Scotland after the referendum.  Analysis of the results and of the consequences

The article focused on the roots of independence aspirations in Scotland and analyzed referendum in Scotland marked 18. September 2014; also described devolution carried out in 1998; analyzed not only the results of the referendum (by age and region of Scotland), but also the reactions of the UK and the rest of the world; described the referendums in the world after the World War II as well as plans for the future of Scotland.

The specificity of a regional state on the example of devolved regions in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

The issue of autonomous countries, for example through Scotland, is an interesting topic in the field of political research. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is an absorbing field for the deeper research. The analysis of the institutional and legal solutions adopted in the United Kingdom allows for the formulation of a research hypothesis that classifies Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as autonomous countries, as a result of the competences obtained as part of the devolution process. In the article, the author also responds to the research questions posed which features may indicate the position of the devolved regions as autonomous countries, and which do not allow them to be included in this category?

The freedom of the press is one of the basic guarantees of a democratic state and, at the same time, a guarantee of political rights. After 2008, when the great financial crisis occurred, the Member States of the European Union began to significantly limit the rights and freedoms of citizens, including freedom of the press. The introduced restrictions are characteristic of a neo-militant democracy. However, they sometimes become a tool in the hands of antidemocrats. The aim of the article is to check how and why over the years, between successive crises, i.e., financial crisis, the so-called refugee crisis, the coronavirus pandemic, freedom of the press was restricted in Ireland and Great Britain. These are the countries in which initially the political and social effects of the economic crisis were not felt, but later rapid regression was observed. By using content analysis based on reports from the Reporters without Borders and Freedom House organizations, the study uncovers how and why the restrictions of freedom of the press changed. It locates the political structures of Ireland and Great Britain between the ideal types of neo- and quasi-militant democracy, depending on the goal of the restrictions. The research hypothesis is as follows: The restriction of freedom of the press in Ireland and the United Kingdom after 2008 shows that states are using the media system to pursue their particular interests by introducing solutions characteristic of quasi-militant democracies.