Political Change across Britain and Ireland
Identities, Institutions and Futures
Edited by Paul Gillespie, Michael Keating, Nicola McEwen
A comparative analysis of the nations, conducted by scholars on both sides of the Irish Sea
1. Introduction. Rethinking ‘These Islands’
Michael Keating
Part I. Identities
2. A Tale of Two Islands: Exploring National Identity Processes in Scotland and Ireland.
David McCrone and Jennifer Todd
3. Civic Politics and Constitutional Change in Ireland
Cera Murtagh and Mary C Murphy
4. Constitutional Quandaries through a Gendered Lens: Identities,
Institutions and Futures in Northern Ireland and Scotland
Clare Rice and Meryl Kenny
Part II. Institutions
5. Territorial cohesion and fragmentation after Brexit: Devolution and the Unions
Nicola McEwen and Lisa Claire Whitten
6. Navigating Multiple Party Systems across the UK and Ireland: The Conservative Party and Sinn Féin
Jonathan Evershed and Joanne McEvoy
7. The Spatial Framing of Wales–Ireland Relations: Cooperation, Sovereignty and Peripherality
Giada Lagana, Daniel Wincott and Gregory Davies
Part III. Futures
8. Northern Ireland after Brexit: Beyond Zero-Sum Constitutional Futures
C. R. G. Murray and Etain Tannam
9. Independence and Unity: Constitutional Futures on These Islands
Coree Brown Swan and John Doyle
10. Unionism and the Future of the UK’s Union
John Denham, Paul Gillespie and Michael Keating
11. Conclusion. Political Change Across Britain and Ireland
John Coakley, Paul Gillespie and Nicola McEwen
Devolution is so much better understood as a living laboratory than a set of competitive league tables. This book applies just that lens to the experience of Scotland, Ireland, and Wales over the last quarter of a century. With a new government at Westminster this should be essential reading for anyone interested to combine strong devolved government with a successful United Kingdom.
What are the consequences for “these islands” when a quarter-century of devolution and Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement meets Brexit? The contributors to this fascinating volume explain that they have already been momentous and lay out the possible paths for their political future. A must read for anyone keen to know what the future holds for Great Britain and Ireland.
