Welcome

The Scottish Constitutional Futures Forum is a joint initiative of academics across the law schools of the Scottish universities. 

It seeks to provide an independent framework within which the key questions concerning Scotland's constitutional future can be aired and addressed.

Aims

The forum's main aims are to:

  • MAP the present constitutional debate by identifying and addressing the wide range of questions which have to be answered if Scotland's future is to be considered in a measured and comprehensive manner;
  • INFORM the debate by providing expert evidence, analysis and opinion from the Scottish legal academic community and beyond; and
  • ENGAGE in the debate by encouraging the participation of a wide range of groups and interests in a constitutional process the success of which depends on the breadth and depth of public involvement.

Latest News

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The Changing World of Social Security and Administrative Justice in Scotland

A seminar will be held on the Changing World of Social Security and Administrative Justice in Scotland at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh in the afternoon of Tuesday 18 October 2016.  See attached flyer for further details.

Brexit and the British Bill of Rights

A workshop and roundtable on Brexit and the British Bill of Rights will take place at Edinburgh Law School on Thursday 27th October, from 10am to 5pm. 

The Scottish Independence Referendum: Constitutional and Political Implications

The Scottish Independence Referendum: Constitutional and Political Implications was published by Oxford University Press in June. The book was edited by Aileen McHarg, Tom Mullen, Alan Page and Neil Walker, founder members of the Scottish Constitutional Futures Forum, and contains a range of essays by distinguished public lawyers, political scientists, economists and historians - many of whom contributed to the Forum's events and blog.  

The book provides a systematic, academic analysis of the referendum and its aftermath. The chapters evaluate the historical events leading up to the referendum, the referendum process, and the key issues arising from the referendum debate. They also explore the implications of the referendum both for the future governance of Scotland and for the UK's territorial constitution, drawing on comparative experience in order to understand how the constitution may evolve, and how the independence debate may play out in future.

An open access version of Chapter 14 of the book - Andrew Tickell, "The Technical Jekyll and the Political Hyde: the Constitutional Law and Politics of Scotland's Independence 'Neverendum'" - is now available, along with a blog post written by Tom Mullen to accompany the publication of the book. 


Forthcoming Events

No forthcoming events.

Latest Blog Posts

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Aileen McHarg: Indyref2: Who Decides?

The early months of the 2014 independence referendum were dominated by process issues: who got to decide whether – and if so, on what terms – a referendum would take place?  Following Nicola Sturgeon’s call on Monday for a second independence referendum, it looks like process issues will be equally problematic this time around.

Tom Mullen: The Brexit Litigation: A Guide for the Perplexed

This week, the UK Supreme Court is hearing four days of oral argument (5 – 8 December 2016) in the appeal from the decision of the High Court in R. (Miller) v. Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union [2016] EWHC 2768 (Admin), which decided in effect that the UK Government could not give notice of withdrawal from the European Union (EU) without parliamentary approval. The case has been hugely controversial, not only in the mass media, but also amongst legal commentators who have provided numerous blogs arguing both for and against the correctness of the decision.


Aileen McHarg: Article 50, Parliamentary Authorisation and the Sewel Convention

The Divisional Court’s ruling in R (Miller) v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union that parliamentary authorisation is required before the Prime Minister can give notice of the UK’s intention to withdraw from the EU under Article 50(2) TEU raises the question of what role, if any, the devolved legislatures will have in that process.