Could the change to devolution have been handled better?

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pwa
Posts: 17367
Joined: 2 Oct 2011, 8:55pm

Re: Could the change to devolution have been handled better?

Post by pwa »

Tangled Metal wrote: 26 Sep 2022, 6:12pm
pwa wrote: 26 Sep 2022, 6:06pm
Tangled Metal wrote: 26 Sep 2022, 6:00pm
Well I'm afraid my view is that it's better to not have devolution if it's not fair across the union. Better to dissolve the union and let the Scottish Nats have independence I reckon. I don't think it's right to be fair to Bliar. He messed around with a system without any prospect of parity across the union. Without understanding or caring about the result being fair. I think it's another Bliar failure along with dodgy dossier.
What the Scots do is up to them. But here in Wales we like our devolution and wouldn't want to go back to having everything run from Westminster. And nor would we want total independence, something that is desired by only by a minority here. Mostly, we want to run what we can run ourselves, but under the umbrella of the UK. And we are happy for England to organise itself as the English voters see fit. If you want a federal England, tell your MP.
That's a good outcome for Wales and you. My view is you should not have that without all the union having it n equally.
We need it here in Wales. It suits us. I can't understand why support for strong regional government within England didn't materialise, but that is an issue for you in England to sort out. And I think you should. It will give you the benfits we have enjoyed, with regional solutions to issues rather than a one-size-fits-all approach determined by folk in Westminster who don't know or care how we feel here. But if England tried to roll back our devoluton, I think that would be the one thing that could drive us, here in Wales, to independence.
Biospace
Posts: 2008
Joined: 24 Jun 2019, 12:23pm

Re: Could the change to devolution have been handled better?

Post by Biospace »

Tangled Metal wrote: 26 Sep 2022, 5:44pm Devolution is great but not selective Devolution across the union and not Devolution that gives some nations more influence over other nations than the reciprocal. My point was that Devolution should have been equal across Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England, but due to the size of England there's compelling arguments that Devolution in England should have been further split into large regions of England.

Iirc devolution in the North East was more like creating a super county than a devolved parliament like Scotland has.

Tbh the least that should have happened was for every devolved power the devolved parliaments or assemblies got the nations MPs lost the right to debate and vote on in Westminster.

I agree. If Britain were to be reorganised this way, it would have to be more carefully thought through than Blair's dash for 'regional democaracy'.

There's also the huge trap of increasing the size of government when it should be growing smaller, if anything.
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