FROM REFERENDUM TO REFERENDUM “I tell you that devolution will be, and is, the salvation of the United Kingdom“Tony BLAIR in 1999.

THE BACKGROUND TO DEVOLUTION Since 1999, the way the United Kingdom is run has been transformed by devolution – a process designed to decentralise government and give more powers to the three nations which, together with England, make up the UK.The United Kingdom is made up of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Devolution essentially means the transfer of powers from the UK parliament in London to assemblies in Cardiff and Belfast, and the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh.

VARIABLE GEOMETRY APPROACH TO DEVOLUTION HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: One country, four nations, four administrative regions THE FLOODGATE OPENS : weak position of the Callahan gvt gives under pressure from the SNP and PLAID CYMRU nationalists, James Callaghan's Labour government had a majority of only three after the 1974 (October) election and by 1977 had no majority at all after a series of by-election defeats. DEVOLUTION : Variable geometry and criteria : SCOTLAND/ WALES/ N. IRELAND,* the case of ENGLAND (extensive devolved powers in flexible varieties but no legislative power except for GLC) A multitude of local, regional transfer of powers and authority. The beating heart of the UK is local gvt

BREXIT Le référendum sur l'appartenance du Royaume-Uni à l'Union européenne a lieu le 23 juin 2016. L'éventualité d'un retrait du Royaume-Uni de l'Union européenne (communément appelé « brexit ») est un débat politique récurrent depuis l'adhésion du pays à la Communauté économique européenne en 1973. Le référendum de 2016, le second du genre après celui de 1975, fait suite à une promesse électorale du Premier ministre David Cameron et du Parti conservateur. David Cameron ainsi que le Parti travailliste, le SNP et les Libéraux-démocrates font campagne pour le maintien. L'aile eurosceptique conservatrice, menée par Boris Johnson, UKIP, et certains élus du Parti travailliste font campagne pour la sortie de l'Union européenne. À la question « Le Royaume-Uni doit-il rester un membre de l'Union européenne ou quitter l'Union européenne ? » (« Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union? »), 51,89 % des votants répondent « Quitter l'Union européenne ». C'est la première fois que la population d'un État membre se prononce en faveur de la sortie de l'Union européenne. Le 29 mars 2017, la Première ministre Theresa May informe le Conseil européen du souhait du Royaume-Uni de quitter l'Union européenne, lançant formellement la procédure de retrait.

OVERARCHING COMMENTS There is no mention of Wales, where the ”Quiet Revolution” is and has already taken place. Wales could have been cited as an example of non violent political change based on linguistic and cultural criteria. Scotland is represented, with others, as being a rich country jealous of its wealth and reticent about sharing its ressources or relative affluence England is also absent from this map. The English, despite the fact that they have no ”national” political representation apart from central government in Westminster, have a dense network of devolved powers within the regions. Similarly, the future of ”metro mayors” put on hold in the framework of BREXIT is a contentious subject in the light of the ”processus à cliquet”, i.e. once devolved powers have been delegated, it is impossible to take them back Northern Ireland again is missing from this map, the criteria leading to power sharing was to unite an otherwise hostile population. The quotas reserved for catholics in public administration and security jobs are often occupied by Polish catholics eager to fill a socially-upward civil service position. What will become of them when BREXIT comes into effect? If they have to return to Poland what will be the effect of the gap in representation of catholics in pulic service jobs?

THE CONTEXT OF CHANGE AND TONY BLAIR AKA TORY BLIAR (House of Lords, rapid political change sweet and sour, The financial crisis, Immigration, Big Society) = REFERENDUM and repli ‘nationaliste’ / discours ‘populiste’ Interprétation du modèle britannique et irlandais dont SINN FEIN Ourselves Alone / leading to BREXIT Free-ing up the political agenda of 400 years of political domination by the House of Lords Loosening the ties of Central GVT : Référendum de dévolution de l'Écosse de 1997 CREATION OF SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT Le référendum de 1997 comporte deux questions. La première porte sur la création du parlement écossais. Elle est remportée à 74,3 % avec 1 775 045 votes favorables contre 614 400 votes défavorables. La deuxième porte sur la possibilité donnée au parlement écossais de lever des taxes. Elle est remportée à 63,5 % avec 1 512 889 votes favorables contre 870 263 votes défavorables. L'approbation des deux questions a induit le Scotland Act de 1998, qui crée un gouvernement et un parlement écossais. Le référendum de dévolution de l'Écosse de 1979 est un référendum qui a lieu le 1er mars 1979 dans toute l'Écosse. Son objet est la création d'un Parlement écossais au travers de la validation du Scotland Act 1978. Même si le « oui » l'emporte à 51,6 %, il ne réunit que 32,9 % de l'électorat au lieu des 40 % nécessaires à sa validation. Il est soutenu par le parti travailliste.

INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM 2014 A referendum on Scottish independence from the United Kingdom took place on Thursday 18 September 2014.[1] The referendum question, which voters answered with "Yes" or "No", was "Should Scotland be an independent country?"[2] The "No" side won, with 2,001,926 (55.3%) voting against independence and 1,617,989 (44.7%) voting in favour. The turnout of 84.6% was the highest recorded for an election or referendum in the United Kingdom since the introduction of universal suffrage. CONSEQUENCES OF BREXIT ON THE DEVOLUTION AND DECENTRALISATION OF REGIONS / NATIONS

EU AS A VECTOR OF POLITICAL CHANGE AND REGIONAL IDENTITY THE EU WINDFALL for DECENTRALISATION AND DEVOLUTION (the most powerful and potent element in the extension of devolution, EU laws and principles permeate the devolved UK system at all levels , bolstering and re-inforcing an otherwise fragile and vulnerable entity. CATALYST AND CEMENT THAT KEEPS DEVOLUTION IN LINE ? ULTIMATELY ? WITH A CENTRAL GOVERNMENT AND NATIONAL UNITY ? ROUGH-SHOD BY DIVERGING REGIONAL IDENTITIES ; EUROPEAN STRUCTURAL COHESION FUNDS AND THE CAP 583 MILLION POUNDS TO SCOTTISH FARMERS IN 2013

OUTCOMES In terms of perception the BREXIT referendum Has left the divided population with a bitter taste in its mouth the English perceive the EU reaction as aggressive and vengeful The current Localism initiatives appear to be on hold due to BREXIT taking up too much parliamentary debate time The foreseen nomination of METRO MAYORS for the large cities, seen as an essential step towards real devolved and variable geometry powers is now on hold and may never go forward The fundamental theory of variable geometry Local Government, as close to the population as possible, generated coherent geographical identity. This slowing down of devolution and Localism heralds a new era of stronger and perhaps more restrictive central government and is a move away from the British type of federalism, so representative of differnt regions, cultures and , ultimately, identities