Oliver, Tim (2014) Written evidence on devolution to London submitted to Commons Political and Constitutional Reform Committee’s inquiry into the future of devolution after the referendum. . House of Commons, London, UK.
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
As the United Kingdom’s most powerful, rich and populous city and region, Greater London will play a central role in whatever happens following the decision of the Scottish people to remain a part of the UK. Despite the focus on the English, Welsh or Scottish questions, the ‘London Question’ is the most important question facing British politics. How to manage relations between the metropolis and the rest of the UK is to be found in many debates of British politics: the question of Scotland’s place in the UK, UK-EU relations, economic and social tensions in the UK, tensions within England, demands for an English Parliament, immigration and the UK’s changing population, the push for devolved power to other English cities and regions, and Britain’s response to globalisation and Europeanisation. Recommendations to devolve some powers such as over local taxes to the UK’s nations, regions and cities would bring a welcome change to the over-centralised nature of the UK state, especially in England. But where in this does London fit? The devolution debate - whether in Scotland or across England - often portrays London as the villain. There is anger and frustration at the over-centralised UK government based there, the incredible power the wider metropolis wields over the rest of the UK, and how the interests of UK government and London too often appear to align. Transforming the Greater London Authority into a fully devolved parliament and government for London – or technically ‘Greater London’ to use the term for the geographical administrative area – would not only improve the running of the UK’s most important region, it would go some way towards breaking the problematic link between the politics and government of the UK and the politics and government of London.
| Item Type: | Monograph (Report) |
|---|---|
| Official URL: | http://www.data.parliament.uk/ |
| Additional Information: | © 2014 The Author |
| Divisions: | IGA: LSE IDEAS |
| Subjects: | J Political Science > JN Political institutions (Europe) > JN101 Great Britain |
| Date Deposited: | 13 Apr 2015 15:57 |
| Last Modified: | 15 Sep 2023 22:25 |
| URI: | http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/61516 |
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