LONDON
In Aberdeenshire, more than 87 percent of people voted on Scotland’s independence referendum; in Clackmannanshire, the number was above 88 percent; in the Western Isles, it was close to 90 percent. One remote Highland peninsula actually achieved a 100 percent turnout — meaning that all 98 residents showed up to vote
The people of Scotland have rejected independence from the United Kingdom more clearly than anticipated. According to the official results of Thursday’s referendum, a good 55 percent of voters ticked “No”. The UK is nonetheless facing a new beginning, commentators write, praising London for its openness in dealing with the Scottish separatists.
With some 1,600 asylum-seekers having died in the Mediterranean Sea since June 1, Europe’s policy toward migrants and asylum-seekers is clearly in need of reform. While Europe cannot help all of those fleeing violence and destitution, it can certainly do more, especially if it adopts a unified approach.
 Eurozone member countries should implement fiscal and structural reforms in exchange for short-run relaxation of fiscal constraints – not to increase liabilities, but to focus on growth-oriented investments to jump-start sustained recovery. If they do, private investors would take note, accelerating the recovery process. |
By Catherine Brölmann and Thomas Vandamme
By a narrow margin, the 300-year-old union between Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom survived the referendum held on 18 September 2014. British – and Scottish – membership in the EU has been one of the prominent factors in the political debate, which has addressed issues like the effect of a reduced UK on the balance of power within the EU and the consequences of Scottish independence for the imminent ‘Brexit’ referendum. Yet the legal framework for secession within the Union, which these political narratives presuppose, is all but clear. In this blog we explore some important legal and political aspects of the scenario of secession within the Union.
The Scottish vote has shown it is possible to have an independence referendum for nations within the EU. So who are the likely candidates to go next?
The Scottish vote has shown it is possible to have an independence referendum for nations within the EU. So who are the likely candidates to go next?
| The Japanisation Of Europe A Fistful Of Euros » A Fistful Of Euros by Edward Hugh By now it should be clear that the monetary experiment currently being carried out in Japan (known as “Abenomics”) is fundamentally different from the kind of quantitative easing which was implemented in the United States and the United Kingdom during the global financial crisis. In the US and the UK QE was implemented in order to stabilize the financial system, while in Japan, and now the Euro Area (EA) the objective is to end deflationary pressures and reflate economies which are arguably caught in some form of liquidity trap. |
| Revamping Europe’s Tattered Social Contract Project Syndicate by Kemal Derviş / Europe’s economy needs deep supply-side reforms, so that fiscal stimulus translates into sustainable long-term growth, not just temporary spurts and further increases in countries’ debt ratios. But too many call for structural reforms without specifying their content or considering the social, historical, and political context. |
| Britain is on borrowed time: the future of Scottish independence open Democracy News Analysis – by Gerry Hassan The British state has bought itself some precious time. If it does not use it wisely, this debate will be back in a decade and Scotland will produce a second referendum. |
Discover more from Erkan's Field Diary
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.