WOW

A military crossing of a border uninvited, unauthorised by the UN, not in pre-emptive defence of an imminent attack is an invasion. It is illegal. The sanctity of internationally recognised borders is the most fundamental rule of international law. Putin did not stop with the Crimea. The significant Russian population …

For years, Russia, bordering on bankruptcy and in social chaos following the collapse of the Soviet Union, had been ignored in international affairs. Its former allies in Eastern Europe such as Poland and the Baltic States had not only become part of the European Union but also joined the former …

The ambiguities inherent in a moral foreign policy became all too clear over Syria. Syria, the once-mighty military hard man of the Middle East, erupted into civil war in 2011. Syria was Russia’s only ally left in the region after the overthrow of many of the dictatorships by popular uprisings, …

The Iraq war of 2003 was a different matter altogether. In Tony Blair’s eyes, this was the epitome of moral foreign policy. Whatever the rights and wrongs of the decision to invade Iraq, Britain was deeply divided. That, in itself, is sufficient to condemn Blair. As with the Boer War, …

Twelve thousand merchant seamen gave their lives in the Great War, or so said the memorial that the author stumbled upon walking back to the hotel in London one warm November night. As a self-proclaimed obsessive on most-things-historical and with a particular reverence for World War One, to still encounter a chilling …

Again, the country has never been asked. Is Great Britain any less a nation than Scotland, Wales or England? Does Great Britain not have a clear identity – clear enough to this writer at least as will be discussed later – with a long (300 years is a reasonable chunk …

The right of self-determination is enshrined in international law. Should it even be allowed to be put as a question before the British people? After all, referenda were held in Gibraltar (1967 and 2002) and the Falkland Islands in 2013 on whether these territories wanted to remain overseas territories of …

The country has never been asked. The precedent of Northern Ireland There is a precedent. In March 1973 a referendum was held in Northern Ireland. The electorate was presented with two proposals: 1. Do you want Northern Ireland to remain part of the United Kingdom? or 2. Do you want …

Without this principle of democratic consent, Parliament is empowered to make fundamental changes to how Britain governs itself. Parliament overturned the practice of the past fifty years; it crossed a constitutional Rubicon. Unless this is checked, the real winner of the Referendum was Westminster itself. The surprisingly large vote for …

It doesn’t matter how much you network if you’re incapable of speaking well about yourself. There’s a gray area between being humble and bragging. An elevator pitch lives in that state of limbo.  To quote The Help: “You is kind. You is smart. You is important.” Each person has a unique story …

1. The flag Many argued that the result of the independence referendum was irrelevant to the continuation of the name and flag for the current United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. If Scotland became independent, it had promised to retain a “Social Union” with the rest of the …

In “Newbies to networking: part I,” I tried to light the networking fire within you. Now it’s your turn to take action. Don’t hesitate to seek guidance from your peers or work colleagues. This may surprise you, but people want to help you. Deep down, most people have a desire to be …

Consent for The Vow? Of course none of this would have happened had the UK political establishment remotely expecte Scotland to vote for independence or come anywhere close to it. Great Britain paid a heavy price for this naivety. Not for the first time, the desire to do what is …

I am not a networking professional. Talking to complete strangers is a challenge for me, and I’m not alone. Millennials and members of Generation Z often find it difficult to put themselves in potentially awkward situations, especially those in person. We seem to have an instinctual fear of being found …

Consultation A legal process was followed for the referendum. Legislation by the UK Parliament was necessary as the devolution legislation specifically denied the Scottish Parliament the power to decide on independence, amongst other things. These were the “reserved matters” (section 29 of the Scotland Act 1998). There was consultation. A …

The first step is admitting you have a problem. I, Savanah Dickinson, suffer from a chronic fear of eating alone. Yes, I said it. I absolutely despise eating by myself in public places.   Since I’ve moved to D.C., I’ve been faced with the predicament of being hungry while wandering …

In 2007, the SNP took power in Scotland, forming a minority government. Their leader, Alex Salmond, proved to be a persuasive and powerful First Minister. The Scots liked it. The Scots had a respected voice and stronger identity. The Labour alternative (the Conservatives remained largely anathema to Scottish voters), had had their chance …

As a newbie to the world of public transportation, the last few weeks of riding the Washington, D.C., metro have taught me many things. There is proper public transportation etiquette each passenger should follow. This learning curve threw me for a loop but I think I’ve finally got the hang of it. …

In a changing world, established settlements are being overturned and ideas once considered ‘unthinkable’ suddenly become possible again. So where does that leave Britain’s historic weights and measures? Who would ever have thought it? That’s been my summary of the events of the year, this year. The whole Trump – …

In the twenty years that followed the 1992 general election, debate on the constitutional framework of the country and ultimately on the Scottish independence referendum was conveniently limited to “The UK”, “the Union” or “the United Kingdom” but not “Great Britain”. This was new. As we shall see below, the …