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Policy difference and UK social citizenship Katie Schmuecker ippr north Friday 22 February 2007. Policy difference and UK social citizenship. “You can’t have Scotland doing something different from the rest of Britain.” Tony Blair, on tuition fees policy, quoted in Ashdown (2001) p446. 2.
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Policy difference and UK social citizenshipKatie Schmueckerippr northFriday 22 February 2007
Policy difference and UK social citizenship “You can’t have Scotland doing something different from the rest of Britain.” Tony Blair, on tuition fees policy, quoted in Ashdown (2001) p446 2
Policy difference an inevitable consequence of devolution! The progressive case: innovation and learning Could even be seen as the point of devolution: Local solutions to local problems Differences enhanced with different parties in power On policy difference 3
On policy difference • The UK settlement is highly permissive * Non-domestic rates are accounted for differently in Wales compared to Scotland and Northern Ireland, and actually the figure of 100 should be taken as applying to all three nations.
Permissive settlement and funding arrangement The missing middle For London and event and not a process Untested mechanisms and institutions of coordination and dispute resolution UK devolution: a political rather than a territorial project? Seeking to solve a “Scottish problem” led to piecemeal reform Little thought went into what the UK is for. On policy difference
Our Future of the Union work suggests it might ‘Devolutionary distance’ Key tension points in the Union: English Question; finance; policy difference and social citizenship rights England a risk to the Union? Stirring dissatisfaction and a mood for change (although not yet a movement) But Majority support for the Union in England and Scotland (for now) Maybe doesn’t matter if you’re a Nationalist! Does it matter?
There are some significant forces for convergence EU competition policy EU single market Human Rights Act And some de facto forces for convergence Common welfare state and labour market Dominant narratives and ideas Transparency Public opinion A few words of caution
A few words of caution Attitudes towards policy variation in Great Britain (2003) Source: Jeffery 2005 • Lyons Inquiry: variation after minimum standards
Make use of the current mechanisms! 10th anniversary commission to look at the whole and not just the parts? Brown’s Governance of Britain silent on devolution and England Scottish Commission a continuation of piecemeal reform? Wendy Alexander on funding and England Some options
Mechanisms for Union wide guarantees? Would need to be tangible Would have to be in (genuine) partnership with DAs Possibly by the back door - British Bill of Rights, Statement of Values, NHS Constitution? Extremely high risk strategy Conditional funding? Along with fiscal autonomy Not incompatible with devolution, but politically difficult. Some options
What is the scale of the problem? Does it warrant radical change? Can it be done without: Unpicking the devolution settlement? Being perceived as an act of centralisation? Two key questions