After the stunning defeat of Theresa May’s exit deal, Scotland is looking anew at independence, and the U.K. government fears economic disaster.
David Stewart
David Stewart, S.J., who was the London correspondent for America from 2014 to 2020, files from his native Scotland, where he now lives and works.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Theresa May fumbles toward a no-deal Brexit
The British state continues to make preparations for the growing possibility of a no-deal exit, an outcome sufficiently plausible that it is spending large sums recruiting new staff and renting warehouse space for key supplies, such as E.U.-produced medicine, that may abruptly prove hard to come by.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Who will give Asia Bibi asylum? A blasphemy case in Pakistan puts Britain in a difficult spot
Fearing reprisals from militant groups, Britain shies away from offering asylum to Asia Bibi, a Catholic woman whose death sentence for blasphemy against Islam has been thrown out by judges in Pakistan.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Britain staggers toward the Brexit deadline, with another separation plan in doubt
The new 500-page Brexit proposal released by Theresa May’s government largely ducks the Irish border question, and Britons are growing nervous about food supplies should the plan collapse.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Celtic Bridge proposal draws interest as Brexit sails into choppy waters
People are saying the bridge is a serious idea, and it has at least captured the interest of leading politicians on both sides of the water.
Posted inDispatches, Faith
New reports of sexual abuse rock Benedictine abbey schools in England
The new report finds evidence of appalling sexual and physical mistreatment of students as young as 7, as well as a culture of secrecy, at two abbey schools.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
In Britain, breaking up is hard to do
Each day brings not only further confusion but also growing demands for a “people’s vote”: a second referendum on E.U. membership or at least a plebiscite on whatever exit deal, if any, this hapless government manages to negotiate.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Was your car cleaned by a slave? A new app in the U.K. tries to answer.
Tens of thousands—including children—may be trapped in illegal employment in U.K. construction, hospitality and agriculture sectors, in domestic service, and, sadly, in prostitution.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Not all Brits loved the royals or their wedding
A poll found that 66 percent of the British public declared they were not interested in the Windsor wedding.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Home secretary Amber Rudd resigns over treatment of Windrush immigrants
The most recent member of the current Conservative Party administration to be shown the door, Ms. Amber Rudd, was partly responsible for perpetuating an unpleasant and morally dubious policy that her predecessor in that office had introduced.