Abstract
This chapter notes that the overall UK constitutional system is not generally classified as consociational in nature. However, the diversity of the UK state creates challenges with similarities to those difficulties which consociationalism is intended to manage. It is also demonstrated that some administrative and constitutional mechanisms developed partly in response to those problems could be said to display characteristics of a consociational nature. However, the devolved institutions do not have a firm legal role in the conduct of policy at the UK level. The chapter argues that membership of the European Union (EU) had served to diffuse some of the tensions that might otherwise consequently have existed, through transferring responsibility to a supranational sphere. Blick concludes that exit from the EU might remove this means of release and necessitate further steps in a consociational direction.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Notes
- 1.
- 2.
There were 33,577,342 voters, representing 72.2 per cent of those who were eligible to take part. Of them, 16,141,241—48.1 per cent—opted for ‘remain’, while 17,410,742—51.9 per cent—voted ‘leave’ (23,359 ballot papers were rejected) (Electoral Commission 2016, p. 17).
- 3.
For a comparison between consociationalism and federalism, see Lijphart (1985).
- 4.
R (on the application of Miller and another) v Secretary of State for exiting the European Union [2017] UKSC 5; paras 130; 135; 150.
References
Agatstein, Z. P. (2015). And Be the Nation Again: A Consideration of the Scottish Nationalist Movement and Scottish National Party. Boston: Northeastern University.
BBC News. (2016). EU Referendum Results: UK Votes to Leave EU [online]. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/eu_referendum/results
Birrell, D., & Murie, A. (1980). Policy and Government in Northern Ireland: Lessons of Devolution. New York: Barnes & Noble Imports.
Blick, A. (2014). Devolution in England: A New Approach [online]. Available at: http://fedtrust.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Devolution_in_England.pdf
Blick, A. (2015). Beyond Magna Carta: A Constitution for the United Kingdom. Oxford: Bloomsbury Publishing.
Blick, A. (2016a). Federalism: The UK’s Future? [online]. Available at: http://fedtrust.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/FEDERALISM_THE_UKS_FUTURE.pdf. Accessed 19 Mar 2017.
Blick, A. (2016b). Taking Back Control? The EU Referendum, Parliament and the ‘May Doctrine’ [online]. Available at: http://fedtrust.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Taking_back_control_Andrew_Blick.pdf. Accessed 19 Mar 2017.
Blick, A. (2016c). The Codes of the Constitution. Oxford: Bloomsbury Publishing.
Blick, A. (2016d). The EU Referendum, Devolution and the Union [online]. Available at: http://fedtrust.co.uk/our-work-on-europe/the-eu-referendum-devolution-and-the-union/. Accessed 19 Mar 2017.
Blick, A. (2017). Deal or No Deal? The Article 50 Process in Context [online]. Available at: http://fedtrust.co.uk/our-work-on-europe/deal-or-no-deal/. Accessed 23 Mar 2017.
Bogdanor, V. (2001). Devolution in the United Kingdom. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Bogdanor, V. (2015). The Crisis of the Constitution: 2nd Edition [online]. Available at: https://consoc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/COSJ4072-Crisis-of-Constitution-2nd-Ed-12_15-WEB.pdf. Accessed 29 Mar 2017.
Bourne, A. K. (2014). Europeanization and Secession: The Cases of Catalonia and Scotland. JEMIE, 13, 94.
Brown, M., Geoghegan, P. M., & Kelly, J. (2003). The Irish Act of Union, 1800: Bicentennial Essays. Dublin: Irish Academic Press.
Burke, E. (2016). Who Will Speak for Northern Ireland? The Looming Danger of an Ulster Brexit. The RUSI Journal, 161(2), 4–12.
Curtis, C. (2017, January 27). Why Hasn’t Scotland Changed Its Mind on Independence? The Guardian, [online]. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jan/27/shift-scottish-independence-yougov-nicola-sturgeon-balancing-act. Accessed 24 Mar 2017.
Dickson, B. (2001). The Legal System of Northern Ireland. Belfast: SLS Publications.
Douglas-Scott, S. (2014). British Withdrawal from the EU: An Existential Threat to the United Kingdom. Future of UK and Scotland blog,20.
Electoral Commission. (2016). The 2016 EU Referendum [online]. Available at: http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/215279/2016-EU-referendum-report.pdf. Accessed 19 Mar 2017.
Ford, J. D. (2007). The Legal Provisions in the Acts of Union. The Cambridge Law Journal, 66(01), 106–141.
Garry, J. (2016). The EU Referendum Vote in Northern Ireland: Implications for Our Understanding of Citizens’ Political View and Behaviour [online]. Available at: https://www.qub.ac.uk/home/EUReferendum/Brexitfilestore/Filetoupload,728121,en.pdf
Gibson, J. S. (1985). The Thistle and the Crown: A History of the Scottish Office. Edinburgh: HM Stationery Office.
H.M. Government. (2017). The United Kingdom’s Exit from and New Partnership with the European Union, Cm 9417 [online]. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/589191/The_United_Kingdoms_exit_from_and_partnership_with_the_EU_Web.pdf. Accessed 19 Mar 2017.
Heald, D., & McLeod, A. (2005, January). Scotland’s Fiscal Relationships with England and the United Kingdom. In Proceedings-British Academy (Vol. 128, p. 95). Oxford: Oxford University Press Inc.
Ipsos-MORI. (2016). The 2016 EU Referendum—Who Was in and Who Was Out? How Britain Voted in the 2016 Referendum [online]. Available at: https://www.ipsos-mori.com/researchpublications/researcharchive/3774/The-2016-EU-referendum-who-was-in-and-who-was-out.aspx. Accessed 19 Mar 2017.
