English Devolution Flashcards
define devolution
devolution involves delegating power from the UK Parliament to specific regions of the country
such devolved bodies were created in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland under Tony Blair in the late 1990s
but now there is considerable debate over whether further power should be devolved to England too
arguments in favour of English devolution
solve the West Lothian question
equalise representation across the UK
could be highly effective in tackling other issues such as rising nationalism
arguments against English devolution
the West Lothian question is not a major problem so does not need to be urgently combatted
devolution would lead England to dominate Parliament
the people show no real desire for devolution
conclusion
therefore, it seems to be clear that devolving further power to England is not the next logical step after devolution to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
English devolution would solve the West Lothian question: how would it solve issues relating to the WL question?
it would solve the heavily debated West Lothian question, which essentially asks whether powers should be devolved to England
English devolution would tackle this question by bringing an end to the issue of Scottish MPs being able to vote on purely English matters at Westminster but English MPs having no influence in the Scottish Parliament
it would also finally resolve the issues concerning the Barnett formula, which determines funds for public spending in each region but currently awards Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland more spending per head than England
English devolution would solve the West Lothian question: why is
England not having a devolved body illogical?
consequently, it seems clear that England should have its own devolved body
especially since England is the most prosperous and heavily populated part of the UK, yet the only one without a devolved body of its own - something that seems highly illogical
English devolution would solve the West Lothian question: EVEL has not tackled the question sufficiently
critics would also point to the fact that EVEL (English Votes for English Laws), which supposedly resolves the West Lothian question, does not go far enough because when considering bills which are applicable to England only, English MPs only have the opportunity to veto a bill in its initial stages
for a bill to become a statue, it still requires a majority of affirmative votes from all MPs, including those of non-English constituencies, thereby allowing elected members from the devolved assemblies to vote on bills which affect England only
English devolution would solve the West Lothian question: example of non-English MPs voting on a bill that affects England only
in 2015, Scottish MPs were able to block Conservative proposals to lift the existing ban on fox hunting by threatening to vote down any legislation by assembling a coalition of MPs sufficient to block the proposals
this suggests that further devolution to England is necessary to resolve the West Lothian question
the West Lothian question is not a major problem, so English devolution is not necessary: why is it not a major problem?
the West Lothian question is not a major problem, which indicates that English devolution is not really necessary
the main reason why the question is of little real concern is that there are only 59 Scottish MPs in Westminster, so they can only alter the outcome of a vote if there is also significant support from English or Welsh MPs
this illustrates that the idea of Scottish MPs encroaching upon the ‘jurisdiction’ of English MPs is not entirely accurate and is not what tends to happen in practice
in fact, the instances where the votes of Scottish MPs have made a discernible difference to the outcome of a vote are actually relatively few
the West Lothian question is not a major problem, so English devolution is not necessary: example of Scottish MPs only being able to alter the outcome of a vote if there is also support from English
MPS
for example, the defeat of an extension to Sunday trading laws in England and Wales was not just down to the votes of the SNP, but also because several English Conservative MPs and the Labour Party opposed it, suggesting that the result might have been the same in an English Parliament
the West Lothian question is not a major problem, so English devolution is not necessary: it has already been tackled by EVEL
moreover, the West Lothian question has arguably been sufficiently tackled via EVEL (English Votes for English Laws) already, which has ensured that a majority of English MPs can veto laws that affect England only
although this is not a perfect system, it needs to be given a chance to operate before further devolution to England is considered seriously
consequently, the establishment of further devolution to England on the basis of a relatively minor problem would be an overreaction, particularly at a time when more pressing issues like Brexit are being discussed
English devolution would equalise representation across the UK: why is this important?
perhaps devolving further power to England is the next logical step as it would finally equalise representation across the UK
currently, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have separate forms of representation in their respective parliaments and assemblies
this representative function is vital in a representative democracy whereby MPs act as a clear link between the people and the government, but England lacks this
arguably, to ensure that the UK remains a strong democracy, England should have the same level of representation for issues which affect England only, whether this be managed through Westminster or a separate English Parliament
English devolution would equalise representation across the UK: what problem does the absence of a separate English Parliament create for English MPs?
the absence of such a representative function in England places a burden on English MPs in the House of Commons to perform a dual role, representing both national and English specific interests, whereas members of the devolved assemblies do not represent their constituents at Westminster
a federal solution in which England has its own Parliament, like the other regions in the UK, would therefore promote greater equality and uniformity between the different regions
English devolution would lead England to dominate: how would it dominate?
further devolution to England would not ‘equalise’ anything, as England would only come to dominate
England’s size, with 84% of the UK population, and wealth would mean that it would ultimately control a federal structure if it becomes devolved, which seems unfair
English devolution would lead England to dominate: what problems would English domination cause? and why?
Scotland already feels tyrannised by the English majority over Brexit, so further domination by the English might cause the breakup of the UK or at the very least lead to huge amounts of tension
devolution to England would therefore divide the UK rather than strengthen it because devolution was created to give regions a chance to administer their own affairs as they lack sufficient power in parliament
English MPs do not face this problem due to the overwhelming majority they have in Westminster, so devolution would simply result in further domination by the English and make the votes of Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish MPs redundant for national affairs
