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Gov & Politics > Devolution > Flashcards

Devolution Flashcards

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1
Q

Devolution definition

A

The transfer of political power, but not sovereignty, from central government to subnational government

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2
Q

What are primary legislative powers?

A

Authority to make laws on devolved policy areas

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3
Q

What is nationalism?

A

A political ideology or movement that regards the nation as the main form of political community and believes nations should be self-governing

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4
Q

Why can British devolution be described as ‘asymmetric’?

A

Each devolved institution has different powers and distinctive features

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5
Q

Results of the 1979 Welsh Devolution Referendum

A

Only 20% backed creating a Welsh Assembly

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6
Q

What parties supported devolution in the 90s?

A

Labour and the Lib Dems

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7
Q

Results of the 1997 Scottish Devolution Referendum

A

74.3% supported creating a Scottish Assembly
65.5% supported giving them tax-varying powers

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8
Q

Results of the 1997 Welsh Devolution Referendum

A

50.3% supported creating a Welsh Assembly

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9
Q

How many members in the Scottish Parliament?

A

129 MSPs

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10
Q

What system is used to elect the Scottish Parliament?

A

AMS

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11
Q

How many MSPs are elected using FPTP in Scottish Parliamentary elections?

A

73 (57% of the total)

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12
Q

How many MSPs are elected using List PR in Scottish Parliamentary elections?

A

56 (43% of the total)

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13
Q

Since 2007 what party has been the governing party in Scotland?

A

SNP

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14
Q

The SNP made a power-sharing deal with what party in 2021?

A

Scottish Greens
(The Greens gained two ministerial positions)

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15
Q

Scotland Act 1998

A

Scottish Parliament gained primary legislative power on issues including:
- Law and order
- Health
- Education
- Transport
- Environment

They also gained tax-raising powers

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16
Q

Example of a power held by Scotland and NI, but not Wales

A

Abortion law

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17
Q

Example of a power held by Scotland and Wales, but not NI

A

Onshore gas and oil extraction

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18
Q

What are reserved powers?

A

Powers that remain the sole responsibility of Westminster

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19
Q

What are some examples of reserved powers?

A
  • UK constitution
  • Defence and national security
  • Foreign policy (including EU relations)
  • Nationality and immigration
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20
Q

How did the Scotland Act 2016 affect sovereignty?

A
  • Westminster will not legislate on devolved powers without consent
  • Scottish Parliament is ‘a permanent part of the UK’s constitutional arrangement’
  • Scottish Parliament cannot be abolished without a referendum
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21
Q

What is the SNP’s aim for an independent Scotland?

A

SAME:
- Keep the pound
- Keep the King as head of state

DIFFERENT:
- Have their own written constitution
- Full responsibility for welfare, foreign and defence policy

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22
Q

Results of the 2014 Scotland Independence Referendum

A

55.3% wanted to stay in the UK

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23
Q

Turnout of the 2014 Scotland Independence Referendum

A

84.5% (very high)

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24
Q

What is ‘granting a section 30 order’?

A

The Westminster government permitting Scotland to hold a second independence referendum

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25
Q

How did the Scotland Act 2016 change tax powers?

A
  • The Scottish Government receive 50% of VAT
  • Gained control of income tax rates
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26
Q

What is the name of the Welsh devolved government

A

Senedd Cymru, or Welsh Parliament

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27
Q

How many members are there in the Welsh Parliament?

A

60

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28
Q

How many members of the Welsh Parliament are elected through FPTP?

A

40 (2/3)

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29
Q

How many members of the Welsh Parliament are elected using List PR

A

20 (1/3)

30
Q

What electoral system does the Welsh Parliament use?

A

AMS

31
Q

Who is first minister of Wales?

A

Mark Drakeford

32
Q

What party has been in power in the Welsh Parliament since 1999 (i.e. since creation)?

A

Labour

33
Q

Government of Wales Act 2006

A

Allowed the Welsh Assembly to gain primary legislative powers if approved in a referendum (it was in 2011)

34
Q

2011 Welsh Referendum on giving the Welsh Assembly primary legislative powers results?

A

64% voted in favour

35
Q

Examples of issues that Wales has primary legislative power over

A
  • Education
  • Health
  • Environment
  • Transport
36
Q

What commission considers whether Wales should get more devolution?

