A Celtic rebellion?: newspaper coverage of the UK’s Human Rights Act in the devolved nations

Abstract

ABSTRACT Ever since its incorporation in UK law, the European Convention on Human Rights has attracted hostile press reporting. This study examines how the Human Rights Act, the Convention’s UK domestic equivalent, is represented in newspapers in the devolved nations. Its main finding is that, over time, the press there has become more supportive of the Act, deviating from the editorial line adopted by many English national titles. European human rights act as a conduit of the devolved nations’ belonging as European nations, making it a potentially important issue in the re-imagining of national identity in the era of devolution.