News and opinion

As Mother of the House, Rt Hon Harriet Harman MP gained unprecedented authority and legitimacy, speaking not just as an individual on behalf of women MPs and making feminist claims for women, but speaking as the representative of women MPs – in their name – for feminist ends.

With her retirement, what of the institution Harman made real?

Just as in Wales and Scotland, Northern Ireland has its own internal election campaigns in progress, with its political battle lines primarily drawn along specific constitutional lines, and parties within and between them, writes Clare Rice.

For the first time in eight years, Scotland will have an election that is not first and foremost about Scottish secession from the United Kingdom. Mark McGeoghegan writes on the dynamics of the constitutional debate in Scotland and the disarming of the SNP’s most powerful electoral narratives.

This month, Dr Hayley Bennett, Prof Ruth Patrick, and Dr Mark Simpson launched their new project, ‘Social security in a devolved UK: realities, risks & opportunities for families’, funded by the Nuffield Foundation. In this blog they introduce the purpose and aims of the project over the next 2 years.

New Caledonia has erupted in violence in recent weeks. At least six people are dead, the related riots have caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage, and French President Emmanuel Macron has flown to the other side of the world to soothe the tensions. What is going on?

Last Sunday’s elections in Catalonia resulted in a Parliament without a nationalist majority. There is a real chance of a hung parliament since there are no easily achievable coalitions to sustain a stable government. Here, Núria Franco-Guillén and Ivan Serrano Balaguer explore whether the days of independence mobilisation are over.

We are delighted to host Prof. Michael Kenny for the launch of his latest book, Fractured Union: Politics, Sovereignty, and the Fight to Save the UK (Hurst).

Thursday 2nd of May delivered a bumper set of elections across England for local and subnational government. However, as metro mayors have become recognisable figures across their regions, there remains unfinished business for English Devolution.

While the rise of EH Bildu might suggest a heightening of pro-independence demands in the Basque Country, the public are more concerned about social and economic matters.