fragment russel

1. 2 Devolution in the United Kingdom
Introduction
The twenty-first century has started with a decade in which devolu-
tion on a Britain-wide level sought to prove that it could success-
fully evolve alternative models of democratic institutions to that at
Westminster. As these new devolved institutions have bedded in
and have come into their fourth elected terms, British governmental
processes have evolved to take them into account. The opportunity
for policy, laws and institutions to develop independently of the
government in Westminster has increased significantly, and the
traditional centralism of the British unitary state has began to be
substantially watered down.
The development of devolution
The Penguin Dictionary of Politics defines devolution as the ‘process of
transferring power from central government to a lower or regional
level’. Over the course of the last century, various governments
established widespread administrative devolution. This involved
the establishment of governmental departments such as the former
Scottish and Welsh Offices. With the exception of Northern Ireland,
however, political devolution at a regional or national level did not
arrive until the end of the last century (1999).
The rationale for and against devolution
One of the most common questions asked about political devolution
is: why is it necessary? During the various referendum campaigns
on devolution in Britain between 1997 and 2011, the rationale for
and against it was made clear. The short answers to the rationale for
devolution are that it is for functional, democratic and nationalist
reasons. The more detailed rationale, however, is given below.
The major advantages of devolution
It is the wish of the majority. In the referendums held in London,
Northern Ireland Scotland and Wales, devolution was seen to be the
will of the majority who voted. Subsequent opinion polls and refer-
DEACON 9780748646524 PRINT.indd 2
DEACON 9780748646524 PRINT.indd 2 31/08/2012 14:43
31/08/2012 14:43
EBSCOhost - printed on 9/22/2021 2:37 PM via UNIWERSYTET IM. A. MICKIEWICZA W POZNANIU. All use subject to
https://www.ebsco.com/terms-of-use

2. The Background to Devolution 3
endums have shown that the majority of the population still desires a
form of devolved government in these nations/regions.
Maintaining the Union. In 1922, the failure to allow (Home Rule)
devolution for Ireland earlier, despite constant demands, led to the
separation of Southern Ireland (Eire) from the rest of the United
Kingdom. These separatist pressures in Northern Ireland, Scotland
and Wales can be relieved by allowing a greater degree of devolution
within each nation.
It acknowledges distinct identity. Devolution acknowledges that nations
and regions of the British Isles have differences and allows them to be
developed. It also encourages the media to examine and to report on
the world of politics outside of London and be aware that London is
not always the centre of the political world.
It allows for fairer political representation. Over the last fifty years the
people in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales have never elected
a Conservative majority in a general election. Yet, for much of this
period, they were governed by Conservative governments, elected by
the majority in England. Devolution avoids this misrepresentation
to a degree by allowing the majority party or parties elected in each
devolved country’s body to govern that country. It also provides a
more proportional form of electoral system which better represents
the way people vote.
The growing importance of the regional voice in the European Union. Most
of the regions within the European Union already have their own
devolved assemblies or parliaments. The European Union has
evolved to allow these regional bodies to take part in the decision-
making process, in such bodies as the Committee of the Regions.
Devolution allows the various nations and regions within the
United Kingdom to develop their own voices in a ‘Europe of the
Regions’.
Strategic planning. Certain functions, such as economic develop-
ment and tourism, are too large for local government to deal with
effectively by themselves. Devolution allows these to be carried out
at a regional level.
A regional tier of administration already existed. Prior to devolution
there were already government departments for Northern Ireland,
Scotland and Wales. Their public administration had largely been
devolved, and devolution provides greater democratic accountability.
DEACON 9780748646524 PRINT.indd 3
DEACON 9780748646524 PRINT.indd 3 31/08/2012 14:43
31/08/2012 14:43
EBSCOhost - printed on 9/22/2021 2:37 PM via UNIWERSYTET IM. A. MICKIEWICZA W POZNANIU. All use subject to
https://www.ebsco.com/terms-of-use

