Current Affairs - Domestic Flashcards
Name 5 domestic current affairs
Scottish Independence
Deportation of Refugees
Railway Strikes
Northern Ireland Protocol
Boris Johnson Leadership
When is the proposed date for Indyref2?
19th October 2023
Why has Boris Johnson currently rejected independence and what is the Supreme Court being questioned on?
Says we need to work together to build a stronger economy
Whether the Scottish government can hold a vote without UK approval
What will happen if Holyrood is not given the power to hold a referendum, and what will happen if it does?
The next general election will be a de facto referendum with the SNP standing on the single issue of independence
The Referendum Bill will be passed ASAP
What will the Section 30 Order for Indyref2 grant?
Will grant Holyrood powers usually reserved for Westminster, primarily the ability to hold a referendum
Why does the government want to deport asylum seekers illegally arriving in the UK?
Because they want to provide safe/legal routes and disrupt the businesses of people smugglers
Why is it controversial sending refugees to Rwanda?
Because it has a poor human rights record - the Rwandan Patriotic Front regularly threatens those who criticise the government or the RPF (some missing or found dead)
Name two countries refugees are coming from and why
Afghanistan - Taliban rule
Syrian - Civil War
Name three countries which hold more refugees than the UK
Germany, France and Spain
Why are refugees travelling to the UK?
52% said they already have a family member here so wish to be reunited
Name two legal routes for asylum seekers and why they haven’t worked
UK Resettlement Scheme (2021)
Mandate Resettlement Scheme (1995) - resettles those with family members in the UK who can accommodate them but only two people were resettled in 2021
Name two groups fighting in the Syrian Civil War
Syrian Arab Republic vs the Free Syrian Army
Why are railway workers striking?
Due to frozen salaries despite 9.1% inflation, changing working conditions and proposed job cuts
How many railway workers are strikers and what union are they from?
40,000
National Union of Rail, Maritime, and Transport Workers
Who are the railway workers striking against and why?
National Rail
They’ve only offered a 2% pay increase despite demands for 7%, and the NR’s modernisation programme (increase in working hours and removal of approx 1500 jobs to save money)
What is the government arguing in relation to the railway strikes?
That revenue has fallen and passenger numbers are 1/5 of pre-pandemic figures
What is the Northern Ireland protocol aiming to avoid and what does the British government want to override?
A hard border between NI and ROI
The Brexit deal on NI
Why is the NI protocol an issue?
Because the EU has strict food rules that require border checks (e.g. milk and eggs) for goods arriving from non-EU countries
What is the aim of the NI protocol, and why do Unionist parties object?
To have border checks instead be conducted between NI and Britain, and for NI to follow EU food rules
A border across the Irish sea undermines NI’s place in the UK (DUP refuses power sharing with Republicans until resolved)
What does the UK Government want to create instead of the NI protocol?
Red lanes (products going into the EU - full checks)
Green lanes (products only going into NI - exempt from checks)
Why have the UK Government said they can change the terms of an international agreement and what was the European Commission’s response?
Safeguarding essential interest (NI peace being threatened)
Took legal action against the UK for it (refused to negotiate but willing to cooperate - e.g. reduce customs on goods and relaxing rules so red meat can still be sent across the Irish Sea)
What could happen if the NI protocol is not properly negotiated?
The EU could take the UK to the European Court of Justice and a trade war could emerge
What happened in December 2021 in regards to Boris Johnson?
Wanted to reintroduce covid measures but faced the largest rebellion of Tory MPs during his premiership
Why was there conflict over the Downing Street refurbishments?
The report said he didn’t breach the Ministerial Code but was unwise and should have had more regard for funding
