Devolution in Scotland

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at the history and the issues concerning the devolution of Scotland from being under the control of the English parliament to having its own ruling body. It examines how Scotland has been part of the United Kingdom since the eighteenth century and by the middle of the twentieth century a new nationalist movement had emerged. It shows how home rule failed to win approval in a 1979 referendum but has gained new support in the early 1990s. It evaluates whether devolution is a precursor to possible separation of the two countries entirely and the effect of devolution on current Scottish legislation.

From the Paper:

"When the Conservatives were in power, devolution was not on the agenda. Conservative Prime Minister John Major opposed bringing home rule to Scotland and Wales, although it would bring more votes to his party if both countries broke away from the UK. Labor Party leader Tony Blair supported devolution during his campaign, although it might result in lost votes for his party ("Highland Games" 45). With the coming to power of the Labour Party, supporters of regional government started to push for an assembly, seeing the Labor Party as giving support for devolution. In 1995, Jack Straw, the shadow home secretary, published his proposal for regional government. Many saw the plan as too cautious. It suggested that the first step should be "regional chambers" composed of existing councillors from within the region, and any move to create a directly elected assembly would have to be approved by this regional chamber, by parliament, and by a regionwide referendum. This placed numerous obstacles in the way of any further devolution."

More papers on Devolution in Scotland:

• Research Paper # 99680 : "Politics and Power in Scotland and Wales from 1966 to 1999"
• Persuasive Essay # 101988 : "The Devolved Assemblies of Scotland and Whales"
• Essay # 87356 : "Devolution"

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