Tag: devolution

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SNP’s progressive policies have not destroyed growth and may have helped

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Thanks to Dottie again for this one: From What can Scotland teach Andy Burnham about devolution? Scotland’s economy has outperformed its neighbours in Future Economy Scotland yesterday, the above and: and: and my favourite: and: Taken together, the evidence is difficult to dismiss. Whether measured by GDP, productivity, earnings, disposable income or the prevalence of low pay, Scotland has generally outperformed the UK since devolution. Across most of these measures, it sits at or near the top of the UK’s league table. None of this proves that devolution itself caused these stronger outcomes. Scotland’s economy differs from England’s in important ways, and … Continue reading SNP’s progressive policies have not destroyed growth and may have helped

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The longest gap in reporting ever since the series began in 2017! – Lack of financial transparency from UK government continues under Labour

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‘In the absence of timely Block Grant Transparency releases, Barnett consequentials are hard to reproduce’ – Scottish Fiscal Commission in evidence to the Scottish Affairs Committee (January 2025) By stewartb What’s happening to ‘transparency’ after c.14 months of this British Labour Party government in Westminster? Any ‘change’, any ‘new direction’? None to date it seems in terms of transparency over how the Barnett formula is applied. The Scottish Affairs Committee of the House of Commons has recently (July 16) published a report entitled ‘The financing of the Scottish Government’. (See https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/48818/documents/256455/default/ ) The issue of transparency over how Westminster’s so … Continue reading The longest gap in reporting ever since the series began in 2017! – Lack of financial transparency from UK government continues under Labour

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The impact of spending decisions by the British Labour Party government in Westminster on the so called Block Grants to the governments in Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh

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By stewartb Cut to funding for nurse training in England – what impact on Westminster’s spend for England on health, or will the ‘saving’ be from the Department of Education’s budget? Is this leading to a reduction in overall departmental spend or more likely, a more limited increase in departmental spend overall than England’s services (and devolved equivalents in NI, Scotland and Wales) need? What impact of this – and the cumulative impact of multiple other – spending decision by the British Labour Party government in Westminster on the so called Block Grants to the governments in Belfast, Cardiff and … Continue reading The impact of spending decisions by the British Labour Party government in Westminster on the so called Block Grants to the governments in Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh

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Devolution offers little protection for Scotland’s democratic choices – sobering assessment of the Sewel Convention and Westminster power by the Institute for Government

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By stewartb The Institute for Government (IfG) – the London-based think tank close to the Westminster/Whitehall establishment – has published an assessment of the operation of the Sewel Convention. It explains the convention is ‘designed to give the devolved institutions a degree of certainty that their powers will not be overridden, and enables the UK and devolved governments to work together on legislation where their policy objectives are aligned.’ Source: Allen et al (November 7, 2024) The Sewel convention in practice – five case studies from the 2019–24 parliament. Institute for Government, London (https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/sites/default/files/2024-11/Sewel-convention-in-practice.pdf ) The IfG reports that the … Continue reading Devolution offers little protection for Scotland’s democratic choices – sobering assessment of the Sewel Convention and Westminster power by the Institute for Government

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So the Envoy will not attend the first collective meeting of those towards whom she will be the Envoy?

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By stewartb So the Envoy will not attend the first collective meeting of those towards whom she will be the Envoy! What a missed opportunity to forge relationships! This Council of Nations and Regions – which will have the Mayors of London and of England’s ‘combined authorities’ invited to attend – fails even in its own terms to be representative. The Institute for Government (IfG) on 24 June 2024 published this: ‘English devolution – What is the history of English devolution? How much of England has devolution? Which powers are devolved?’ It explains that there are currently 12 areas with mayoral … Continue reading So the Envoy will not attend the first collective meeting of those towards whom she will be the Envoy?

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Raynor praises Welsh Labour Government for being far less successful than SNP Government in Scotland

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By stewartb The BBC News website’s Wales section has this headline today: ‘Wales held back by UK Tory rule – Labour’s Rayner’. The article reports on Labour’s deputy leader launching the party’e GE campaign in Llandudno. We learn that she stated the following (with my emphasis and comment): ‘Addressing the launch, Ms Rayner praised the Welsh party’s achievements in government in Cardiff, despite what she labelled “14 years chaos” under the Conservatives at Westminster”. Has Scotland (miraculously) been immune to these 14 years of Westminster-induced chaos? She then listed Labour’s key achievements as she saw them: “You see what Welsh Labour has done, whether … Continue reading Raynor praises Welsh Labour Government for being far less successful than SNP Government in Scotland