Federal UK

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.

The links below lead to more information on the following subjects.

Latest Contributions

  • Keeping the government within the law

    A previous blog post has noted the importance of the government not only making the law but adhering to the law itself.  In our conception of the rule of law, […]

  • Scotland, possible independence and the EU

    By Lawrence Fullick The possible future independence of Scotland is not a simple case of a region of an EU member state gaining independence without any historical rationale. Scottish national […]

  • What should parking pay for?

    Away from the big picture of world trade and globalisation, let’s look at the important issue of parking charges.  What should it cost to park a car outside your house?  […]

Scroll to Top