Una doppia secessione? Il futuro del Regno Unito dopo la Brexit

The Author begins by underlining the incredible impact the Brexit referendum of last June has had on the constitutional and political system of the United Kingdom and then goes on to address the specific issue of the future of Britain itself after leaving the European Union. In particular, the Author argues that Scotland, which voted overwhelmingly to stay in the EU, now finds itself in a “no win situation” because holding another referendum on independence appears to be unviable especially for economic reasons and would not necessarily be followed by a fast-track procedure to allow it to rejoin the EU. The Author goes on to discuss the situation in Northern Ireland which, in his opinion, is even more precarious both economically and politically given that it would be the only part of the UK where there would be a “hard border”. Then, in analyzing the results of the early elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly, he points how the pro-remain parties have gain consensus while Arlene Foster’s DUP appears to have paid a high price for its inexplicable support for Brexit. The Author, who does not deny his pro-remain stance, ends by expressing the hope that the House of Lords might pose an obstacle to a hard Brexit as demonstrated in the vote on 1st March with which it amended the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) 2016-17 Bill in order to protect the rights of EU citizens residing in the United Kingdom.