Evalaute Thew View That Devolution Is Successful Flashcards
Intro
Devolution was included in Labour’s 1997 election manifesto and introduced after successful referendums in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, as well as in London.
Success - greater democracy
P- A key argument that devolution has been a success is that it has allowed for greater democracy and more effective local representation, with devolved bodies able to respond to the concerns of their electorates.
E- This can be seen in particular in Scotland, in which the population is more left wing than in the rest of the UK. This has led to the election of a left wing SNP gov.
Furthermore, the Scotland Act 1998 granted the Scottish Parliament control over health and education policy led to abolishing university tuition fees whilst England kept them and Scotland Act 2016 granted it significant control over taxation. This allows Scottish to have greater influence over policies directly affecting their lives.
This was also seen during COVID, when Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England relaxed restrictions at different speeds.
Another way seen as success in democracy terms is devolved bodies elected using more proportional electoral systems which have greater voter choice, leading to more representative Parliaments and a greater mix of parties.
The Scottish and Welsh Parliaments elected using AMS, while NI Parliament elected by STV.
Disagree -effective local representation creates inequality among UK citizens
P- Whilst devolution does deliver effective local representation, it can be argued that this creates inequality among UK citizens, as divergences in policy mean that different citizens have different access to healthcare, education etc and are subject to different laws.
E- Voting age for SP and local elections is 16+.
England, Wales, NI: Voting age 18+ for all elections except some local/Welsh Senedd elections.
➔ Inequality: Young people in Scotland have greater political rights at an earlier age.
Judgments
Overall, devolution has been a success in terms of democracy. Whilst it is true that devolution does create policy differences for different UK citizens, this is ultimately a positive thing as it reflects the different policy preferences of different parts of the UK and delivers local representation.
DISGAREE
P- threatens unity of UK, as leads to its citizens having less in common with each other.
For example, the Scottish and NI Parliaments control policing, whilst policing in Wales and England is controlled by the UK Parliament.
It can be argued that devolution has fuelled increased nationalism and calls for independence, by showing the ability of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to govern themselves and giving nationalist parties and politicians a platform.
Agree- success in terms of governance
P- as in some areas better results of elections can be seen as a consequence of devolution.
E- v
