Scotland’s Constitutional Future: The Legal Issues

Issued: Tue, 03 Jul 2012 13:47:00 BST

Two wide-ranging seminars on Scotland’s constitutional future jointly organised by the Schools of Law of the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh were held on 27th January 2012 in Glasgow and on 16th March 2012 in Edinburgh.

At the seminars, which were held under Chatham House rules, a group of legal practitioners, academic lawyers and social scientists, government and parliamentary officials and elected representatives heard presentations on and discussed the key legal issues relevant to current debates over Scotland’s constitutional and political future.

The issues covered included the legal implications of different constitutional models (e.g. the status quo, ‘devo-max’, independence), referendums, post-referendum negotiations, the possible implications of independence for membership of the EU and for international relations, the implications of ‘devo-max’ for Scotland and the rest of the UK, and the impact of constitutional change on citizens’ rights.

The organisers (Professors Tom Mullen and Stephen Tierney) have prepared a detailed report summarising the presentations and the discussion which we hope will be a valuable resource for anyone seeking informed analysis of the issues.

To download a copy of the report click here - Scotland's Constitutional Future Report 5 June 2012