From Scotland to Stormont, is Rishi Sunak losing the Union?
The Politics Show
The New Statesman
4.2 • 1.5K Ratings
🗓️ 19 January 2023
⏱️ 23 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Rishi Sunak’s government has decided to block legislation to simplify gender recognition passed by the Scottish Parliament using a mechanism that’s being described as the “nuclear option”. The decision has precipitated a constitutional crisis, with Nicola Sturgeon calling the decision a “full-frontal attack” on devolution.
Anoosh Chakelian, Freddie Hayward and Rachel Wearmouth discuss how a debate over policy has turned into one over Scotland’s power to govern itself. The team also covers claims that the government is trying to inflame tensions as part of a culture war and exploit divisions within the Labour Party over the bill.
Then in You Ask Us a listener asks how the stalemate at Stormont, the Northern Irish Assembly, which has been without a government since February 2022, will end.
If you have a question for You Ask Us, go to newstatesman.com/youaskus
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Whether you're driving to work, cycling to a friend's place, |
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| 0:15.1 | or visit amazon.co.uk-slash-on-the-go-news. |
| 0:18.7 | That's amazon.co.uk-slash-on-the-go-news |
| 0:22.0 | and listen to your favourite podcasts on the go. |
| 0:25.2 | The New Statesman |
| 0:28.2 | Hi, I'm Anouche. I'm Rachel. And I'm Freddie. |
| 0:39.3 | And on today's episode of The New Statesman Podcast, |
| 0:42.2 | we discussed the government blocking Scottish gender recognition legislation |
| 0:46.1 | and you asked us, |
| 0:47.1 | how will the stalemate in Stormont end? |
| 0:55.4 | So, we're barely a month into the new year |
| 0:57.7 | and already there's talk of a constitutional crisis. |
| 1:00.4 | We've been through our first share of these in recent years. |
| 1:03.2 | The government is deciding to block gender recognition legislation |
| 1:07.0 | passed by the Scottish Parliament, |
| 1:08.8 | using a mechanism that's being described as the nuclear option |
| 1:11.7 | because it's the first time ever they've used this sort of mechanism |
... |
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