Politics of the United Kingdom

The atmosphere around Scotland’s independence vote was electric, and BBC radio host and Scottish native Rhod Sharp says he could feel it all the way from New England, where he watched the referendum and its historic aftermath unfold.

Many supporters of the “Yes” campaign were in tears after a decisive loss in Scotland’s independence vote. But London had to promise a raft of new local powers to keep Scotland in the UK, and those promises may change the nature of the British union for Northern Ireland, Wales and England, too.

Controversial, belligerent and bigoted — those were some of the words used to describe the Reverend Ian Paisley, the Northern Irish political giant, after his death on Friday. Writer and filmmaker Jon Ronson spent a week making a documentary about Paisley and came away from it with respect for the man many hated.

In a little over two weeks, Scots will decide whether Scotland should stay in the UK. Scottish expats won’t get to vote. As you might imagine, many expats are not happy about that.

The debate between security and civil liberties continues to heat up in the UK. More than 500 British citizens have reportedly gone to fight in Syria and Iraq, and the government wants to increase measures to make sure they don’t bring violence with them when they return home.