Devolution Flashcards
What is the West Lothian Question?
the perceived imbalanced between the voting rights in the Commons of MPs compared to those in Scotland, Wales and NI
What new powers does ‘English Votes for English Laws’ grant the speaker?
to declare legislation as ‘English only’
blocks Scottish MPs at Westminster from voting on issues relating to England only
Andy Burnham
Mayor of Greater Manchester
accused the government of playing a “game of poker with people’s lives” during COVID pandemic
highlighting the sense that whilst mayors have great power they are constrained by Westminster
Tracy Brabin
Mayor of West Yorkshire
rail routes being cancelled in her constituency but nothing she can do about it
Until 1986 what was London run by?
Greater London Council
What is the Greater London Council responsible for?
education, transport and housing
What was the GLC?
Greater London Council was the top tier local government admin body for Greater London
When was the GLC abolished and why?
1983 Thatcher Government
claimed it was inefficient and unnecessary and that its functions could be carried out more efficiently by the boroughs
What referendum did Labour call in 1998 ?
whether a directly elected mayor and London Assembly was wanted
Who was the first directly elected Mayor?
Ken Livingston
What voting system is used for mayoral elections?
supplementary vote system
Who defeated Livingston in 2008?
Boris Johnson
Who is the current London Mayor?
Sadiq Khan since 2016
What are the powers of the Mayor?
‘Block grant’ - allocate funds for different uses
sets budget and makes key appointments
What are the powers of the Great London Assembly?
- keeps a check on the Mayor
- questions the Mayor at City Hall each week
- veto or block any of Mayor’s proposals with a 2/3 majority
How strong are local councils and authorities in the UK?
they are traditionally weak as almost all power and resources are controlled by central government
Which council can we use as an example for the weakness of local councils and authorities in the UK?
Surrey County Council
- conservative
- ran out of money a couple of years ago
- unable to fund social care
- had to be bailed out by government
- same happened in Buckinghamshire
How did the Scottish Referendum effect the power of local governments?
big cities like Manchester started to demand a much greater say in how they are governed
How have local governments in the North increased their power?
some financial services have shifted away from London to Manchester and the North West
called the ‘Northern Powerhouse’ as they now have more of a say in how their region is governed
What is the argument for more power to be given to big cities around the UK?
decisions made in London cannot and do not reflect the real needs of other cities in the UK
‘levelling up’ - local authorities should have real power or devolution to address local concerns and needs
Advantages of ‘levelling up’
local people know best about the community they live in
Disadvantages of ‘levelling up’
don’t have the power / experience to manage big budgets and make strategic decisions
Do the laws differ in devolved bodies compared to England?
Scottish law and English law is completely different
Welsh law and English law is the same
What power does Scotland have that puts it above Wales?
the power to set their own rate of income tax
How has the Scottish Parliament developed?
1999 - first elections held which led to Labour/LibDem coalition
2007 - SNP became largest party but did not win a majority of seats
2011 - SNP won an outright majority of seats
What had the Labour Party hopes devolution would put an end to?
calls for Scottish independence and halt the rise of SNP
but had the opposite effect
What is the structure of Scottish Parliament?
unicameral
headed by a first minister
assisted by cabinet
Who is the First Minister in Scotland?
Humza Yousaf
What does the Scottish cabinet look like?
it is made of SNP ministers and supported by pro-independence Scottish Greens
What voting system is used in Scotland?
Additional Member System - gives voter two votes, one for constituency MP, other for a party
What is ‘Devo Max’?
giving Scotland full power to make its own decision
apart from foreign affairs and defence
What are the Reserved Powers of the Scottish Parliament?
the powers which UK retains control over:
constitutional matters
UK defence and national security
UK foreign policy
Immigration and nationality
UK economic and monetary policy - apart from Scotland’s tax varying power
Energy - electricity, coal, gas, nuclear power
Employment legislation
Social security - DWP (Department for Work and Pensions)
Health in Scotland
NHS in Scotland is completely devolved
don’t have to pay for prescriptions
Education in Scotland
standard grades - gcses and higher grades (a levels, six subjects)
university is free
four year degrees
How does Scottish law differ to English?
- in Scotland the highest court is not the SC but is the high court of justiciary
- most aspects of criminal and civil law, prosecution system and courts are different
- three verdicts in court (guilty, not guilty, not proven)
- a trained lawyer in Scotland cannot practise in England
Property in Scotland
- putting an offer on a property and its accepted is legally binding
- more public housing
- more Scots live in council housing than in England
How did Brexit have an impact on Devolution in Northern Ireland?
there was now a land border between NI and the Republic
the Republic is still part of the EU
Who protocol did Johnson negotiate in terms of trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
any goods coming from GB into NI would have to be checked in advance and when they arrived
Red Lanes and Green Lanes - England to NI (no checks) and NI to South (will be checks)
What happened in Ireland in 1922?
26 out of 32 counties of Ireland broke away from the UK to form the Republic
the remaining 6 counties remained part of the UK as Northern Ireland
How has Northern Ireland always been divided?
always been divided along religious lines
Unionists - roughly 55% are Protestant and feel British
Nationalists - remaining population are Catholic and feel Irish
From 1922 to 1972 describe the nature of the Northern Irish parliament
dominated by Unionists through a mixture of gerrymandering and intimidation of Catholics
Describe some ways in which Protestants dominated NI
- dominated business and the professions
- in terms of public housing they were always ahead of the list and given preferential treatment
What did Nationalists do in 1960 in Northern Ireland?
start their own civil rights movement inspired by the Civil Rights Movement in the USA
How did Protestants react to Nationalists in 1960s?
reacted violently as they feared a threat to their dominance
many Catholics were burned out of their homes in 1968/69
What does the ‘Troubles’ refer to?
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) responded to the violence against Catholics with their own campaign of violence
lasted 25 years
over 2000 people were murdered by terrorist groups on both sides between 1969 and 1994
How did the British Government respond to the Troubles in 1972?
abolished the NI Parliament and direct rule from Westminster was imposed
The Good Friday Agreement 1998
set up a ‘power sharing’ arrangement
agreement that NI was part of the UK and would remain so until a majority of the people both of NI and Republic of Ireland wished otherwise
How are the elections to the NI Assembly held?
every five years under STV
Two main parties in NI
Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) - right wing conservative unionist protestant
Sinn Fein - left wing republican nationalist catholic
What are the reserved powers of the NI Assembly?
foreign affairs, defence, economic and social policy, tacation
What powers do the NI Assembly have?
make its own primary legislation e.g. abortion
health, education, transport, housing etc
What were the continuing disagreements between Unionists and Nationalists in 2017?
two sides argued over public spending
also argued about the so-called Language Act
What was the agreement between NI and the Republic following Brexit?
whatever the outcome the border between NI and the R of I would remain open