A

Silk Commission

37
Q

Wales Act 2017

A
  • Allowed Wales to vary income tax rates
  • Gave them control of their own elections
38
Q

Name of Welsh legislature

A

Welsh Parliament (formerly Welsh Assembly)

39
Q

Percentage of Catholics in Northern Ireland

A

42%

40
Q

What is unique about Northern Irish devolution?

A

Designed to have power sharing between two main parties

41
Q

Number of members in the Northern Irish Assembly

A

108

42
Q

Electoral system in Northern Ireland

A

STV

43
Q

What power does NI not have that Wales and Scotland have?

A

They have limited power to vary tax

44
Q

What year was the Good Friday Agreement?

A

1998

45
Q

What did the Good Friday Agreement establish?

A

Power-sharing between the Nationalist and Unionist parties in Northern Ireland

46
Q

What is ‘English Votes for English Laws’ (EVEL)?

A

Procedure in the HoC for dealing with legislation that only affects England

47
Q

Arguments FOR an English Parliament

A
  • Complete devolution in the UK, equal between nations
  • Creates more cohesion and clarity
  • Allows for representation of ‘English ideas’
48
Q

Arguments AGAINST an English Parliament

A
  • Creates tension between the English and national governments
  • England is much bigger than the rest of the Union and already dominates
  • Only very limited support
49
Q

What is the West Lothian Question?

A

Asks why MPs representing Scotland should be able to vote on purely English matters

50
Q

Example of the West Lothian Question affecting legislation

A

A vote on tuition fees 2003 wouldn’t have passed without support from Scottish Labour MPs - even though Scotland controls its own education system

51
Q

When was EVEL introduced?

A

2015

52
Q

How does EVEL work?

A

When bills are introduced, the speaker decides if they will only affect England or not

53
Q

What do opponents to EVEL suggest?

A
  • It creates different classes of MPs, and creates a mini English Parliament within the actual Parliament
  • Makes it harder for parties to pass legislation if they have a small majority
54
Q

What % of people voted NO to created a North-East Assembly in 2004?

A

78%

55
Q

What are some arguments in favour of more English devolution?

A
  • Address political variation amongst different English regions
  • Create balanced devolution as England is too large to have its own parliament
56
Q

What are some arguments against more English devolution?

A
  • Few areas of England have strong regional identity (e.g. East Midlands?)
  • Tensions between national and local government
  • Little public support
57
Q

How many members are in the London Assembly?

A

25

58
Q

Example of a policy introduced by the London Mayor

A

Congestion charge, 2003

59
Q

What is a ‘quasi-federal’ state?

A

While there are some federal characteristics, it is still fundamentally a unitary state

60
Q

How has devolution limited parliamentary sovereignty?

A

While Parliament could - in theory - remove all devolved governments, they no longer have control over many policy areas.

61
Q

How was parliamentary sovereignty changed by the 2016 Scotland Act?

A

Westminster could no longer legislate on devolved issues without consent

62
Q

What is needed if Westminster wanted to remove devolution?

A

A referendum

63
Q

Why do MPs from devolved regions have different responsibilities than English MPs?

A

In devolved regions, people tend to turn to their local government for domestic issues. Therefore, MPs tend to deal with economic and foreign affairs issues

64
Q

Should the UK become federal? - YES

A
  • More cohesion
  • Resolve anomalies (e.g. West Lothian Question)
  • Status and role of Westminster Parliament made clear
65
Q

Should the UK become federal - NO

A
  • England is too dominant and the different federal states would be unequal
  • Is an English Parliament necessary when England already dominates Westminster
  • Very little public desire
66
Q

Example of policy divergence: prescription charges

A

England - Allowed
Wales - Abolished 2007
Scotland - Abolished 2011
NI - Abolished 2010

67
Q

Example of policy divergence: school league tables

A

England - Allowed
Wales - Abolished 2001
Scotland - Abolished 2003
NI - Abolished 2001

68
Q

What is the Barnett formula?

A

Formula which decides how much funding devolved regions get

69
Q

Problem with the Barnett formula

A

Uneven spending per person; England gets less per person than the rest of the UK

70
Q

Has devolution undermined the union? - YES

A
  • Increased desire for Scottish independence
  • Uneven between nations
  • Turned from a unified nation into a quasi-federal one
71
Q

Has devolution undermined the union? - NO

A
  • Answered demands for more autonomy in Scotland, etc
  • Process has happened smoothly with no major disputes
  • Ended violence in Northern Ireland
72
Q

How may Brexit affect devolution?

A

Most voters in Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to remain, which may create an increased desire to leave the UK and rejoin the EU

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