Subject:
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Re: UK devolved government. (was Re: Harry Potter getting left out)
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Mon, 10 Sep 2001 21:30:42 GMT
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Viewed:
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1101 times
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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Lawrence Wilkes writes:
>
> "Mr L F Braun" <braunli1@pilot.msu.edu> wrote in message news:GJF0zu.LB6@lugnet.com...
> >
> > The UK doesn't have
> > a real history of struggle between local, state, and federal,
> > so it doesn't surprise me that the decrees go from the center
> > outward more often than the other way.
>
>
> I would have thought the UK has plenty of history of struggle between local, state and federal over the centuries.
Not in my opinion:
> We've had civil wars, and the formation of the kingdom from seperate countries.
All of these were at national level, either two nations against each other
or two sides vying for control of the whole nation.
> And politics is always a 'struggle' between local (town) state (county) and federal (central) governments.
> Then factor in the 'struggle' between England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Island and calls for independence.
Scottish and Welsh devolution are close, but there was no level of
government analogous to the two Assemblies during the period that the calls
for independence happened, they have been created from scratch.
What I think Lindsay was describing was where the US constitution reserves
some powers to levels below the national and the US Supreme Court rules when
the various levels get into a disagreement over whose responsibility an
issue is. We did not have anything like this until devolution. Parliament
was totally supreme and even now, as I stated is the case in London,
Parliament is still practically supreme now becasue they can repeal any of
the powers transferred downwards at any point without consulting the
Assemblies. This would not be possible in the US as it would require a
Constitutional Amendment needing the states' assent.
Due to this I think Lindsay's argument is backwards. We have no history of
struggle because it's clear from our constitution that Parliament is
supreme. And I think this is a bad thing but that's for later...
Psi
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