Devolution - London, Scotland and Wales Flashcards
Before the London Mayor was introduced, who ran London and what were some of their responsibilities?
The Greater London Council (GLC) ran London from 1960 to 1986 and their responsibilities included education, transport and housing.
When and why did Margaret Thatcher abolish the GLC?
After the GLC was called the “Loony Left” by the tabloids for promoting far-left ideals (for the time) such as gay rights, radical feminism, an anti-nuclear agenda and discussions with the IRA, Thatcher abolished the GLC in 1986.
In 2000, who was the first directly elected Mayor?
Ken Livingstone of Labour. He was elected under the supplementary vote (SV).
What was also elected with the Mayor?
A 25 member Greater London Authority (GLA) which was elected under the additional member system (AMS).
What is the main power of the Mayor?
He is the person who sets the budget and gets to make key appointments. He also gets a “block grant” from Westminster to allocate funds for different uses in London.
What has been the situation with the local councils/governments over the last 20 years?
Ever since the introduction of the Mayor in 2000, local councils in the UK have been traditionally weak with almost all the resources and power being possessed by Westminster. This has led to a lot of criticism saying that decisions made in London don’t reflect the real needs of other UK cities. These cities like Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester wanted devolved powers to control their local issues e.g The Northern Powerhouse. This has progressed with 11 other cities in the UK getting their own directly elected mayors, even Bristol.
Which prime minister granted devolved powers to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in 1997?
Tony Blair
What were the referendums results in both Scotland and Wales for devolved powers?
Scotland - Over 70%
Wales - Over 50%
Give some history about the Scottish Parliament?
1) Tony Blair gave Scotland, along with Wales and Northern Ireland, a devolved parliament in 1997.
2) The first elections held in 1999 led to a Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition.
3) This coalition remained in power until 2007 when the Scottish National Party (SNP) won a minority government.
4) In 2011, the SNP won a majority of 32 seats after winning 67 out of the 129 seats available.
What is the structure of the Scottish Parliament?
It’s unicameral which means it has only one chamber and not 2 like Westminster has. There are 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament and the biggest party is the SNP with 63 seats. Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSP’s) are elected using AMS and constituency MP’s are elected using FPTP.
Affairs that the Scottish Parliament have control over are called ‘devolved’ powers? What do these powers include?
Health, education and training, local government, laws (mainly criminal and civil law) and the court system, social work, housing, tourism, economic development, public transport, the environment, agriculture and sport.
What was “Devo Max”
In the last days of the 2014 Scottish Independence referendum, PM David Cameron and the other main Westminster parties promised that in the event of a ‘no’ vote, more power would go to the Scottish parliament. This gave Scotland all of its powers apart from foreign affairs and national defence.
Plaid Cymru have always had a majority in the Welsh Assembly but what powers do the Welsh Assembly have?
Education, Health, Local government, Transport, Planning, Housing, Economic development, social services, culture, agriculture and the environment.
Why do the Welsh Assembly have to sometimes ask the UK Government for permission to promote a certain area of law?
The Assembly has powers to make laws on just 20 subject areas and not all of the ‘other’ areas. For these ‘other’ areas, the Assembly asks Westminster and they decide whether or not the assembly can make this a law.
As well as devolved powers being in place, the UK Parliament retains control over national affairs, which are called “reserved” powers? What do these powers include?
Constitutional matters, UK defence and national security, UK foreign policy, immigration and nationality, UK economic and monetary policy, energy, employment legislation, social security, national transport, regulations of specific industries and even the National Lottery.
