Eddie Bone

Tuesday

Eddie Bone

If Scotland breaks away, the constitutional consequences would be dramatic

From our UK edition

The result on the 18th September may cause the dissolution of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. This Union is in fact made up of three different uniting acts, the evolution of which is worth examining. The following 2 articles from the Act of Union 1707 clearly show that the primary Union was between the Kingdom of England 'incorporating Wales' and the Kingdom of Scotland. Together they formed the so-called ‘United Kingdom of Great Britain'. ARTICLE I That The Two Kingdoms of England and Scotland shall upon the first Day of May which shall be in the Year one thousand seven hundred and seven, and for ever after, be united into one Kingdom by the name of Great Britain.

Sunday

Eddie Bone

Is Gordon Brown a Scottish Nationalist?

From our UK edition

In 1997 the Labour government tampered with the UK constitution. They then vetoed anyone reading the minutes of the cabinet meeting where it was agreed a parliament for Scotland would be implemented. Now Gordon Brown, one of the architects of the Scottish Parliament, is about to start spreading the Scottish nationalist view in a lecture entitled 'Scotland and Britain in 2025' at the Edinburgh International Book Festival today. This raises the question: is Gordon Brown a Scottish nationalist? Kim Howells' 'smoking' gun statement to the McKay Commission on 24 July 2012 revealed that Labour knew they would be creating an unstable UK. He acknowledged that the party knew the West Lothian question could not be answered without establishing an English Parliament.