Devolution

Question 1

In what election did what party promise to give wales and scotland referendums on whether they wanted devolved powers?

Answer 1

Labour - 1997 election

Question 2

Results of the Scottish referendum on a devolved parliament

Answer 2

Yes - 74.3%
No - 25.7%
Turnout - 60.1%

Question 3

Results of the Welsh referendum on a devolved parliament

Answer 3

Yes - 50.3%
No - 49.7%
Turnout - 50.2%

Question 4

What were Tony Blair’s main arguments in favour of devolution

Answer 4

Strengthen decision making and bring it closer to the people

Strengthen UK by satisfying nationalist demands for greater S-D

Question 5

Who overtook labour as the main political party in Scotland

Answer 5

SNP - scottish ref in 2014

Question 6

What questions has the asymmetrical nature of devolution raised

Answer 6

Why does England not have its own devolved power

Why does scotland have more devolved power than wales and N-I

Question 7

What act established scotland’s Parliament

Answer 7

The Scottish Act 1998

Question 8

What powers were they originally given before the Smith commission

Answer 8

Local gov’t 
Housing 
Environment 
Law and order
Education 
Health 
Income tax powers by 3p in the pound

Question 9

Powers not devolved to Scotland are called…

Answer 9

reserved powers

Question 10

Scotland was the first member of the UK to …

Answer 10

Ban Smoking

Have free Uni

Question 11

What are some reserved powers

Answer 11

Foreign policy
Defence
Immigraition

Question 12

What was the agreement that allowed the SNP to call a referendum

Answer 12

2012 Edinburgh agreement

Question 13

What did the 2014 referendum trigger

Answer 13

A surge in nationalism that led to political leaders in the UK gov’t promising new devolved powers in order to keep Scotland from leaving. The ‘Vow’

Question 14

What commission was set up after the referendum and what did it achieve

Answer 14

Smith Commission

Scotland Act 2016

Question 15

What did the Scotland act 2016 give to Scotland

Answer 15

Vary the rate of income tax by 10p to the pound
Receive 50% of VAT gathered in scotland 
Abortion laws
Air passenger duty
Speed limits

Question 16

What key precedent did the Scotland act 2016 set out

Answer 16

The devolved parliament in scotland could only be abolished by a referendum this means that the UK parliament can not abolish it through an Act of Parliament.

Question 17

What did the Scotland act mean for the UK

Answer 17

It was now closer to becoming a quasi-federal state

Question 18

What were the results of the EU referendum in scotland

Answer 18

Remain - 62%

Leave - 38%

Question 19

Why may wales have less desire for devolved power in wales

Answer 19

Been absorbed by UK since medieval times - no real sense of independence

Question 20

Why has welsh nationalism failed to unite the country

Answer 20

Plaid Cymru (party of wales) generally supported by the welsh speakers and the english speakers tend to support labour therefore the nation is divided.

Question 21

What was different in the Government of Wales act to the scottish Act

Answer 21

Wales was only given administrative powers and in fact they only really had the power to choose how they would implement acts of the UK parliament

Question 22

Slowly Wales have been granted more powers why is this

Answer 22

Not because of a growing welsh nationalism more because it is important not to have a totally unbalanced power system in the UK

Question 23

What act gave more powers to wales after the 2011 referendum

Answer 23

Wales act 2014

-control of certian taxes

Question 24

What act gave Wales control over income tax to 10p of the pound and transport and energy

Answer 24

Wales act 2017

Question 25

What does the gradual increase in devolved powers in Wales show

Answer 25

There is still little national movement in wales but the UK is moving towards a more federal system

Question 26

IRELAND

Answer 26

Its devolved institutions of gov’t are unlikely to be part of the development of a more federal UK, since the Unionist majority is still so committed to the principles of a unitary constitution.

Question 27

What is the West Lothian question

Answer 27

asks why Scottish and Welsh MPs can vote on English legislation at Westminster when English MPs cannot vote on Scottish and Welsh issues, has no obvious answer under devolution.

Question 28

What is a counter to the west lothian question

Answer 28

Westminster can easily be seen as a predominantly English Parliament and not interested in Scottish or Welsh problems, leading to demands for independence.

Question 29

New covid rules in Wales

Answer 29

26th Dec

Question 30

New covid rules in Scotland

Answer 30

27th Dec