Political Science, General, Government 

Development is now very firmly back on the British political agenda. A labour government committed to its introduction was elected by a massive majority on 1 May 1997, and the Conservative party was whipped out in both Scotland and Wales. The regional divisions within the United Kingdom are therefore demarcated even more starkly than before the election. Devolution and regionalism have also developed because of the creation of the Intergrated Government Offices and the European Union’s increasingly important regional policies.
The contributors to this volume address the issues arising from devolution and regional government through an exploration of the debates about devolution in Scotland, Wales and the English regions, including the historical development of the devolution proposals, the importance of National and regional identities, the changing devolution policies of the political parties and the approaches of business and other major interest groups towards it.
Devolution and regionalization have stimulated discussion of wider political issues such as proportional representation for women. The various proposals for devolution regional assemblies have also been stimulated by the changing balance of power between the European Union, the member states and the nations and sub national units within those states. The volume concludes with a consideration of the implications of the emergence of a devolved British state in which the different countries and region achieve different levels of autonomy at different paces.
 

This volume addresses the issues arising from the recent devolution referenda by exploring the historical development of the proposals, the importance of national and regional identities, the changing policies of the political parties and the approaches of business and other major groups towards devolution. It also looks at the impact on electoral reform coming from the proposal that proportional representation be used to elect the regional assemblies and how the new assemblies are to be financed. Finally the book discusses the implications of a devolved British state where different countries and regions achieve different levels of autonomy at different paces. - from Amzon 

Contents
1. Introduction: Devolution and the UK State............................................P.1
Michael Keating and Howard Elcok

2. Devolution and Europe: Britain's Double constitutional problems..............P.10
Graham Leicester

3. Financial Arrangement for UK Devolution..............................................P23
David heald Neal Geaughan and Colin Robb

4. Scottish Home Rule:Radical Break or Pragmatic Adjustment ................. P53
Lindsay Paterson

5. What could a Scottish parliament Do?...................................................P68
James Mitchell

6. Reactive Capital: The Scottish Business.................................................P. 86
Community and Devolution
Peter Lynch

7. Deepening Democracy: Women and the Scottish Parliament.....................P103
Alice Brown

8. The Devolution Debate in wales:The Politics ...........................................P.120
of a Developing Union State
Jonathan Bradbury

9. Strategics of Autonomist Agencies in Wales ......................................... P.140
Jonathan Snicker

10. English Regionalism and new labour ..................................................P.158
John Mawson

11. Territorial Debate about local Government:..........................................P.176
Or Don't Reorganize! Don't! Don't! Don't!
Howard Elcock

12. What's Wrong With Asymmetrical Government?......................................P195
Michael Keating