3. 4 Devolution in the United Kingdom
It lifts some of the burden from Westminster. The Houses of Parliament
are already overcongested with legislation. There is little time
for effective scrutiny of primary or secondary legislation there.
Devolution allows the nations to spend greater time creating,
scrutinising or shaping legislation to suit their own circumstances.
The major drawbacks of devolution
During the devolution campaigns a number of drawbacks with the
process of devolution were also highlighted.
Devolution was not the will of the majority but only the will of the major-
ity of those who voted. In Scotland, Wales and London less that
half of the population endorsed devolution. The combined majority
either voted ‘no’ or did not vote at all.
It adds more fuel to the separatist flames. While devolution can be used
to ease the demands for separatism, it is as far as most people want to
go, and it may still encourage others to call for full independence. In
Scotland the Scottish National Party (SNP), committed to independ-
ence, has become the majority party at Holyrood. The SNP is now
pursuing a path towards an independent Scotland. In Wales, too, the
national assembly has strengthened the political representation of
Plaid Cymru, also committed to Welsh independence. The devolved
national assemblies and parliament allow separatists to enjoy a
stronger voice politically.
Devolution could lead to a greater variation in standards of public-service
delivery. To guarantee equal provision of services, such as welfare or
health provision, across the United Kingdom it is sometimes better
that all services are provided nationally. Allowing devolution for
these could lead to inequity in overall provision within Britain. This
has become most evident in the area of student fees; see Box 1.2.
Devolution costs money. The cost of the new buildings of government,
together with salaries and with the running costs of the new devolved
bodies, amount to hundreds of millions of pounds. The new build-
ings for the Welsh Assembly and the Scottish parliament chambers
were both mired in controversy with respect to their overspends
when they were built.
There are too many politicians. People living in the areas with devolved
government are now represented by as many as five different layers
DEACON 9780748646524 PRINT.indd 4
DEACON 9780748646524 PRINT.indd 4 31/08/2012 14:43
31/08/2012 14:43
EBSCOhost - printed on 9/22/2021 2:37 PM via UNIWERSYTET IM. A. MICKIEWICZA W POZNANIU. All use subject to
https://www.ebsco.com/terms-of-use

4. The Background to Devolution 5
of government (town council, county council, regional assembly or
parliament, Westminster Parliament and European Parliament).
There is a danger that there will be:
• confusion over who deals with what, both inside and outside the
layers of government;
• ‘buck-passing’ of responsibility between the different layers;
• ‘turf wars’ over who has responsibility for different layers of
government;
• conflict between the layers of government resulting in chaos over
the provision of services.
Devolved government has resulted in new political elites being formed who
use the system to further the aims of their group at the expense of
others.
The failure to give the devolved bodies sufficient tax-raising powers has resulted
in a lack of accountability. Currently none of the devolved bodies raises
its taxes as their finance is provided directly from Westminster. This
has led to the accusation that they avoid direct accountability to the
taxpayers for the spending decisions.
These arguments for and against devolution regularly resurface as
the United Kingdom continues to evolve its political structures.
The road to devolution
Towards the end of the nineteenth century and beginning of the
twentieth, the issue of devolution was referred to as ‘Home Rule’.
The Liberal support for ‘Home Rule’ in Ireland led to interest in the
same for Scotland and Wales. In 1885 the government established
a Scottish Office. From then on there was a steady move towards
further devolution, and this is explored in the following chapters of
this book.
Modern devolution can be linked mainly to that period, begin-
ning with the rising tide of nationalism in the 1960s, which led the
Labour prime minister, Harold Wilson, to set up in 1968 under
Lord Kilbrandon the Royal Commission on the Constitution. Its
remit was to ‘examine the present functions of the central legislature
and government in relation to the several countries and regions of
the UK’. In the event, however, the commission failed to reach a
DEACON 9780748646524 PRINT.indd 5
DEACON 9780748646524 PRINT.indd 5 31/08/2012 14:43
31/08/2012 14:43
EBSCOhost - printed on 9/22/2021 2:37 PM via UNIWERSYTET IM. A. MICKIEWICZA W POZNANIU. All use subject to
https://www.ebsco.com/terms-of-use