Jackson, A. (2012). The Two Unions: Ireland, Scotland, and the Survival of the United Kingdom, 1707–2007. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Lijphart, A. (1968). Typologies of Democratic Systems. Comparative Political Studies, 1(1), 3–44.
Lijphart, A. (1969). Consociational Democracy. World Politics, 21(2), 207–225.
Lijphart, A. (1985). Non-majoritarian Democracy: A Comparison of Federal and Consociational Theories. Publius: The Journal of Federalism, 15(2), 3–15.
Lijphart, A. (2004). Constitutional Design for Divided Societies. Journal of Democracy, 15(2), 96–109.
Lynch, P. (2009). From Social Democracy Back to No Ideology?—The Scottish National Party and Ideological Change in a Multi-level Electoral Setting. Regional and Federal Studies, 19(4–5), 619–637.
Macinnes, A. I. (2007). Union and Empire: The Making of the United Kingdom in 1707. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Mackintosh, J. P. (1975). The Case Against a Referendum. The Political Quarterly, 46(1), 73–82.
Mansergh, N. (1936). The Government of Northern Ireland: A Study in Devolution. London: Allen.
Manson-Smith, D. (2004). The Legal System of Scotland. London: Stationery office.
May, T. (2016). Britain After Brexit: A Vision of a Global Britain [online]. Available at: https://www.politicshome.com/news/uk/political-parties/conservative-party/news/79517/read-full-theresa-mays-conservative. Accessed 19 Mar 2017.
McConnell, A. (2004). Scottish Local Government. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
McCrone, G. (1999). Scotland’s Public Finances from Goschen to Barnett. Quarterly Economic Commentary, 24(2), 30–46.
McGarry, J., & O’Leary, B. (2004). The Northern Ireland Conflict: Consociational Engagements. Oxford: Oxford University Press on Demand.
McHarg, A. (2016). The Future of the United Kingdom’s Territorial Constitution: Can the Union Survive? [online]. Available at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2771614. Accessed 19 Mar 2017.
McHugh, M. (2017, March 15). Hard Border Between Northern Ireland and Republic Ruled Out. The Scotsman, [online]. Available at http://www.scotsman.com/news/hard-border-between-northern-ireland-and-republic-ruled-out-1-4392773. Accessed 19 Mar 2017.
McLean, I. (2005, January). Financing the Union: Goschen, Barnett, and Beyond. In Proceedings-British Academy (Vol. 1, No. 128, pp. 81–94). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Meehan, E. (2000). ‘Britain’s Irish Question: Britain’s European Question?’ British-Irish Relations in the Context of European Union and the Belfast Agreement. Review of International Studies, 26(01), 83–97.
Mitchell, J. (2006). Evolution and Devolution: Citizenship, Institutions, and Public Policy. Publius: The Journal of Federalism, 36(1), 153–168.
Mitchell, J. (2010). Introduction: The Westminster Model and the State of Unions. Parliamentary Affairs, 63(1), 85–88.
Mitchell, J., Bennie, L., & Johns, R. (2012). The Scottish National Party: Transition to Power. Oxford/New York: Oxford University Press.
Morgan, K. O. (1971). Welsh Nationalism: The Historical Background. Journal of Contemporary History, 6(1), 153–172.
Morgan, A. (2000). The Belfast Agreement: A Practical Legal Analysis. London: Belfast Press Ltd.
Northern Ireland Office. (1998). The Belfast Agreement [online]. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/136652/agreement.pdf. Accessed 19 Mar 2017.
Roberts, P. R. (1972). The Union with England and the Identity of ‘Anglican’ Wales. Transactions of the Royal Historical Society (Fifth Series), 22, 49–70.
Scottish Government. (2016). Scotland’s Place in Europe [online]. Available at: http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0051/00512073.pdf. Accessed 19 Mar 2017.
Scully, R. (2016). The BBC/ICM St. David’s Day Poll [online]. Available at: http://blogs.cardiff.ac.uk/electionsinwales/2016/03/07/the-bbcicm-st-davids-day-poll/. Accessed 24 Mar 2017.
Slapper, G., & Kelly, D. (2013). The English Legal System: 2012–2013. London: Routledge.
Smyth, J. (2001). The Making of the United Kingdom, 1660–1800: State, Religion and Identity in Britain and Ireland. Harlow/New York: Prentice Hall.
Stone, J. (2016, July 18). Brexit Boosts Support for Welsh Independence, Poll Finds. Independent [online]. Available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/welsh-independence-poll-brexit-eu-referendum-plaid-cymru-leanne-wood-a7142856.html. Accessed 24 Mar 2017.
Welsh Government. (2017). Securing Wales’s Future: Transition from the European Union to a New Relationship with Europe [online]. Available at: https://beta.gov.wales/sites/default/files/2017-02/31139%20Securing%20Wales%C2%B9%20Future_Version%202_WEB.pdf. Accessed 19 Mar 2017.
Wicks, E. (2001). A New Constitution for a New State? The 1707 Union of England and Scotland. LQR, 117, 109.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Blick, A. (2018). The 2016 European Union Referendum, Consociationalism and the Territorial Constitution of the UK. In: Jakala, M., Kuzu, D., Qvortrup, M. (eds) Consociationalism and Power-Sharing in Europe. International Political Theory. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-67098-0_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-67098-0_7
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-67097-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-67098-0
eBook Packages: Political Science and International StudiesPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)