Building sub-national government
“Not bad for a 28-page report”: Experts respond to the Smith Commission’s proposals on Scottish governance
The Smith Commission yesterday published its official recommendations for the future of Scottish governance following the Scottish independence referendum. Democratic Audit asked Iain McLean, Coree Brown, Norman Bonney, Craig McAngus and Paul Cairney to give their views on the proposals and their implications. (Part 2 can be found here.) Similar PostsThe best of Democratic Audit’s 2014 coverage of […]
The Tower Hamlets affair is a sad indictment of British local democracy
The Communities and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles recent appointed commissioners to assist in the running of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets following the publication of a PwC ‘Best Value’ report. Chris Game argues that the affair shows the weakness of English local government and ignores the wishes of Tower Hamlets’ residents. Similar PostsThe PwC […]
Book Review: Devolution and Localism in England by David M. Smith and Enid Wistrich
Tracing the development of decentralisation policies through regional policies up to and including the 2010 General Election and the radical shift away from regionalism to localism by the new Coalition Government thereafter, the authors consider some of the key policies of the incumbent Coalition Government such as City Regions and Localism. This book is a much-needed contribution […]
The Smith Commission must choose between a Union based on either separation or sharing
The Smith Commission is the body tasked with making recommendations on the future status of Scotland within the UK. Christine Bell argues that there is a critical choice for the Commission (and any subsequent political negotiations over devolution in Scotland and beyond). One the one hand there is the option to pursue a Union based on […]
The Smith Commission must not ignore the status of state religion in Scotland
The Smith Commission is the body tasked with recommending proposals for the final status of Scottish devolution following the referendum on Scottish independence. Norman Bonney argues that state religion should not be left out of the equation, and the special constitutional status of Presbytarianism and the continued role of Bishops in the House of Lords […]
The party leaders must ensure that the next set of election debates don’t focus solely on England
In 2010, the three party leaders; Gordon Brown, David Cameron, and Nick Clegg, made very few mentions of devolution or of the devolved nations. Kristi Winters and Edzia Carvalho argue that the leaders this time around should take steps to ensure that the debates strike a more inclusive tone, ensuring that they represent a genuinely national […]
The PwC report on Tower Hamlets highlights fundamental tensions in local democracy, not always thought through clearly in new mayoral systems
The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government recently appointed commissioners to run the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, following the publication of a Government-commissioned PWC report which was damning about the failings of the current adminstration, led by Mayor Lutfur Rahman. Michael Keith, a former Leader of the Council, argues that the affair […]
The Greater Manchester Agreement is only a small step towards greater devolution in England
This week, George Osborne announced an agreement to devolve powers to the Greater Manchester area. Tony Travers reviews the agreement and finds that, while any devolution in a country as centralised as England is to be encouraged, the deal is modest and conditional in nature and suggestive of a long, laborious road to further devolution in England. Similar PostsThe case against Directly-Elected Executive MayorsGeneral […]
There is a strong case for the introduction of an elected tier of English regional government
Should there be an English Parliament? Or should the English regions – closer in size to the other constituent parts of the United Kingdom – instead enjoy self-government over elements of government economic and social policy? Vittorio Trevitt argues that such a development would be good for democracy and good for England. Similar PostsWho’s going […]
The Government’s failure to hold a referendum on the creation of a directly elected mayor for Greater Manchester may undermine the legitimacy of this important new office
George Osborne recently announced that Greater Manchester was to get a new ‘metro Mayor’ with enhanced powers, despite the decision of Manchester’s voters to reject a City Mayor in a recent referendum. Here, John Fenwick argues that there is political rationale for avoiding a plebiscite, and that the eventual office holder may be marred by a perceived lack of […]
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