What is the future of the Union?

Listen to the debate from the Battle of Ideas Festival 2019.

A recording of a debate at the Battle of Ideas festival on Saturday 2 November 2019.

The result of the Scottish independence referendum in 2014 seemed to put paid for the foreseeable future to the most significant threat to the Union, but the result of the EU referendum in 2016 has put the cat amongst the pigeons once more. The future of Northern Ireland has also been a constant bone of contention since the Brexit vote. In September,
a shock opinion poll suggested that a quarter of Welsh voters would vote for independence. Is the Union really in imminent danger? Is there a positive case for the UK today, whether economic, political or even emotional?

SPEAKERS

MEV BROWN
spokesperson, SDP Scotland; former spokesperson, Business for Britain in Scotland; campaigner, Better Together

DR RUTH DUDLEY EDWARDS
journalist, historian and broadcaster; award-winning author, The Seven and Patrick Pearse: the triumph of failure

LINDA MURDOCH
campaigner for rights and democracy in Scotland; director of careers, University of Glasgow

AKASH PAUN
senior fellow, Institute for Government; associate fellow, Centre on Constitutional Change, Edinburgh University

DR GLYNNE WILLIAMS
associate professor, School of Business, University of Leicester

CHAIR: JUSTINE BRIAN
director, Civitas Schools