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A pdf of Seán Patrick Griffin's report for the Labour Party (Corbyn/Leonard era) 'Remaking The British State' is available here. A real mixed bag it is - predictably it is embarrassingly partisan towards a Left Labour vision and obsessively antiSNP https://www.scottishlabourleft.co.uk/uploads/ /1
However, it also contains decent scholarship including clear and accurate accounts of how most aspects of the UK constitution and devolved settelements work - reflecting Griffin's background it is strong on legal questions and dimensions /2
As a long awaited basis for a new UK wide federal plan (which Griffin's fantasy radical Labour governments in WM and Holyrood would implement) it is an improvement on previous offerings but a. that is not saying much and b. it's still far from convincing /3
But for all its weaknesses - most obvious when it simply defaults to Labour electioneering (some of it laughable) I feel there is valuable work here which deserves to be taken seriously and debated respectfully and which can inform constitutional debates /4
There are things which the SNP and Scottish Greens can learn from as they confront the historic task of remaking the constitutional future of Scotland. Academics and civil society groups should welcome (parts of) this as a valuable contribution to the debate. Churches too. /5
