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Devolution


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#1 Dauth

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Posted 16 October 2008 - 17:55

Devolution: A transfer of powers from a central government to local units.

Three cases in Europe come immediately to mind, Wales and Scotland (and to a lesser extent NI, since we are aiming for power sharing there) in the UK, Basque region and Catalonia in Spain and Montenegro, Kosov, Bosnia & Herzegovina in Serbia. I am sure dozens more exist around the globe but will stick to these three.

All three need to be treated in a slightly different way since they are all different. In the UK we are giving the States more independence and power through Parliament in an effort to stop Labour haemorrhaging votes and seats left, right and centre. In Spain there are terrorist attacks in one region and a semi autonomous state in the other. Moving onto the Former Yugoslav Republics we have two independent states and a UN protectorate.

With the case of Bosnia & Herzegovina happening before I was into politics I will leave this case as an example of what has happened and more onto more contemporary events. Montenegro ceded away from Serbia by public poll. Kosov tried to follow suit but has not been recognised by a number of nations including Spain (for sympathetic reasons with Serbia), Russia for the same regarding her Satellite states and Chechnya (amongst others) and China. Now given the UN are still heavily invested in Kosov I doubt any force will be invoked by the Serbians. Watching Kosov develop will be interesting as if successful it could become a model for other newly created states.

The Basques want a region of Spain and France which they believe is rightfully theirs from the age when the Crowns of Castille and Aragon merged to form the Kingdom of Spain (which they opposed). Terrorist attacks are regularly condemed by a number of nations and I have doubts as if their goal will ever be reliased. The Catalan region with its indepedent language and new autonomy is certainly in a stronger place to become independent, however Spain who still get a large income from the EU will almost certainly never give up control until the financial burden is reversed.

Now onto the UK and my area of knowledge. There are two cases to be analysed here. The Welsh Assembly which has limited powers is very popular and has reduced a number of costs away from the Welsh citizens but lumped them onto the British taxpayer, while I don't object to reducing the burden on the Welsh, I feel slightly agreeved that I have to foot the bill, twice in the cases of perscriptions since I have to pay for my own and theirs.

The Scottish are far more independent and many politicians appear to bear a grudge against the act of the Union which happened 201 years ago. The Scots have removed perscription costs and reduced University fees, this money has to come from somewhere and again it is my English pocket. For those unwilling to research, the Scottish were about to attempt to form an Empire of their own, selecting an area in Central America the state funded a large expedition to claim the land. The found disease ridden and inhospitable swampland, the crew returned greatly reduced in strength with nothing to show for it, this bankrupted the Scots and they were forced to sign the Act of the Union so that England would finance the nation to continue to exist.

The Scottish Parliament (Holyrood) cost every UK citizen £7 but if funded only by the Scots would have cost them each about £80. That is just the building not the members and associated elections. Somehow I feel they may have balked at that cost. It has also lead to the West Lothian question with Scots MPs being use dby Labour to get English only issues through the UK Parliament which is frankly disgusting. The English who are always barraged with abuse by our neighbours are now beginning to tire of having to pay for them (I know I am). Rather amusingly the Credit Crunch has done a lot of damage to Scottish independence (Link at The Times), however a question has been asked by a number of people when the Scottish were about to be offered a referendum "Can we vote if we want to keep them?".

In closing, is devolution in the long term good for a state (both Mother and Daughter) and with the aim of devolution, which method is most successful?

Edited by Dauth, 16 October 2008 - 18:52.


#2 Ion Cannon!

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Posted 16 October 2008 - 18:39

My stance on the west lothian situation is this. I completely agree that the british taxpayer having to fund scottish ambitions and welsh I suppose is wrong. You cannot demand independance if your unwilling to pay all the costs yourself. That times article nicely summed up what I would have said. I wonder how much revenue we get from the north sea oil however. I would argue that if them being independent would cost us less, sod them. If by keeping them in the union we have a net gain from the oil, keep them. Either way though, the rights of an SMP to vote on british policies should be abolished.

Edited by Insomniac!, 16 October 2008 - 18:42.

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#3 Dauth

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Posted 16 October 2008 - 18:52

Rather amusingly England will get a large amount of the oil as the territorial waters extend in the direction of the border, and IIRC the border between England and Scotland is at a bearing of about 045. Oil is not always useful to a state tbh unless you know to invest the money it will be bled dry and you're left reliant on something that isn't there. I don't want to get embroiled in the West Lothian question, anyone with half a braincell knows the answer so we can forgo it.

Nor do I really care that much about Scottish independence since the populous don't want it any more (someone told them it would cost a fortune).

#4 markintellect

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Posted 18 October 2008 - 09:57

I fully support Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland having their own degree of power over themselves, and I don't like how England cannot be the same. If all powers over healthcare, education and other devolved matters were given to respective national parliaments, with one central parliament for state matters (defence, immigration etc), then I believe that the West Lothian Question would be solved. Almost like the Swiss system of cantons.

As a secondary matter, I would direct immigrants from outside the EC (That includes the EU and Norway, Switzerland, Lichtenstein etc) to the parts of the UK that require them, preventing the problem that arose when the number of immigrants allowed into the UK was reduced, at a time when Scotland required more.
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