Scotland Analysis

Scotland Analysis PDF Author: Great Britain: Scotland Office
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 9780101855426
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 114

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Book Description
The UK Government is undertaking a major cross-government programme of analysis prior to the referendum on Scottish independence in 2014. The aim is to provide a comprehensive and detailed analysis of Scotland's place in the UK. This paper, the first of a series to be published in 2013 and 2014, examines the UK's constitutional set-up and the legal implications of independence. The UK Government is convinced that the current devolution offers the best for Scotland: the Scottish Parliament and Government are empowered to take decisions on a range of domestic policy areas - such as health, education, policing - while Scotland continues to benefit from decisions made for the UK as a whole - defence and security, foreign representation, economic affairs. Independence is very different to devolution. Based on independent expert opinion (published as Annex A), the paper concludes that if there were to be a vote in favour of leaving the UK, Scotland would become an entirely new state whilst the remainder of the UK would continue as before, retaining the rights and obligations of the UK as it currently stands. Any separation would have to be negotiated between both governments. Legal and practical implications of independence, both at home and abroad, are addressed. An independent Scotland would have to apply to and/or negotiate to become a member of whichever international organisations it wished to join, including the EU and NATO. Scotland would also have to work through its positions on thousands of international treaties to which the UK is currently party.

Scotland Analysis

Scotland Analysis PDF Author: Great Britain: Scotland Office
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 9780101855426
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 114

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Book Description
The UK Government is undertaking a major cross-government programme of analysis prior to the referendum on Scottish independence in 2014. The aim is to provide a comprehensive and detailed analysis of Scotland's place in the UK. This paper, the first of a series to be published in 2013 and 2014, examines the UK's constitutional set-up and the legal implications of independence. The UK Government is convinced that the current devolution offers the best for Scotland: the Scottish Parliament and Government are empowered to take decisions on a range of domestic policy areas - such as health, education, policing - while Scotland continues to benefit from decisions made for the UK as a whole - defence and security, foreign representation, economic affairs. Independence is very different to devolution. Based on independent expert opinion (published as Annex A), the paper concludes that if there were to be a vote in favour of leaving the UK, Scotland would become an entirely new state whilst the remainder of the UK would continue as before, retaining the rights and obligations of the UK as it currently stands. Any separation would have to be negotiated between both governments. Legal and practical implications of independence, both at home and abroad, are addressed. An independent Scotland would have to apply to and/or negotiate to become a member of whichever international organisations it wished to join, including the EU and NATO. Scotland would also have to work through its positions on thousands of international treaties to which the UK is currently party.

Scotland and the United Kingdom

Scotland and the United Kingdom PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Scotland
Languages : en
Pages : 36

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Book Description


Devolution

Devolution PDF Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Justice Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 9780215530387
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 106

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Book Description
Devolution was a major component of the Government's package of proposed constitutional reform for the United Kingdom post 1997. Devolution has fundamentally transformed politics within the devolved territories, but it has also had a significant impact on the make-up and the constitution of the United Kingdom. Fundamental changes in the way Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are governed have not been followed by major changes in the way England is governed. Matters which are the responsibility of devolved Parliaments in the rest of the UK are, in England, determined by the United Kingdom Government and Parliament. This report identifies several changes required to improve the current infrastructure and the procedures and practices of governance in the UK after devolution, in order to facilitate the effective and efficient functioning of the asymmetric system of devolution. Whitehall was not ready for devolution. Departmental responsibility for overseeing the working of the UK's system of government has been divided and unsettled, and the report recommends that a lead department responsible for devolution strategy be identified. The second half of the report identifies two significant constitutional and political issues which have been brought into sharp focus since the onset of devolution in 1999: first, the fact that England remains highly centralised under the authority of the UK Government and Parliament, resulting in the "English Question", a phrase which encapsulates a range of different questions in relation to the governance of England, and, secondly, the increasing concern about the efficacy and application of the Barnett Formula as the means for the allocation of increases and decreases in public funds.

