Scottish Labour face a multitude of problems

Scottish Labour is in disarray following the general election, having lost 40 of its seats in the country. In this article, Daniel Kenealy outlines what the party must do to rebound: organisationally, the party has to re-energise at a grass-root level; On presentation, Scottish Labour needs to cultivate a new generation of political talent; and substantively, it needs to be bolder on a whole range of policies

The Scottish Government’s Brexit proposals are politically savvy and all-but-impossible

Yesterday, Nicola Sturgeon unveiled her government’s well-trailed, long-awaited Brexit paper. The 62-page paper sets out two options. The Scottish Government’s preferred outcome is for the UK to participate fully in the European single market and to remain within the EU’s customs union. Daniel Kenealy argues that these plans may be politically savvy, but are all-but-impossible

While an independent Scotland would undoubtedly be able to join the EU, the timing and terms of membership remain uncertain

One of the most controversial arguments in the context of Scotland’s referendum on independence is the issue of whether an independent Scotland could make a seamless transition to EU membership and under what terms it would be able to join. Daniel Kenealy writes that while the issue has been the subject of bitter disagreements between the Yes and No campaigns, the reality is that most of the key uncertainties are simply impossible to resolve until after the referendum

How should the UK respond to the attacks in Syria? For a weakened PM, there are no easy options

Following the suspected chemical attacks in Syria, the question of whether Britain should join any missile strike action in the region alongside the US and France has been raised. Daniel Kenealy considers whether parliament would support such action if asked, and how Theresa May could avoid domestic political fallout if the matter is not put to a vote after all

(Mis)understanding the public? An independent Scotland and the EU

Scotland’s debate on its constitutional future has frequently focused on its future role within the EU. Despite uncertainty about the precise terms of an independent Scotland’s EU membership we show that the issue is not one that divides ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ voters. Furthermore, recent years have shown a marked rise in sceptical attitudes toward the EU in Scotland

Sturgeon’s case for Indyref2 is a shaky one

The SNP have concluded that the political weather to announce Indyref2 will never look as good as it does right now. Looking at the process of negotiating Brexit, however, the claim that the case for Indyref2 is about the timing is a highly contestable one, write Daniel Kenealy and Stuart MacLennan

The people think it’s good to talk about how they are governed

Underestimating the public’s interest in being involved in discussions about the UK’s constitutional future is a mistake, find Jan Eichhorn and Daniel Kenealy in a wide-ranging survey. Moreover, when asked how decisions should be made about how England should be governed, the most popular option in all regions of England was to hold a referendum