s hard to spot from London.
The journey to a more diverse Scottish Parliament
Dr Timothy Peace, Lecturer in Politics at the University of Glasgow, shares his analysis of the 2021 Scottish Parliamentary elections – “2021 election results show that the challenge has been recognised, but the fight for equality and better representation in Scotland continues”.
Small steps toward a representative parliament
Talat Yaqoob reacts to the Scottish 2021 elections for the Centre on Constitutional Change and RACE.ED, arguing that a participatory, modern democracy which focuses on communities most disenfranchised is a long-term goal which requires leaps forward, rather than the small steps witnessed in this election.
A record-breaking election, but what next?
Emilia Belknap and Meryl Kenny reflect on what the Scottish Parliament 2021 Election delivered for women's representation in a quick reaction post.
What happened? Where do we go from here?
Kirstein Rummery discusses how this Scottish Parliament will be the most gender diverse in its history. A historic 45% of MSPs are now women, making it the 13th most gender equal Parliament in the world.
What happened? Where do we go from here?
Over the coming weeks, academics will respond to the 2021 election results. Today, Richard Parry reflects on the 2021 Holyrood election and what it might mean for the future.
Why Scotland’s election result is unlikely to hasten a referendum
In a recent article for The Guardian, Michael Keating discusses the split on independence in Scotland, and how a lengthy constitutional stalemate seems likely.
The Scottish Parliamentary Elections and the “Second Referendum” Debate
Following the Scottish Parliamentary Elections, Stephen Tierney notes that the political landscape remains both uncertain and challenging and may well remain fraught for a long time to come.
Does a majority of seats from pro-independence parties in the Scottish Parliament provide a mandate for a second independence referendum?
Most sides like to claim that they have the people on their side…that they have a mandate for action…Following the 2019 General Election in which the Conservatives won 56% of the seats (365/650), Boris Johnson claimed he had a mandate to get Brexit done. Also following that election, the SNP won 81% of the Scottish seats (48/59) and so Nicola Sturgeon claimed to have a mandate for the Scottish Parliament to be given the right to decide upon a second independence referendum.