The Scotland Act 1998

The Scotland Act 1998 PDF Author: Chris Himsworth
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Constitutional law
Languages : en
Pages : 250

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Book Description


Scotland's constitutional future

Scotland's constitutional future PDF Author: Great Britain: Scotland Office
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 9780101832625
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 32

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Book Description
Dated April 2012. Summary of responses to Cm. 8203 (ISBN 9780101820325) which sought views on how to deliver a legal, fair and decisive referendum on whether Scotland should leave the United Kingdom

Publics, Elites and Constitutional Change in the UK

Publics, Elites and Constitutional Change in the UK PDF Author: Daniel Kenealy
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319528181
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 184

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Book Description
This book explores the governance of the UK, and the process of constitutional change, between Scotland’s independence referendum in September 2014 and the UK general election in May 2015. The book contrasts the attitudes of the public, captured through an original survey, with those of politicians, civil servants, and civic leaders, identified through over forty interviews. It pays particular attention to two case studies involving recent changes to the UK’s governing arrangements: the Smith Commission and the transfer of further powers to the Scottish Parliament, and Greater Manchester’s devolution deal that has become a model for devolution across England. It also considers the issue of lowering the voting age to 16, contrasting the political attitudes of younger voters in Scotland with those in the rest of the UK. The book will be of interest to students and scholars of UK politics, devolution, constitutional change, public attitudes, and territorial politics.

Practising Self-Government

Practising Self-Government PDF Author: Yash Ghai
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107018587
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 517

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Book Description
An examination of how the constitutional frameworks for autonomies around the world really work.

Comparing Devolved Governance

Comparing Devolved Governance PDF Author: D. Birrell
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 0230389791
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 184

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Book Description
Examines recent evidence of a growing symmetry in the operation of devolution in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This book makes one of the first systematic and detailed comparisons of the operation of the devolved institutions and machinery of governance. It uses a comparative approach to explore the key workings of government.

Strengthening Scotland's future

Strengthening Scotland's future PDF Author: Great Britain: Scotland Office
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 9780101797320
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 84

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Book Description
This paper is issued alongside the Scotland Bill (Bill 115, ISBN 9780215557414, and its associated explanatory notes, Bill 115-EN, ISBN 9780215546548) which implements the changes to legislation recommended in the final report of the Commission on Scottish Devolution (chairman Sir Kenneth Calman) - "Serving Scotland better: Scotland and the United Kingdom in the 21st Century" (available at http://www.scotlandoffice.gov.uk/scotlandoffice/files/Calman%20report.pdf). The Commission's central view was that Scotland should be responsible for raising more of its revenue, and the Government proposes a transfer of fiscal power so that the Scottish Parliament will have powers to raise some 35 per cent of its own budget (the current level is 15 per cent). Proposals include: a Scottish income tax to replace part of the UK income tax; the devolution of land tax and landfill tax; the power to create of devolve other taxes to the Scottish Parliament; extensive new borrowing powers; a Scottish cash reserve to manage fluctuations around devolved tax receipts; a seat for Scottish ministers on a new UK-Scottish tax committee. This paper also outlines the Government's response in other policy areas: strengthening relations between Parliaments and Governments; improving the constitutional framework; administration of elections; policing and justice; health and public safety; business, corporate affairs and academic research; environment and rural affairs; social security and welfare reform; charities; the Scottish Government; and technical amendments to the Scotland Act 1998.

Multinational Federalism

Multinational Federalism PDF Author: Alain-G Gagnon
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 1137016744
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 297

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Book Description
A collection of state of the art reflections by fourteen leading experts in the field of multinational federalism. Seymour and Gagnon have gathered contributions from philosophers, political scientists and jurists dealing with the accommodation of peoples in countries like Belgium, Canada, Europe, Great Britain, India and Spain.