Open Unionism

Launching the ‘Jasil Party’

OU Editors — Fri, 17 May 2013 07:00:47 +0000

Stephen Goss is the newly-elected Chairman of Northern Irish Conservative Future. He’s a Roman Catholic from Andersonstown, a doctoral student at the Queen’s University of Belfast, and a former member of the Ulster Unionist Party. Follow him on Twitter @StephenGossNICF I attended Basil McCrea and John McCallister’s event about their (so far nameless) party’s policies …

Trident and the Illogical Position of the SNP

Calum Crichton — Wed, 15 May 2013 07:00:58 +0000

After reading about the poll showing most Scots are in favour of retaining the UK’s nuclear deterrent, I feel inclined to discuss the SNP’s views on Trident, because their opposition to nuclear weapons has come up time and time again in the Scottish independence debate. They have always tried to give the impression that Scots …

In 2014 UKIP could become a truly national party

Lucius Winslow — Mon, 13 May 2013 07:00:37 +0000

Lucius Winslow is an MA Politics student at Queen’s University Belfast, who takes an intensive interest in his subject. In his spare time he writes creatively. I know Henry Hill has already covered this, but I thought I’d add my own spin on things. After all, I am not sure I have managed to alienate …

An independent Scotland can mint a currency, but not a currency union

Effie Deans — Fri, 10 May 2013 07:00:43 +0000

One of the things that independence grants a country is choice. For example, an independent Scotland could decide to join the Euro. Alternatively, it could decide to set up a Scottish pound. There would rightly be a great deal of indignation in Scotland, if someone else tried to limit our newly won independence by saying …

Playing for the shirt, perhaps not the Queen, still makes you Northern Irish

oneill — Wed, 08 May 2013 07:00:48 +0000

Considering all their well-documented off-the-field financial problems, Glentoran performed magnificently on Saturday in defeating the League Champions Cliftonville 3-1 in the Irish Cup Final. More importantly for the politicians, despite the UK’s National Anthem not being played before the game, the roof at Windsor Park was not struck by lightening or indeed any other form …

Can UKIP become a truly national party?

Henry CH Hill — Mon, 06 May 2013 07:00:31 +0000

Henry Hill is a columnist for Conservative Home, opinion writer for the International Business Times and editor of Open Unionism. Follow him on Twitter @HCH_Hill. “The scale of the advance of Ukip has shocked both the two main parties. As expected, it seems to have taken votes primarily from disgruntled Conservatives, but it is also …

Sterling, scottish independence, and the balance of payments

Calum Crichton — Sun, 05 May 2013 07:00:47 +0000

I mentioned here that it is misleading for the SNP to use the balance of payments as a reason to claim an independent Scotland could secure a deal with the UK government to a formal currency union without forfeiting significant oversight of its budget. . It is not just because there would be various other factors at play which …

Red, White, and Blue: April 2013

OU Editors — Thu, 02 May 2013 07:00:36 +0000

In January Open Unionism’s editor, Henry Hill, took up a weekly column with popular website Conservative Home, discussing the Union, devolved politics and related issues from an explicitly Conservative perspective. The column is published every Wednesday. Linked below are his April columns, with previews. (24/04/13) Scottish independence may mean no Scottish banknotes Another of the …

Gay Marriage: Coming to a Province Near You

Lucius Winslow — Wed, 01 May 2013 07:00:05 +0000

Lucius Winslow is an MA Politics student at Queen’s University Belfast, who takes an intensive interest in his subject. He also writes things. So Sinn Fein’s motion to introduce gay marriage by statute has failed. This was always going to be the case. In the end the DUP’s petition of concern (an abuse of privilege …

Scotland is a part of Britain, but so is Britain a part of Scotland

Effie Deans — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 07:00:26 +0000

A set of quite unlikely historical circumstances led to Scotland becoming part of the United Kingdom. The first of these was that Henry VIII’s sister, Margaret Tudor, married James IV of Scotland, who died fighting the English at Flodden. The second unlikely circumstance was that none of Henry VIII’s legitimate children gave birth to an …