Global Friday Presents
Dr. Clare McGovern
Senior Lecturer in the Department of Political Science
Simon Fraser University

Abstract: The new British government faces multiple economic and political crises, not least a fundamental challenge to the state itself. Brexit has strengthened support for Scottish nationalism. This October, the UK Supreme Court decides whether a second independence referendum can go ahead. Meanwhile, a trade dispute with the EU is threatening peace in Northern Ireland. 
Can the Truss government keep the United Kingdom together? Should it even try? How can a country navigate break-up when it doesn’t have a clear written constitution to guide it? In this talk, Dr. McGovern will examine the British government’s response to these existential threats, comparing it to Canada and Spain’s approaches. She will argue the Supreme Court of Canada’s 1998 Secession judgment offers a useful blueprint, and that the UK should guarantee a legal right to secession, if a region votes for it in a free and fair referendum. While there is no guarantee the UK will stay together, this approach offers the best chance of peacefully and democratically deciding the future. 

Speaker's Bio: Clare McGovern is a Senior Lecturer in Political Science at Simon Fraser University. She teaches courses on separatism and constitutional law, focusing particularly on Canada and the UK. Her research examines separatist political parties and evaluates innovations in university education. 

In person: Agora 7-150
Online: Zoom Webinar

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