against devolutin

• Proportionality

  Other systems just as unproportional as FPTP

  • SV majoritarian and used for elected mayors

  Proportionality creates complex, multiparty government which can be weak/unstable

  • 2010-15 coalition weak
  • NI power-sharing crumbled on multiple occasions e.g. 2002 and 2017
• Decentralisation

  Can lead to asymmetrical power allocation

  • Scotland has upmost devolution powers

  Can render Parliamentary government useless

  • Scotland has fiscal, administrative, political power
• Decentralisation (2)

  Parliament still sovereign and can take and give powers at whim

  • 2002 - dissolved the NI Assembly
  • 2023 - Westminster blocked Scotland gender recognition bill

  West Lothian question

  • Questions why MPs from Scotland/Wales/NI can vote on laws concerning only England but English MPs have no say in laws in these devolved bodies
  • EVEL repealed
• Democracy

  Smaller parties often only prevalent in their regions

  A lot of elections can disengage the electorate

  • “Not another one!”
  • Low TO in some elections like 10% in police commissioner elections
• National Identity

  Nationalism can breed radicalism

  • British Nationalist Party has great success in the 2000s, winning 50 seats in local elections

  Has not stopped demands for independence

  • Scotland wished for another independence referendum in 2022
• National Identity (2)

  Can divide

  • 2016 Brexit - majority of Scotland wished to remain but was subject to tyranny of English majority

  Variation can complicate

  • Variation in COVID laws

  Barnett formula

  • Means that England is underfunded in comparison to the smaller devolved bodies