The leaders of the main political parties in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have declared their right to “self determination” in a joint agreement signed at a rare meeting in the Welsh capital, Cardiff. All three parties – the Scottish National Party (SNP), Plaid Cymru in Wales and the pro-Irish unity Sinn Fein in Northern Ireland – want greater autonomy and eventually independence from the UK, but have different views on issues such as referendums and timelines. The SNP’s John Swinney, Sinn Fein’s Michelle O’Neill and Plaid Cymru’s Rhun ap Iorwerth attended in their capacity as party leaders, rather than as officials in their respective governments.
Laura McAllister from Cardiff University told Al Jazeera that the wording of the agreement was “deliberately” couched in the broader “constitutional language of self-determination”. No Westminster government has the right to block democracy or undermine the principle that our people will decide their own future,” they said on Monday, referring to the UK-wide parliament in London. Sinn Fein wants Northern Ireland to leave the United Kingdom and join a united Ireland.
The forum happened after US President Donald Trump weighed in on a potential breakup of the UK. He told reporters during a visit to Ireland on Saturday. Indeed, Prime Minister Andy Burnham had something to say on Trump’s comment – that his position on Irish unification remained unchanged.
On August 27, Britain’s newly-elected leader said a referendum on Northern Ireland leaving the UK was “off the table”. Burnham also dashed hopes among some for a second vote on Scottish independence, saying recently that another referendum was “off limits”. Constitutionally, the UK has four constituent countries: England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
Within these four jurisdictions there are three legal systems: Power is shared in a system known as devolution, unlike in the federal system of the United States or Germany. It means power is not constitutionally divided on an equal basis between a central government and the four nations. Elected institutions have some powers with their own legislatures and governments, but defence and foreign affairs, among other issues, remain controlled by London.
Crucially, none of the states has the right to unilaterally leave the UK. Scotland held an independence referendum in 2014 after Westminster gave the green light. Independence was rejected by 55 percent to 45 percent.
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