Advantages and disadvantages of scotland having their own parliment

It is common historical knowledge that Scotland became part of the United Kingdom in 1707 following the ratification of the Act of Union. Nearly 300 years later, the Pledge of the Scottish Claim of Right was signed in Edinburgh on March 30th 1989 by 133 members of the Scottish Constitutional Convention   requesting that decisions on the form of government which best suits the Scottish people be left with Scotland, hence advocating the need for an independent Scottish Parliament. Proposals for the same were brought forward shortly thereafter in 1995.  On its assumption of power in 1997, the Tony Blair Administration heralded some dramatic changes to the very fabric and structure of British Politics . Perhaps the most significant of those changes is the Scotland Act 1998.

Scotland thereafter regained its own Parliament and administration since 1707. The 1998 Act empowered the Scottish Parliament to deliberate and decide as well as enact laws on matters concerning Scots and Scotland. These matters are referred to as ‘Devolved Matters’. They are generally matters of domestic importance. The Scottish Parliament was officially opened by HM The Queen on 1st July 1999. Besides being empowered to pass bills relating to domestic issues such as education, Gaelic, health and housing the Scottish Parliament was also equipped with limited powers to vary the United Kingdom income tax rate to enable Scotland raise its own finances. This has been referred to as the “Tartan Tax” . The Scottish Parliament also took over policies which previously concerned the Scottish Office. The Parliament may decide on devolved matters but other matters such as international affairs, foreign policies, defence and social security remain within the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom’s Government and Parliament.

These matters are known as “Reserved Matters”. It is apt to assert that the Scottish Parliament’s powers are devolutionary. The question therefore naturally arises; what is devolution? It is not unlike delegation of powers, should one choose to adopt such a view. Succinctly put, the Scottish Parliament has been empowered by the Westminster Parliament to make decisions at grass root level concerning matters at a level closer to the governed. Absolute power however continues to reside with Westminster. Thus the UK Parliament and Government may still decide on all matters concerning Scotland even such matters as are considered devolved; social work, police and fire services, environment, education and training, natural and built heritage, statistics and public records amongst others. It bears mentioning however that on such occasions, the Westminster Parliament is required first to seek and obtain the Scottish Parliament’s approval in deciding on devolved matters. 9 years on, it is worth examining what, if any, advantages as well as disadvantages are attributable to the Scottish Parliament.

Advantages of the Scottish Parliment:

1.    Proximity and Accountability: To operate at a level so close to the people where their problems, anxieties, expectations and misgivings are presumably better understood than another Parliament or Government far removed from the people is in itself an advantage of the Scottish Parliament. As earlier discussed, since the Parliament may decide and pass laws on matters affecting people it lives and interacts with regularly, it is considered as government at grass root level and directly ministers to the Scots. This perhaps is the most advantageous aspect of Scotland having its own Parliament. It also promotes accountability as the Parliament may now be held directly responsible as well as accountable on domestic and internal affairs.

2.    Provisions of Social Amenities: Having power to deliberate on education and health which fall under devolution, the Scottish Parliament in 2007 shortly after the Scottish National Party (SNP) became the first majority party, abolished tuition fees for university students. This is indeed a huge relief to many students in Scotland as their English counterparts continue to pay fees in excess of £3,000 per annum on tuition. There were proposals at the same time to reduce the number of students per class. This would invariably assist both teachers and students alike to learn and assimilate better with less volume. Also worthy of note is the free dental and optical checks and possibly treatment which is yet another devolved matter the Scottish Parliament recently decided on in 2007.

3.    Better Control and Achievement of Social Objectives: Equal opportunity is better achieved by the Scottish Parliament and Government as employers, service providers or purchaser of goods and services. Pensioners have not been left out of these advantages as they now enjoy free central heating in Scotland.

4.    Employment opportunities: There has been a significant and positive change in employment opportunities in Scotland since the Scots regained their own Parliament. Call center jobs for instance are said to be booming in Glasgow among other opportunities.  Quite a number of British people have also crossed the border into Scotland in search of better employment opportunities.

Disadvantages of the Scottish Parliment:

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