constitutional change Flashcards
why did Blair’s gov. see constitutional reform as a key priority?
they wanted to modernise Britain’s political system, decentralise power and enhance democracy
why did labour have to implement devolution?
-unpopularity of conservatives in scotland (no conservative MPs) had strengthened calls for scottish independence
what did this devolution involve?
-a scottish parliament, a welsh assembly and a northern ireland assembly after the good friday agreement
successes of devolution:
-welsh assembly provided a platform for greater regional governance
-scottish parliament granted significant powers e.g. over education and tax raising which temporarily satisfied growing nationalist demands
-devolution in N.I helped secure peace for 25 years
failures of devolution:
-devolution actually strengthened nationalist parties - e.g. SNP used it as a stepping stone towards the 2014 independence referendum
-settlement was uneven - scotland received greater powers than wales which led to calls for further reform
-west lothian question was still an unresolved issue - led to more calls for EVEL
describe house of lords reform 1999:
-labour removed most hereditary peers - only 92 left
strengths of HoL reform:
-it modernised the lords, made it more meritocratic and weakened aristocratic privilege
-life peers, appointed for expertise, made the chamber more professional and capable of scrutinising gov.
-by 2001, blair had created more life peers in 4 years than the tories had in 18
what was the Human Rights Act 1998?
incorporated the ECHR into UK law, allowing British courts to enforce human rights protections
strengths of HRA:
-increased government accountability and made it easier for individuals to challenge public authorities
-strengthened civil liberties, making rights such as fair trials and free speech more enforceable in UK courts
-until the HRA, people in the UK had to take a case against the gov. to the ECHR court in Strasbourg. now with this act cases could be heard in domestic courts which saved time and money
weaknesses of HRA:
-some lawyers argued British sovereignty was compromised as it put the UK under the pre-existing ECHR
-conservatives later attacked it for allegedly undermining national security and restricting deportations of criminals and terror suspects
-some argued it gave the courts too much power over parliament
what was the 2000 freedom of information act?
allowed the public to request info from public bodies, improving transparency and accountability
strengths of FoI act:
-enabled investigative journalism e.g. MPs’ expenses scandal in 2009, which increased public trust in democratic institutions
-by 2006, over 100,000 requests were being made each year
weaknesses of FoI act:
-governments could still withhold information for security or policy reasons, therefore some argued that public bodies were still not fully accountable
-Blair later regretted the act, arguing it made gov. decision making harder due to fear of scrutiny/ publication of decision making processes
describe elected mayors and regional government:
-they introduced directly elected mayors, with ken livingstone becoming the first mayor of london in 2000
-but the introduction of regional assemblies failed
strengths of elected mayors/regional gov.:
-1999 greater london authority act improved governance in the capital and created a powerful executive figure to oversee transport, policing and urban development
-livingstone was a successful mayor for 8 years and have the mayoral role a high profile. he proved governmental powers could be effectively and democratically devolved
-enhanced democratic representation for the citizens of london who not only voted for the mayor but also the newly created london assembly
weaknesses of elected mayors/regional gov.:
-regional assemblies outside of london failed - only one referendum was held in 2004 an it overwhelmingly failed (78% against)
-at the time of the london mayoral election in 2000, blair was forced into a u-turn over the candidacy of livingstone - he was forced to stand as an independent due to ‘loony left’ ties but when he won blair has to accept him back into labour
-turnout for the initial london vote on whether to introduce a mayor and assembly was only 30%
