Matt N
TS Member
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Hi guys. With the thread about the Welsh Government’s 20mph speed limit policy having gained considerable steam over the last few days since the policy came into effect, it got me thinking about devolution within the UK. For those not aware, what I mean by devolution is the presence of separate regional parliaments in the regions of Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland; Wales have the Senedd, Scotland have Holyrood and Northern Ireland have Stormont, and these are separately elected alongside UK Parliament seats for these regions. It’s been a contentious issue for a number of years now, so I’d be interested to know; what are your thoughts on devolution within the UK? Do you agree with it, and think that it’s a brilliant idea? Or do you disagree with it and think that it should never have been implemented in the first place?
Personally, I can understand the upshots of devolution in some regards, but I must admit that I’m actually coming around to the view that overall, it’s not such a good idea. Or at very least, I don’t entirely agree with the way in which it has been implemented within the United Kingdom. And I think this for multiple reasons.
Firstly, I think that it generates confusion and sometimes resentment for those living on or near the border between two regions when the regional assemblies are allowed to deviate from national government on certain matters. For instance, Wales has free prescriptions, free hospital parking and free breakfast for every school child when England doesn’t. Scotland has free university tuition fees when England doesn’t. England has 30mph default speed limits in built-up areas while Wales has 20mph default speed limits in built-up areas. I can see how policies like these being different between the regions could foster resentment for those who live just outside of a given region, and it does give off a vibe of some things being a literal postcode lottery.
I think that that particular flaw was brought to the fore during the COVID-19 pandemic. As an example, Boris Johnson and the UK Government were imposing the “rule of six” at numerous points throughout lockdown. Nicola Sturgeon and Mark Drakeford imposed very similar limits, but they were ever so slightly different to the exact one imposed in England by the UK Government; Scotland imposed the “rule of eight”, and I believe Wales imposed the “rule of eight excluding children under 12” or something like that. I live in England, but I’m in an area of South West England that puts me only around 5-6 miles from the South Wales border. While I was hearing from Boris Johnson about the “rule of six”, which applied to me as a resident of England, I was receiving pamphlets through the door from the Welsh Government reminding me of the “rule of eight excluding children under 12” or whatever the Welsh policy was. I can see why this differentiation between regions may have been confusing for some, and indeed, I don’t really see why Wales and Scotland differentiated from the central government on the issue other than simply to be different for the sake of it. I also think that the differing lockdowns at (sometimes) different times between the regions incentivised travelling between regions to the region with more lax lockdown rules to do certain things. For instance, when Wales had a week-long “circuit breaker” lockdown in October 2020, I remember plenty of Welsh people coming to my area to have a pint and see relatives because it was still legal in England. Conversely, when England had a 4-week lockdown in November 2020 and Wales didn’t, I remember plenty of people from my area going into Wales to flout the English rules because these things were still allowed in Wales. In the case of an issue like COVID-19, I feel that the regional assemblies were given too much individual power; I think that there should have been a united national response to COVID that all nations agreed on, personally.
Even away from rule differences, I feel that devolution also creates an “us vs them” type dynamic in certain regions, with “London” or “England” often being painted as the enemy. There’s a lot of talk about “London getting all the money” and calls for all of a region’s money to be kept in that region, but I do think it makes some degree of sense for a lot of money to go towards London, as it’s by far the nation’s largest city in terms of population and a huge worldwide economic hub. With that in mind, I’d say that London receives a lot of money because it makes a lot of money for the nation. If all the money from a region stayed in that region, I actually reckon that it would economically disadvantage some of the less affluent regions of the UK who often call for the country to be less London-centric and for all of their money to stay in their region.
I do concede that different areas will have different needs, so some degree of devolved government makes sense in that regard. However; isn’t that what local government is for? Surely county and district councils can serve a region’s individualised needs well enough that the regional assemblies aren’t needed?
So personally, I’m not sure I agree with devolution in the UK, in the manner in which it has been implemented at least. But what are your thoughts? Do you agree with me? Or do you totally disagree? I’d be really interested to know!
Personally, I can understand the upshots of devolution in some regards, but I must admit that I’m actually coming around to the view that overall, it’s not such a good idea. Or at very least, I don’t entirely agree with the way in which it has been implemented within the United Kingdom. And I think this for multiple reasons.
Firstly, I think that it generates confusion and sometimes resentment for those living on or near the border between two regions when the regional assemblies are allowed to deviate from national government on certain matters. For instance, Wales has free prescriptions, free hospital parking and free breakfast for every school child when England doesn’t. Scotland has free university tuition fees when England doesn’t. England has 30mph default speed limits in built-up areas while Wales has 20mph default speed limits in built-up areas. I can see how policies like these being different between the regions could foster resentment for those who live just outside of a given region, and it does give off a vibe of some things being a literal postcode lottery.
I think that that particular flaw was brought to the fore during the COVID-19 pandemic. As an example, Boris Johnson and the UK Government were imposing the “rule of six” at numerous points throughout lockdown. Nicola Sturgeon and Mark Drakeford imposed very similar limits, but they were ever so slightly different to the exact one imposed in England by the UK Government; Scotland imposed the “rule of eight”, and I believe Wales imposed the “rule of eight excluding children under 12” or something like that. I live in England, but I’m in an area of South West England that puts me only around 5-6 miles from the South Wales border. While I was hearing from Boris Johnson about the “rule of six”, which applied to me as a resident of England, I was receiving pamphlets through the door from the Welsh Government reminding me of the “rule of eight excluding children under 12” or whatever the Welsh policy was. I can see why this differentiation between regions may have been confusing for some, and indeed, I don’t really see why Wales and Scotland differentiated from the central government on the issue other than simply to be different for the sake of it. I also think that the differing lockdowns at (sometimes) different times between the regions incentivised travelling between regions to the region with more lax lockdown rules to do certain things. For instance, when Wales had a week-long “circuit breaker” lockdown in October 2020, I remember plenty of Welsh people coming to my area to have a pint and see relatives because it was still legal in England. Conversely, when England had a 4-week lockdown in November 2020 and Wales didn’t, I remember plenty of people from my area going into Wales to flout the English rules because these things were still allowed in Wales. In the case of an issue like COVID-19, I feel that the regional assemblies were given too much individual power; I think that there should have been a united national response to COVID that all nations agreed on, personally.
Even away from rule differences, I feel that devolution also creates an “us vs them” type dynamic in certain regions, with “London” or “England” often being painted as the enemy. There’s a lot of talk about “London getting all the money” and calls for all of a region’s money to be kept in that region, but I do think it makes some degree of sense for a lot of money to go towards London, as it’s by far the nation’s largest city in terms of population and a huge worldwide economic hub. With that in mind, I’d say that London receives a lot of money because it makes a lot of money for the nation. If all the money from a region stayed in that region, I actually reckon that it would economically disadvantage some of the less affluent regions of the UK who often call for the country to be less London-centric and for all of their money to stay in their region.
I do concede that different areas will have different needs, so some degree of devolved government makes sense in that regard. However; isn’t that what local government is for? Surely county and district councils can serve a region’s individualised needs well enough that the regional assemblies aren’t needed?
So personally, I’m not sure I agree with devolution in the UK, in the manner in which it has been implemented at least. But what are your thoughts? Do you agree with me? Or do you totally disagree? I’d be really interested to know!