2. Definition
• It involves the delegation or decentralisation
of power. It is the term employed to describe
the transfer of power in the UK downwards
from central government to Scotland, Wales,
Northern Ireland and perhaps ultimately the
English regions. (Coxall:289)
3. A pressured state
• Pressure from above and below:
– British sovereignty is threatened by the growth of
the European superstate
– Britain could disintegrate into smaller component
parts.
4. The Rise of Celtic Nationalisms
• 1960s/1970s: Rise of Scottish nationalism
• 1980s: Thatcher Govt – unintentionally
spurred Scottish nationalism(Miner’s strike
and the dismantling of the coal industry)
5.
6. New Labour and Devolution
• Scotland Act 1998, Wales Act 1998
• Legislative devolution in Scotland
• Executive/administrative devolution in Wales
• Diceyian doctrine upheld – White Paper,
Scotland’s Parliament:
• ‘The UK Parliament is and will remain sovereign in all
matters’
7. New Labour and Devolution:
Referendums in Scotland & Wales 1997
Devolution Scotland Wales
YES 74.3% 50.3%
NO 25.7% 49.7%
Taxation (Scotland only)
YES 63.5% -
NO 36.5% -
TURNOUT 60.2% 50.1%
8. Devolution & Policy Areas
Scottish Parliament Westminster Parliament
• Health • International treaties (incl. EU)
• Education • Defence
• Agriculture & fisheries • Immigration
• Economic development • Macroeconomic policy &
currency
• Environment
• Overseas trade
• Civil law • Energy
• Criminal justice • Employment
• Tourism • Social security
• Road/passenger transport • Air/rail transport
• Arts & sport • Abortion
9. Northern Ireland – War & Peace
• 1921-72: Devolved Govt in NI: Unionist
domination
• 1969-98: The Troubles
• 1970s & 1980s: Failed political initiatives
• 1994-96: IRA cease-fire
• 1997: Labour Govt: talks with Sinn Fein
• 1998: Good Friday Agreement
• 2010: New agreement to be signed
10. Good Friday Agreement
• Power-sharing institutions Power-sharing in NI
• Decommissioning of • First and Dep. First
terrorist arms Ministers (DUP & SF)
• Police reform • Executive: grand coalition
• Regulation of marches – 10 members: 4 DUP + 2 UUP
+ 3 SF + 1 SDLP
• Release of paramilitary
prisoners • 108-seat assembly (PR)
– Special majorities
• Principle of consent
– NI remains in UK but able to
• North-South Ministerial
have a future referendum to Council (NI-ROI)
join Republic of Ireland • Council of the Isles
11. Good Friday Referendums 1998
Agree to Northern Republic of
GFA? Ireland Ireland
YES 71.1% 94.4%
NO 28.9% 5.6%
TURNOUT 81.1% 56.3%
NB: Referendum in ROI included proposal to amend Irish Constitution
12. The English in devolution
• Is being English anything different from being
British?
• The use of the flag with the cross of St. George
• There is no English Parliament
13.
14. The aftermaths of devolution
• The 2003 election results in Scotland and Wales
were marked by the sense that devolution in
practice has so far made little difference.
• Devolution has led to substantial policy
innovation in Scotland, Wales and Northern
Ireland and opened up real alternatives to
policies decided at Westminster
• The government of England and the English
regions has become more complex since
devolution to Scotland, Wales and Northern
Ireland.
15. • Devolution is the most popular constitutional
preference in Scotland and Wales, and even in
Northern Ireland, despite the marked
polarisation of views around the Unionist-
Nationalist divide that was confirmed when
Ian Paisley’s Democratic Unionists and Sinn
Féin made significant gains in the 2003
Northern Ireland election.
16. Sources
• Coxall, Bill: Contemporary British Politics:Great
Britain 2003
• Dr. Quinn, Tom: lecture 5: University of Essex
2008
• ESRC: Devolution-What Difference Has it
Made?: Great Britain2008
