Devolution and British Politics

by O'Neill, Michael

• ISBN13: 9780582472747
• ISBN10: 0582472741
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-05-19
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

The British polity has undergone a fundamental transformation in the last decade, and in 1998 this culminated in the most radical reform of the British state since its inception in 1707. Since 1998 devolution for Scotland and Wales and power sharing in Northern Ireland have fundamentally changed the balance of power between government at the centre and the new territorial polities.Taking this profound change as its theme, Devolution in British Politics is an up-to date, comprehensive and effective review of the origins and development of the devolution process. In highly readable chapters crucial aspects of devolution are considered, and the process of constitutional change and its political and institutional consequences are the principal focus of enquiry by the contributors.With clarity and passion, Devolution in British Politics examines the forces at work, both historical and contemporary, that are changing the British polity. It accounts for the emergence of the cultural and political movements in the 'other nations' that since the 1960s have demanded significant devolution of power from Whitehall and challenged the control by Westminster parties and political elites over territorial politics. Devolution traces the residual legacy of deep-seated cultural differences and persistent territorial interests that gave rise during the nineteenth century to political resistance to government from London, even to the idea of shared nationhood. A team of specialist writers provides a detailed assessment of the causes and demands of the devolution campaign as well as: a review of the significance of the newly devolved arrangements that have replaced the classic British unitary state; an assessment of the impact of the constitutional changes; consideration of devolution's importance for the present and future workings of British government and politics, both at the centre and in the new territorial polities; a detailed discussion of the idea of political identity in Britain, and in a wider European and global context. The Editor Michael O'Neill is Jean Monnet Professor of European Union Politics at Nottingham Trent University.

Table of Contents

List of tables	xi
List of contributors	xii
Acknowledgements	xv
Introduction	1	(12)
The idea of the union state	1	(4)
Devolution: an overview	5	(4)
Notes	9	(4)
Part One A KINGDOM UNITED
1 State building and national integration in Britain	13	(19)
Michael O'Neill
Foundations	13	(2)
Constituents	15	(14)
Notes	29	(3)
2 Challenging the centre: home rule movements	32	(35)
Michael O'Neill
Territorial residues	32	(1)
Paths to home rule	33	(28)
Notes	61	(6)
Part Two RE-IMAGINING BRITAIN: THE POLITICS OF IDENTITY
3 Politicising territorial identity: theorems of change	67	(23)
Michael O'Neill
Stirrings	67	(7)
The 1980's watershed and beyond	74	(12)
Notes	86	(4)
4 The politics of identity: Scottish nationalism	90	(23)
Antonia Dodds and David Seawright
Introduction	90	(2)
The SNP and nationalism	92	(2)
National identity and the SNP	94	(3)
The left-right spectrum	97	(2)
A profile of SNP support	99	(5)
Independence in Europe	104	(3)
Future prospects	107	(1)
Notes	108	(5)
5 The politics of identity: Wales	113	(22)
James Hunter
Introduction	113	(1)
Cognitive order, territorial communities, nationalist discourses and the behaviour of elite stakeholders	114	(9)
Territorial communities, cognitive orders and the politics of identity in post-devolution Wales	123	(7)
Conclusion	130	(1)
Notes	131	(4)
6 Northern Ireland: resolving an ancient quarrel?	135	(36)
Rick Wilford
Introduction	135	(2)
Faltering implementation	137	(4)
Assessing devolution	141	(10)
Conclusion	151	(3)
Notes	154	(17)
Part Three REFORMING THE BRITISH STATE
7 Reforming the British state: the 1998 watershed	171	(36)
Michael O'Neill
Devolution revisited	171	(1)
Legitimising constitutional reform	172	(2)
The Scotland and Wales Acts 1998	174	(25)
Northern Ireland: resolving an ancient quarrel?	199	(4)
Notes	203	(4)
8 Intra-party relationships of British state-wide political parties within the developing territorial agenda	207	(24)
David Baker
Introduction	207	(4)
Changing state-wide Labour Party organisation	211	(1)
Changing Conservative and Liberal Democrat state-wide party organisation	212	(1)
The disciplines of the 'new politics'	212	(2)
Changing party organisation in Scotland: the Clark model	214	(2)
Westminster: a continuing role in Scottish Labour politics	216	(2)
Scottish Tories	218	(1)
Scottish Liberal Democrats	219	(1)
The state-wide parties in Wales	220	(2)
Conclusion	222	(1)
Notes	223	(4)
Bibliography	227	(4)
9 Central government and devolution	231	(20)
Janice McMillan and Andrew Massey
Introduction	231	(1)
New structures and procedures	231	(6)
Devolution and the civil service	237	(9)
The view from Whitehall	246	(1)
Conclusions	247	(1)
Notes	248	(3)
10 English regional government	251	(18)
Christopher Stevens
Introduction	251	(3)
The economics of regional government	254	(1)
Regional government and regional governance	255	(5)
Democracy and the strategic level	260	(3)
Conclusion	263	(2)
Notes	265	(4)
11 The impact of European integration	269	(26)
Janet Mather
Introduction	269	(1)
A classic unitary state?	270	(2)
UK devolution and the European Union	272	(4)
Multi-level governance and the policy process	276	(2)
UK devolution and the EU's structural funds	278	(6)
Moving forward: the EU, interdependence and UK devolution	284	(2)
Conclusion	286	(1)
Notes	286	(5)
Bibliography	291	(4)
Part Four REFLECTING ON CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGE
12 The new institutions: an interim assessment	295	(24)
Eberhard Bort
Introduction	295	(1)
Performance	296	(3)
Public opinion	299	(2)
New politics?	301	(2)
Wales, England and Northern Ireland	303	(2)
Institutional deficiencies	305	(1)
Inherent instability or settlement?	306	(2)
Devolution and Europe	308	(6)
Notes	314	(5)
13 The United Kingdom as a post-sovereign polity	319	(14)
Michael Keating
State and nation in the United Kingdom	319	(2)
The United Kingdom as an asymmetrical federation	321	(4)
Sovereignty and post-sovereignty	325	(1)
The United Kingdom as a post-sovereign state	326	(2)
Pressures and strains	328	(3)
A new form of Union	331	(1)
Notes	332	(1)
14 Unfinished business: the 'significant others'	333	(20)
Michael O'Neill
Home rule all round?	333	(3)
English nationalism	336	(4)
English regionalism: will this dog ever bark?	340	(6)
Towards multi-level government? The impact
of European integration	346	(3)
Notes	349	(4)
15 Britishness and politics: towards a federal future?	353	(24)
Michael O'Neill
The question of identity	353	(6)
A shifting cultural landscape	359	(2)
Whither Ireland: reconciliation or recalcitrance?	361	(2)
Beyond devolution: towards a federal future?	363	(8)
Notes	371	(6)
Index	377