Transcript British Devolution - St. John's High School

Scotland in the UK, 1707-2014
 abolished
the Scottish Parliament
• single national legislature at Westminster
 Scotland
retained a separate church as
well as separate education and legal
systems
 Department
of the UK Government
• administrative devolution
• headed by a Secretary of State for Scotland
 a UK cabinet minister
• parallel to Whitehall departments
 e.g., health, education, justice, fisheries & farming,
etc.
 Labour-backed
vote on restoring a
Scottish parliament
• 51% of voters favored it, but it failed
• required support of 40% of the electorate, but
the turnout (64%) wasn’t high enough
 33% of all eligible voters, well under the 40% needed
 Like
other Conservatives, Thatcher favored
greater centralization
• ministry exerted greater control over Scottish affairs
 1984: closure
of 20 mines
 massive strike, much of it in Scotland
• early ‘90s, Conservative John Major shut down much
of Scotland’s steel industry
 1989: new
poll tax began as a trial in Scotland
before the rest of the UK
 even larger protests than 5 years earlier
 Tremendous
emphasis on devolution for
Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland
• created a legislative assembly for each
• part of Blair’s “New Labour” constitutional
reform
 goal of greater democracy
• also politically astute
 Labour drew significant support from Scottish voters,
making it a good idea to keep them happy
 created
a new Scottish Parliament
• and executive – the First Minister
 specifically
defined the extent of its
powers
• reserved certain powers to the UK Parliament
 including the right to expand/contract the SP’s
powers
 UKP
retained authority over
• foreign policy, national defense, national
monetary policy, immigration, and trade
• also employment legislation & equality of
opportunity, social security, data protection, drug
policy, and issues surrounding abortion,
fertilization & embryology, etc.
• and may also legislate on devolved matters
 but “will not normally” do so without the agreement of
the SP (the Sewel Convention)
 e.g., national healthcare policy, energy policy,
“serious organised crime,” etc.
 SP
given primary legislative power over:
• education, health, housing & social welfare,
agriculture, the environment, local government,
and criminal & civil law
 Cameron’s “Devomax” promise
• new SP powers over taxation, spending, and
welfare services
• continuation of the Barnett formula for allocating
public funds to Scotland, Wales, and N. Ireland
 allows up to 19% higher spending per capita than in
England
 meaning
of this for N. Ireland and Wales?
• equal devolution for them?
 the West
Lothian question
• devolution for England?