Talking Politics | The Union
A miniseries looking at the history and future of the United Kingdom, recorded in Spring 2021: we look at how the Union was formed, how it's been experienced in its different constituent parts, and what might hold it together. We also consider what might happen if it comes apart.
1. What Is The Union?
For the first in our series looking at the future of the UK, we talk to the historian Colin Kidd about the origins of the Union and the ideas that underpin it. Is the island of Britain a natural territorial political unit? Is nationalism compatible with Unionism? What changed in the 1970s? Plus we discuss how the shifting character of the SNP has shaped the arguments for and against the Union.
“There is nothing more natural about Scottish identity than British identity. Each is as artificial as the other”
2. Northern Ireland: Past, Present, Future
In the latest in our series on the fate of the Union, we talk to historians Richard Bourke and Niamh Gallagher about the history of Northern Ireland's relationship to the rest of the UK. From the Anglo-Irish Union to partition to the Troubles to the Peace Process to Brexit and beyond, we discuss what makes Northern Irish politics so contentious and whether consensus is possible. Plus we ask if Irish re-unification is coming, and what it might look like.
“It’s incumbent upon us all to shift the debate away from these somewhat artificial polarities. […] I think it would be an enormous service to us all if we focused on modes of government rather than the identity question. The real question is the structure of government. ”
3. Wales, England and the Future of the UK
As part of our series about the future of the Union, David and Helen talk to Dan Wincott of Cardiff Law School about the history of Welsh devolution and the possibility of Welsh independence. How has English dominance shaped Welsh attitudes to the Union? What did the Brexit vote reveal about the different strands of Welsh and British identity? Has the pandemic made the case for more devolution and even independence for Wales stronger? Plus, what happens to Wales if Scotland votes to leave the UK?
“What was striking – in terms of what happened after the referendum – was the way in which the Welsh government reacted as if Wales was like Scotland in having Brexit imposed on it against its will, and joining the Scottish government in the Miller case...”
4. Union at the Crossroads
David and Helen talk to Mike Kenny about what devolution has done to the politics of the UK as seen from Westminster and Whitehall. How have we ended up with a Unionism that is both complacent and aggressive? What lessons has the pandemic taught about the need for co-operation? And can the UK survive without a fundamental constitutional rethink?
“One of the consequences of the last year is this slightly shocked discovery in Westminster that when the devolved administrations assert themselves, they almost, by default, create this thing which is a kind of – not English devolution, but English government – is what’s left.”
5. Election Fallout
David and Helen are joined by the historian Colin Kidd to try to make sense of last week's elections in England, Scotland and Wales. What do they mean for the future of the UK? What do they mean for the future of the Labour Party? Are either (or both) in terminal trouble? Plus we explore how Nicola Sturgeon and Boris Johnson are going to resolve their standoff over a second Scottish independence referendum.
6. England, Their England
We talk to the historians Robert Tombs and Robert Saunders about the history of England and the future of the Union. Is the size and complexity of England the real problem in holding the UK together? What can England's past teach us about the present state of British politics? Does England have a 'Northern Question' to go with its 'Scottish Question' and 'Irish Question'?
“As British politics becomes more presidentialised, as it becomes more focused on the person of the Prime Minister, then part of the importance of these roles is that it builds figures as celebrities... ”