In today’s uncertain political and social climate, Scotland’s promise to enshrine the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) into Scot’s Law is a glimmer of light amid the chaos caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Once again proving itself as a champion of women’s rights, Scotland’s socialist approach to this issue has taken into account different perspectives and has thus ensured the possibility of a safer Scotland for all inhabitants.
Historically, Northern Ireland’s peace walls were built to ensure civility between nationalist (Catholic) and loyalist (Protestant) regions of the country. In recent years however, they are viewed as counterproductive to future peace developments. As a result, there is a growing desire to remove the walls, but in the context of Brexit is there still a need for them? This article will examine how the re-emergence of overt interest in an united Ireland may have reframed the role of the peace walls in Northern Ireland.
Scotland is the first country in the world to make period products free for those who need them. The Period Products (Free Provision)(Scotland) Bill, proposed by Monica Lennon MSP (Member of the Scottish Parliament) was approved unanimously by MSPs on November 24 2020. Soon, it will become enshrined in law and I, alongside many others, am delighted that Scotland is tackling period poverty, especially using such an inclusive approach. The Bill will make the service accessible to all who need it and give responsibility to local authorities (councils) and institutions to tailor the service to their population’s needs.
The new abortion bill in Poland has meant further restrictions on when abortions can be provided. The country already has some of the strictest laws in Europe. However, there is an estimated 100,000 abortions provided to Polish women annually that are predominantly provided by Germany and Slovakia. This articles examines what the abortion changes in Poland will mean for Polish women within the context of COVID and tense relations within the EU between Poland and the Western EU countries.
In response to the recent issues with migration in Europe over the last few years, the European Commission (EC) launched the New Pact on Migration and Asylum. This article examines the implications that the Pact will have for the EU’s ability to handle migration in the long-term.
The nation of Belarus is bursting to the seams with protests against Europe’s so-called “last dictator”. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who holds a totalitarian grip, has failed to eradicate the protests despite conducting mass arrests and torture. President Lukashenko lives in a euphoric Soviet past and has proved to stop at almost nothing to maintain his totalitarian grip over Belarusian society. Currently, there is an ongoing conflict between a civil society striving for national change and a stubborn tyrant adamant to maintain a Soviet-like state. Who will come out on top of this crisis? Belarusian society will overthrow President Lukashenko if they continue to stubbornly protest.
The next Scottish census will be in 2021 and this will be the first year that ‘Pagan’ is offered as an option in the religion category. This is an awaited breakthrough for the community of this minority religion who have never had official recognition in a census, and who have fought for the past 20 years to have more coverage, respect, and official statistics surrounding their numbers in Scotland.
Examining whether or not terrorist recidivism as big of a threat as it seems, this article will analyse whether the Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing Bill is the right approach to the problem.