Suchergebnisse

This article examines the representations of Scottishness and Scotland expressed within the Scottish National party (SNP) manifestos issued for British general elections from 1970 to 2005. It illustrates that while Scotland has remained a constant, Scottishness has been transformed from being somewhat ethnic and occasionally exclusive to being now civic and inclusive, with the territorial aspect almost solely emphasised. The article begins with a discussion of how manifestos are useful in illustrating such changes and then moves to the temporal analysis. It closes with a consideration of the political connotations of the changes.

The research focus of this study is the voting behavior of the elected members of the United States House of Representatives on the issue of national immigration. This work specifically focuses on selected immigration roll call votes taken during the 99th and 104th Congresses. An examination of the voting behavior of the 435 elected representatives from each year will be examined by considering eight hypotheses that question the immigration voting behavior of various sub groups within congress. During the 1980s and 1990s Congress took several major legislative actions in regards to the issue of national immigration. It was hypothesized that not only the tone, but the voting manner of the United States House of Representatives, has become more restrictive on immigration issues during that period. In examining the results of the hypothesis a clear distinction between the voting behavior of the House in 1986, and the voting behavior of the House in 1996 became apparent. Also, the Republican party has clearly become more supportive of greater immigration controls, whereas their Democrat counterparts have remained constant in their support for less restrictive immigration policies. In a final analysis of the two Houses a pattern of polarization in immigration voting was evident, with the majority of movement being towards the more restrictive end of the scale. In conclusion it was found that support for more restrictive immigration policies has grown between the 99th Congress and the 104th Congress, and that this support has not been confined solely to the Republican party. It was also found that immigration has become a more divisive issue, both within the two parties and within the House overall. A more conservative viewpoint on immigration is now the norm in the United States House of Representatives.

AbstractThe 2014 Scottish independence referendum settled little in terms of Scotland's constitutional future. The after‐effects of what was the largest exercise in democracy in Scottish history certainly increased Scotland's devolved authority but, following withdrawal from the EU and with continuing differences and disagreements between the Westminster and Scottish governments, there have been increasing demands for a second referendum. One aspect of these conversations has been about the voting rights of Scots living outside Scotland, whose relationship with the nation would certainly be impacted by any successful vote for Scottish independence. And yet, they have had no voice in that decision and despite calls for their inclusion in any future vote, such inclusion remains unlikely. This article examines the reasons why such inclusion would be challenging and then considers what the Scottish diaspora think about Scottish independence and voting rights, by considering qualitative responses to a survey of members of the Scottish diaspora.

At a time when the world is becoming more mobile, and migration levels are high, relatively limited attention has been paid to return migrants. Yet returners can play an important role in their homeland. In Scotland, with a sluggish population growth fuelled entirely by immigration, return movement is an important way of growing the population and the economy. This paper reports on a study of return migrants to Scotland in 2019/20 and discusses their reasons for return, their experiences and their long-term commitment to the country. Respondents generally felt positively about their return and there was considerable support for Scottish independence, particularly if that led to rejoining the European Union. Brexit was an important factor in making Scots feel unwelcome in England and helping to encourage return to Scotland.

Brexit has brought many uncertainties, including the future position of UK-based EU migrants. Our concern is with a much less studied group, albeit one of the largest socio-political sub-groups within England – the Scots. These are migrants who live in a different country but within the same state and recent constitutional decision making has not been kind to them. In 2014, English based Scots had no vote in the independence referendum and in the EU referendum they witnessed Scotland voting significantly differently to England, resulting in ongoing tensions between the UK and Scottish Governments. If Brexit leads to another independence referendum, what are the implications for Scots in England, in terms of their citizenship, identity, and residence in a very different (r)UK? We explore their status in a (r)UK outside the EU, we speculate on whether some might move back or whether, if they remain, they would experience hostility within post-Brexit England. Might the current position of the English Scots tell us something about the future relationship between England and Scotland?