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Scotland’s Constitutional Odyssey

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Encyclopedia of Contemporary Constitutionalism

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Abstract

Scotland’s position within the United Kingdom is contested, especially since devolution in 1999. For some, the UK remains a unitary state, which has lent powers to Scotland. For others, it is a plurinational union in which sovereignty is divided. Membership of the European Union was an essential support system for devolution, which allowed these foundational questions to remain in abeyance. UK withdrawal from the EU places great strains on the UK union. Scottish independence has been on the political agenda since the 1970s and a major issue in the 2000s but it has been defined in different ways. The 2014 independence referendum was about independence in Europe but Brexit has changed this context. As Scotland voted to remain in the EU, support for independence has grown, but so have the practical difficulties. Brexit has been followed by a recentralization of the UK state and a undermining of devolution.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK

    Michael Keating

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  1. Michael Keating
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Correspondence to Michael Keating .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Cremades & Calvo-Sotelo Abogados, Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Javier Cremades

  2. Philosophy of Law, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Cristina Hermida

Section Editor information

  1. University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy

    Alessandro Torre

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Keating, M. (2023). Scotland’s Constitutional Odyssey. In: Cremades, J., Hermida, C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Contemporary Constitutionalism. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31739-7_139-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31739-7_139-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-31739-7

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