The Scottish Government's push for regulatory alignment with the European Union reflects its aspirations for potential re-entry into the EU. Nevertheless, burgeoning regulatory disparities at both UK and Scottish levels pose significant hurdles, notably within sectors like the environment.

https://rse.org.uk/resources/resource/blog/brexit-and-the-brussels-effect/

The UK and Scotland face ongoing challenges from their departure from the EU. In the face of polling suggesting that a notable portion of UK voters would back rejoining the EU, mainstream UK parties have sidestepped serious consideration of this option. In Scotland, however, the discourse surrounding Brexit and the potential merits of rejoining the EU or pursuing independence within the EU framework is taken more seriously, as evidenced by the political stance of the Scottish government and the SNP.

https://rse.org.uk/resources/resource/blog/eu-scotland-relations-after-brexit-where-next/

Scotland's approach to immigration starkly contrasts with the rest of the UK, with political parties advocating for increased migration to address population decline and labour shortages despite lacking devolved powers over immigration. Unlike the UK, immigration isn’t a contentious issue in Scottish media or politics, and surveys reveal a more welcoming attitude towards migrants among the Scottish public.

https://rse.org.uk/resources/resource/blog/attitudes-and-narratives-on-immigration-is-scotland-really-different/

Citations and further reading:

Maneri, Marcello. 2023. “A comparative analysis of migration narratives in traditional and social media”. BRIDGES Working Papers 11. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8192076

Smellie, Saskia. 2023a. “Migration narratives in media and social media. The case of the United Kingdom.” BRIDGES Working Papers 10. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7937160

Smellie, Saskia. 2023b. “The impact of narratives on policy-making at the national level. The case of United Kingdom”. BRIDGES Working Papers 25. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10259906

Smellie, Saskia, and Christina Boswell. 2024a. “Comparative analysis of migration narratives in political debate and policymaking: Cross-national report’.” BRIDGES Working Papers 26. Doi: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10590198

Smellie, Saskia and Christina Boswell. 2024b. “Policy brief on the impact of narratives on policymaking at the national level”. BRIDGES Policy Briefs 2. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10591072