Devolution Flashcards
In what election did what party promise to give wales and scotland referendums on whether they wanted devolved powers?
Labour - 1997 election
Results of the Scottish referendum on a devolved parliament
Yes - 74.3%
No - 25.7%
Turnout - 60.1%
Results of the Welsh referendum on a devolved parliament
Yes - 50.3%
No - 49.7%
Turnout - 50.2%
What were Tony Blair’s main arguments in favour of devolution
Strengthen decision making and bring it closer to the people
Strengthen UK by satisfying nationalist demands for greater S-D
Who overtook labour as the main political party in Scotland
SNP - scottish ref in 2014
What questions has the asymmetrical nature of devolution raised
Why does England not have its own devolved power
Why does scotland have more devolved power than wales and N-I
What act established scotland’s Parliament
The Scottish Act 1998
What powers were they originally given before the Smith commission
Local gov’t Housing Environment Law and order Education Health Income tax powers by 3p in the pound
Powers not devolved to Scotland are called…
reserved powers
Scotland was the first member of the UK to …
Ban Smoking
Have free Uni
What are some reserved powers
Foreign policy
Defence
Immigraition
What was the agreement that allowed the SNP to call a referendum
2012 Edinburgh agreement
What did the 2014 referendum trigger
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’
What commission was set up after the referendum and what did it achieve
Smith Commission
Scotland Act 2016
What did the Scotland act 2016 give to Scotland
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
What key precedent did the Scotland act 2016 set out
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.
What did the Scotland act mean for the UK
It was now closer to becoming a quasi-federal state
What were the results of the EU referendum in scotland
Remain - 62%
Leave - 38%
Why may wales have less desire for devolved power in wales
Been absorbed by UK since medieval times - no real sense of independence
Why has welsh nationalism failed to unite the country
Plaid Cymru (party of wales) generally supported by the welsh speakers and the english speakers tend to support labour therefore the nation is divided.
What was different in the Government of Wales act to the scottish Act
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
Slowly Wales have been granted more powers why is this
Not because of a growing welsh nationalism more because it is important not to have a totally unbalanced power system in the UK
What act gave more powers to wales after the 2011 referendum
Wales act 2014
-control of certian taxes
What act gave Wales control over income tax to 10p of the pound and transport and energy
Wales act 2017
