The British system of government has for many years been one of the most centralised in Europe. Many more matters are decided at the national level than in Germany or Belgium, for example, where an effective level of regional government has been established.
Recent years have seen steps towards regional government, notably in Scotland and Wales but also on a smaller scale in England. But treating regional and national authorities as representatives of Westminster rather than representatives of the people in the areas concerned does not really change very much.
A federal system would be much better.
In England, some form of sub-national authorities (perhaps the existing regions, perhaps something else) would be directly elected and exercise clearly defined powers. Most of these powers would be drawn from those currently exercised by Whitehall. Such a system could bring the citizens closer to the decisions which most affect their lives. The power of distant bureaucrats would be reduced.
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Latest Contributions
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No more trivial tinkering
After Scotland’s SNP landslide in the 2015 UK general election, the idea of saving the union by the introduction of a federal constitution is gaining traction, but a 4-unit federation […]
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The British Constitution after the General Election (8 April 2015)
Joint event with the Federal Trust The referendum result in Scotland last September clearly has not settled anything. The future of Scotland in the Union remains in doubt, thanks to […]
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Our Broken Kingdom (4 November 2014)
John Campbell Lecture, jointly organised by Republic and Federal Union Tuesday 4 November 2014 18.00 for 18:30, until 21:00 Mary Sumner House 24 Tufton Street London SW1P 3RB In […]