Britain’s Historic Crossroads
April 13, 2021, 8:31 am

James Denseiow

Too often it is a cliché to describe a country at a crossroads or major point in its history but increasingly it seems that Great Britain is in exactly that place. The death of the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, just shy of his 100th birthday, has reminded the country that some of its seemingly most permanent figures exit the stage. His death follows a fraught year for the Royal Family who have had to batten down the hatches due to Covid as well as weather the storm from the departure of Harry and Megan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, from being working royals.

A crisis of sorts within the royal family is just one of the factors that brings Britain to this historic crossroads. Although Brexit and the departure from the EU has got ‘done’, its legacy continues to shape the country. Such a divisive referendum split the country into two camps whose identities continues to shape politics today.

More dramatically the shockwaves of Brexit are being felt in Northern Ireland and Scotland leading to serious challenges for the maintenance of the Union itself. Indeed, Scottish elections in May are projected to be dominated by the Scottish Nationalist Party who are all primed to push for another Independence Referendum that their vote share would be it difficult to deny.

Number 10 has denied that it would be bounced into granting another vote and put out a statement that “calling for a referendum in this way in the middle of a pandemic is not right.” However, the pandemic won’t last forever and indeed the success of the UK’s vaccine campaign may be a uniting factor in any future argument for keeping Great Britain together. Nevertheless, it seems that the discord generated by Brexit will force the question of Scotland’s splitting from the Union to be put to the vote in some form or other in the years to follow.

Meanwhile in Northern Ireland successive nights of violence have seen over 55 police officers injured in a level of unrest “not seen in years”. The triggers of these events are myriad and linked to Republican leaders flouting Covid regulations to attend a funeral and feelings of being over policed, but the single biggest context change to what has been a period of peace in Northern Ireland, has been Brexit and the introduction of a border in the Irish Sea as part of the agreement made with the EU.

Whilst Wales remains the least likely to succeed from the United Kingdom, record-breaking numbers of people in Wales are in favour of independence, a new poll suggests. Conducted for ITV News Tonight by Savanta ComRes, the new survey found just under 40 per cent of Welsh citizens to be in favour of separating from the UK, representing the highest levels of support for Welsh independence ever recorded.

The 2019 UK election, won by Boris Johnson’s Conservatives, promised the ‘levelling up’ of northern areas of the country previous dominated by the Labour Party. However, Covid and the massive amount of Government spending on the health service and furloughing the economy has meant that serious questions remain as to whether those promises can be kept in the post-Covid period, meaning that another large chunk of the country may feel that their expectations have been badly managed.

The mantra of the original Brexit advocates was that people should vote to ‘take back control’, it would seem that the nations of the UK, as well as the regions too, are increasingly feeling that way towards their own political future that may not involve the Union. However, that the Royal Family, the rock of so much of the country’s identity, is now morning the loss of the Duke of Edinburgh may be a catalyst towards a greater shared collective identity.

This would be moving against the headwinds described earlier in this article and sadly for those advocates of the Union the current Covid restrictions mean that there will not be a huge public turnout around the Duke’s funeral which will be a small family affair. Yet the polling in favour of Scottish independence declined recently supposedly linked to scandals within the Scottish Nationalist Party as well as the success of the Covid vaccination programme, a reminder that the depth of feeling towards these issues is perhaps somewhat shallow and open to influence meaning that the crossroads the country is facing is all to play for.

by: James Denselow

James Denselow,

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has announced its sponsorship of the “Innovation and Sustainable Technology Solutions Competition (GU - IST Solutions), hosted by Gulf University at its main campus.
This strategic sponsorship reflects BENEFIT’s active role in advancing technological innovation and fostering sustainable solutions to future challenges. It also seeks to empower Bahraini youth by enhancing their skills, capabilities, and competitiveness in innovation and solution development—contributing meaningfully to the broader goals of sustainable development across all sectors.
As part of BENEFIT’s active involvement in the competition, the company has announced that Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager of Public Relations and Communication, will serve on the competition’s supervisory committee. Her upcoming participation reflects BENEFIT’s forward-looking commitment to championing academic and professional excellence.
Commenting on the occasion, Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager of Public Relations and Communication at BENEFIT, said, “We are privileged to support this pioneering initiative, which aligns seamlessly with BENEFIT’s enduring commitment to fostering innovation and nurturing the potential of Bahrain’s youth. Our participation is rooted in a deep sense of social responsibility and a firm belief in the pivotal role of innovation in shaping a sustainable future. Through such platforms, we seek to empower the next generation with the knowledge, skills, and foresight required to develop impactful solutions that address future challenges, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030.”
Dr. Aseel Al Ayash Dean of the College of Engineering in Gulf University commented, “We extend our sincere gratitude to BENEFIT for their generous sponsorship and support of the Innovation and Sustainable Technology Solutions Competition. This contribution plays an instrumental role in helping us achieve the strategic goals of this initiative, namely, cultivating a culture of innovation and sustainability, encouraging efforts that address the imperatives of sustainable development, and enhancing the practical and professional capabilities of our students and participants.”
The event will bring together a diverse spectrum of participants, including secondary school students, university undergraduates, engineers, industry professionals, entrepreneurs, academic researchers, and subject matter experts representing a wide range of disciplines.
The competition seeks to inspire participants to develop and present innovative, sustainable technologies aimed at addressing pressing environmental, social, and economic challenges. It encourages the formulation of business models that integrate advanced technological solutions with core principles of sustainability. Moreover, it serves as a platform for emerging leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators to contribute to the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals, promote the ethos of responsible technology, and demonstrate its transformative potential across various sectors.
Attendees will have the opportunity to view a series of project presentations submitted by participants, covering diverse areas such as eco-friendly product design, smart and sustainable innovations, renewable energy technologies, water conservation and management, waste minimisation and recycling, green architectural solutions, and sustainable transportation systems. Outstanding projects will be formally recognised and awarded at the conclusion of the event.