Going Global: Exploring Scotland’s International Relations

In this episode of Constitutionally Sound, our host Nicola McEwen is joined by Dr Sarah Kyambi, Director of Migration Policy Scotland and David Bell, Emeritus Professor of Economics at the University of Stirling, for a discussion on migration in Scotland after Brexit and Covid-19. They discuss current challenges in the labour market and where these challenges stem from; immigration and devolution and what the challenges and opportunities might be around transferring powers on immigration to devolved nations; and finally immigration in the context of Scottish independence - how important would immigration be if Scotland were to become independent? Tune in for this and more from our guests! Produced by After 12 Media.

In this episode of Constitutionally Sound, our host Nicola McEwen is joined by Katy Hayward, Professor of Political Sociology at Queen’s University Belfast and a Senior Fellow of the UK in a Changing Europe, and David McCann, Deputy Editor of Slugger O’Toole and lecturer in Politics and Government at Ulster University for a fascinating discussion on Northern Ireland and the 2022 Assembly elections. They reflect on the results; the Alliance ‘surge’ and where those votes have come from; what the results might mean for the Protocol and how that might play out next; and what might be next for Northern Ireland itself. Tune in for this and more from our guests. Mixed and Mastered by After 12 Media.

Laura McAllister is Professor of Public Policy and the Governance of Wales at the Wales Governance Centre in the School of Law and Politics. Her research focuses on Welsh politics and elections, devolution, electoral reform, and gender in politics. She works closely with the Senedd on constitutional and political matters, most recently as Chair of the Expert Panel on Assembly Electoral Reform. Laura has worked with Welsh Government on various projects, including Diversity in Democracy, preparations for Votes at 16 and promoting diversity in local government elections. Laura was recently appointed as co-chair of the Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales, set up by the Welsh Government. She is also a former Welsh international footballer and captain of the Welsh team, and a champion of the women’s game at home and internationally. Mixed and Mastered by After 12 Media.

Alan Convery is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Edinburgh, having joined the University in 2013. His PhD examined the impact of devolution on the Welsh and Scottish Conservative parties. He maintains research interests in conservatism and the UK Conservative Party (especially in Scotland and Wales); territorial politics and public policy; and British, Scottish and Welsh politics. Andy Maciver is the co-founder of Message Matters, a lobbying and PR consultancy. He is a political analyst and strategist, and a regular commentator on TV, radio and print news. He is former Head of Communications for the Scottish Conservatives, though not a member of the party. Andy describes himself as a federalist who believes the Scottish Parliament will only thrive in a post-constitutional environment with a new set of political parties. Mixed and Mastered by After 12 Media.

As world leaders descend on Glasgow for COP26, we explore how much scope there is for the Scottish Government, as a devolved government, to have a presence on the international stage. Produced by After 12 Media

In this episode of Constitutionally Sound, our host Allan Little, is joined by Katy Hayward, Professor of Political Sociology at Queen’s University Belfast and Jonathan Powell was a British diplomat from 1979 to 1996 and from 1997 to 2007 was Chief of Staff to Tony Blair and the chief British government negotiator on Northern Ireland during that time in office. Mixed and Mastered by After 12 Media

In this special edition of the Constitutionally Sound podcast, Professor Ailsa Henderson of the University of Edinburgh and Professor Richard Wyn Jones of Cardiff University join host Allan Little to discuss the election results in Scotland and Wales. Mixed and Mastered by After 12 Media.

In 2014, Scotland voted 55% to 45% that Scotland should not be an independent country, and many thought that settled the matter for a generation. But much has changed in the years since, most notably Brexit and Covid-19. In 2021, how much does what was argued in 2014 remain the same? And what questions remain after the UK leaving the EU? In this episode of Constitutionally Sound, our host Allan Little, is joined by Professor of Territorial Politics at the University of Edinburgh and Co-Director at the Centre on Constitutional Change, Nicola McEwen, and Professor of Practice in the Management of Public Organisations at the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford, Ciaran Martin. Listen as they reflect on the Scottish independence referendum in 2014 and how things look now in 2021. Mixed and mastered by After 12 Media.

Politics in Scotland since the independence referendum has been marked by the dramatic decline of a once dominant Labour Party. In Wales, Labour remains the largest party, leading government throughout the period of devolved government. In this episode of Constitutionally Sound, our host Allan Little is joined by the Centre on Constitutional Change’s Deputy Director, Coree Brown Swan, and former First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones MS. Listen as they compare the approaches of Scottish and Welsh Labour within the constitutional debate, assess Labour’s plans for the Union, and discuss how Brexit and the pandemic have changed the constitutional debate in the UK.  Mixed and mastered by After 12 Media.

The transition period for negotiating a future relationship between the UK and the EU will end on 31 December- what will be the consequences if a deal cannot be reached in the next few weeks? In this episode of Constitutionally Sound, our host, Allan Little gets the view from both sides of the talks from Professor Michael Keating (University of Aberdeen) and Elvire Fabry (Jacques Delors Institute). Our guests discuss where we are with the Brexit talks, what kind of relationship might emerge on 1 January, and constitutionally, what the UK’s changed place in the world might mean for governance in the UK. Mixed and mastered by After 12 Media.