‘The Song Remains The Same?’ Constitutional Developments in Catalonia and Scotland in 2015

Scotland and Catalonia have long been seen as comparative cases: distinctive minority national identities with autonomist movements that have seen a measure of electoral or constitutional success. In 2014, both cases reached a critical juncture, with an official referendum in Scotland and a non-binding ‘participation process’ in Catalonia. Those events have been studied in detail elsewhere, but the focus of this article is on the aftermath – specifically, the political and constitutional developments in each case in the 12 months following their respective votes. In particular, we look at the plethora
of actors involved in each case, the evolution of their attitudes and strategies and conclude that, irrespective of recent developments, the constitutional question will remain on the agenda in both Scotland and Catalonia for the foreseeable future.