Devolution Flashcards
What was the “West lothian Question”
Questioning why an MP in West Lothian (a place on the Scottish/English border) would get to vote on English laws that only impact England when West Lothian is located in Scotland. e.g. Shouldn’t ONLY English MPs vote on English laws? Or should there be an English Parliament?
What was Camerons response to the West Lothian Question?
EVEL. A system whereby the speaker can designate certain bills as for English MPs only.
Give an example of a law which only effects England, which was passed with the support of Scottish MPs
Tuition fees under Blair. Without the support of Scottish MPs he would not have got the reform through. However, tuition fees do not impact Scotland as this is a devolved matter. This increased calls for EVEL.
Why has COVID increased calls for more devolution?
Because Scotland was able to set its own COVID restrictions but local mayors like Manchester and Liverpool were not.
Why are Mayors asymmetrical in the UK?
Some MPs have a lot more powers than others and some have control over bigger budgets.
Why was the Scottish Parliament initially more powerful than the Welsh assembly?
It had the ability to make laws and raise taxes beyond that set by Westminster.
Why were the powers of the Scottish Parliament increased in 2016?
Cameron used it as a bribe to persaude Scots to vote to stay in the UK. It gave Scotland the power to set their own income tax and keep their own VAT revenue.
Has Scottish devolution been a success?
Depends on your view. It has definitely been a successful legislating chamber, but it has also increased the power of the SNP and has increased calls for full independence for Scotland.
What areas are the Scottish Parliament in charge of?
Lots - including Education, local government, housing, health, social services, economic development. The main ones they are NOT in charge of is international relations and defence.
Why have their been 3 Welsh referendums on devolution?
Because each one has increased the powers of the assembly (in 1998, 2006 and 2011)
Is the Welsh Assembly now as powerful as the Scottish Parliament?
Almost - there used to be a HUGE gap between them (Wales had no tax raising powers), but now their responsibilities are almost identical. The current differences include Police, Justice and tourism.
Why is the Northern Irish assembly quite Unique?
It was set up to stop terrorism (the troubles) rather than increase representation. It has an in-built power sharing agreement which means there must always be a nationalist and republican coalition in gvt.
What is ‘direct rule’ and why has it happened several times in Northern Ireland since 1998?
When N.I. parties have refused to work together, the UK government has taken control of NI again with ‘direct rule’ from Westminster. This happened in 2002-2007 and again in 2017-2019.
What was the good friday agreement?
It was a groundbreaking agreement between Blair, nationalists and republicans in Northern Ireland that helped to secure peace. It was approved by a huge referendum majority to support it. It created devolution in Northern Ireland.
Give 3 reasons why devolution has been a success
UK remains united.
Devolved assemblies have been popular amongst the people
They have allowed other political parties to rise (e.g. SNP)
They have demonstrated that alternative voting systems can work
They have been given increasing amount of powers over the last 20 years
Helped to bring peace in Northern Ireland
Perhaps prevented an independent Scotland vote in 2014
