Devolution

Question 1

What is the English Question?

Answer 1

• Rephrased as the West Lothian Question by Enoch Powell

- Attempts to answer a series of constitutional questions about the governance of England

Question 2

How does Hazell describe the English Question?

Answer 2

-The gaping hole in the devolution settlement

Question 3

What would be the effect of passing the Draft Scotland Bill?

Answer 3

• The Scottish Parliament will be recognised as a permanent part of the UK’s constitutional arrangement
• The Sewel convention will be placed on a statutory footing, loosening Westminster’s grip on Scottish law-making

Question 4

What did Jack Straw say about the consequences of Devolution?

Answer 4

-If it is not handled properly, the dissolution of the union may occur

Question 5

What did the McKay Commission 2012-2013 report on?

Answer 5

• The West Lothian Question

- AKA English Votes for English Laws

Question 6

What did the McKay commission suggest?

Answer 6

• Decisions made at the UK level with a distinct effect on England should only be made with the consent of a majority of English MPs
• This would balance the competencies of English and Scottish MPs

Question 7

Why does the West Lothian Question sound all too familiar?

Answer 7

-William Gladstone warned of similar issues with regard to Ireland in 1886

Question 8

What issue is linked to Devolution, but concerns England moreso?

Answer 8

-Regional Governance

Question 9

Why was regional governance abandoned in 2004?

Answer 9

-Governmental referendums on regional governance in the North (North West, North East and Yorkshire) all received negative results

Question 10

What is special about London?

Answer 10

• It is the only of the 9 regions in the UK to have its own democratically accountable unit of regional governance
• It demonstrates that this system can work positively

Question 11

What would Dicey say about the Scotland Act 1998?

Answer 11

-It can be repealed at any time

Question 12

What does Bogdanor say about the Scotland Act 1998?

Answer 12

• It may be fundamental law - A New British Constitution
• It would cause civil war if England was to repeal the Act and remove the Scottish Parliament
• The Scottish Parliament is essentially a 3rd chamber on the issue and this is a limitation on Westminster’s supremacy

Question 13

What does Mark Elliot say about the Draft Scotland Bill?

Answer 13

-It will be ‘vacuous’ and will make little change to Parliament’s competencies

Question 14

Is the UK becoming federalised?

Answer 14

• Yes, the power devolved to Scotland is arguably legally tacit but it adds significantly to the federalisation of governmental process
• Following the mauling of Labour and the Lib Dems at the hands of the SNP in the recent general election, federalisation may well continue if the fears of Sturgeon holding Westminster to ransom are recognised

Question 15

What was passed only in 1997 and what does it show?

Answer 15

• The White Paper ‘Scotland’s Parliament’

- Demonstrates how quickly developments in devolution have occured