Often when the term devolution is considered people automatically consider devolution to the nations of the UK and the devolution of powers that has taken place in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. However, it is also important to consider the devolution of powers that has taken place in England, whether it has been successful and whether, consequently, it should be extended.
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Devolution is the process of delegating power from central government to a regional or local level. This is different from federalism (which exists for example in the USA) in which power is split at source between a central government and regional governments. Britain is traditionally a unitary state in which power is held centrally and dispersed where required. However, devolution has now become politically entrenched in the UK political system and it can now be argued that Britain is in fact a ‘union state’ or ‘nations of nations’. So what is the background to devolution, how successful has it been and what are its potential implications?
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It looks increasingly likely that Boris Johnson will face a Conservative Party confidence motion next week. One of the biggest mistakes that students make in their A-Level exams is to mistake a party confidence motion with a parliamentary motion of no confidence. They are two different things and have different potential outcomes. So what is the difference and why is it looking increasingly likely that Boris Johnson will face one?
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Politics Teaching (Currently being rebuilt for September 2022) 