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In its constitutional centenary could power be better shared within the UK going forward?

Smart Thinking

Onward researcher Jenevieve Treadwell wrote for Smart Thinking about how she thinks power should be shared going forward. She writes:

”The United Kingdom is a partnership that relies on cooperation. However, the dispersal of powers towards devolved governments since the late 1990s has created a legislative impulse away from cooperation and towards devolved decision making. It has fundamentally altered the governance of the UK and created a constitutional tension, between the need for cooperation at the UK level and the desire for more power at a local level, that has yet to be resolved.

This tension was on show throughout the pandemic: the vaccine roll-out and furlough scheme clearly demonstrate the power of the union but the uneven roll-out of mask mandates, Covid passports and social distancing measures show the growing tendency towards divergence between the different devolved nations and the UK Government. If this tension is not addressed, it is likely that intergovernmental relations will continue to sour. The answer to this is not simply more devolution.”

You can read the full article here.

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