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The Role of the Parties in
Inter-Governmental Relations
Martin Laffin, Eric Shaw, Gerald Taylor, Alys Thomas
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In Brief
The study will look at how the political parties are changing post-devolution and the role they play in relations between central government and the devolved administrations. The main emphasis will be on the Labour party, given that it will be the ruling party in Westminster and the largest party in the devolved territories for the next few years. The project will also consider the role of the Liberal Democrat party as the junior member of the Scottish and Welsh coalitions.
Findings
- Scottish and Welsh Labour parties have more policy discretion than expected
- Likewise, on candidate selection the Secretary of State for Wales is as much a party manager dealing with UK-Welsh relations as a conduit for intergovernmental relations
- Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly appear to have equivalent career weight as Westminster
Context
Post-devolution the role of the Labour party in relation to territorial interests is still uncertain. Yet over the next UK parliament any changes to the devolution settlement, in terms of finances and powers, will be fought out within Labour circles, the outcomes largely hinging on Labour views at the centre and internal relationships within the party. Meanwhile, the party itself remains unitary and undevolved. This structure implies powerful pressures on Scottish and Welsh Labour leaders to stick to national Labour policy, constraints on the ability of Scottish and Welsh parties to make distinctive policies and the casting of central-territorial tensions in terms of party discipline. The Liberal Democrats in the coalitions also form a significant political force pulling Scottish and Welsh public policy away from central policies.
Research Objectives
The research will:
- develop our theoretical understanding of the relationship between devolved or federal governmental structures and party organisation, and of inter-governmental relations
- show to what extent and how the parties, especially the Labour party, are influencing the new inter-governmental arrangements, and policy and political co-ordination across Britain
- consider the internal changes within the Labour party, particularly in the light of new pressures towards more devolved, even federated political parties
- reflect on the lessons for the structure of inter-governmental relations across the UK, especially in the light of the possible further regionalisation of England.
Research Plan
The research will compare the ways in which the Labour party works across Scotland, Wales and at least one English region, and the role of the party in intergovernmental relations. The research will also consider how the Labour party, and the Liberal Democratic party, central structures are adapting to devolution. The research will involve interviews with party officials, politicians and other activists; the analysis of documents such as policy statements and papers; and non-participant observation through attendance at conferences and other meetings.
Publications
Gerald Taylor: 'Welsh Labour's Expanding Policy Process'
Agenda, Summer, 2002. Cardiff: IWA pp. 23-4
Eric Shaw: 'New Labour - New Democratic Centralism?'
West European Politics, 25, 3, July 2002
Gerald Taylor, 'Labour'
in John Osmond (ed) The Birth of Welsh Democracy Cardiff: IWA, 2003 (January).
Alys Thomas: 'The Welsh Liberal Democrats'
in John Osmond (ed) The Birth of Welsh Democracy Cardiff: IWA, 2003
Related Projects
Bradbury: Multi Tier Politics and its Impact on Local Representation
Hopkin: Devolution and Party Adaptation: The British Case in Comparative Perspective
Mitchell: Devolution and the Centre
| Principal Contact |
Professor Martin Laffin
University of Durham Business School
Mill Hill Lane
DURHAM
DH1 3LB
martin.laffin@durham.ac.uk
Tel: 0191 374 1338 |
| Project Members |
Dr Eric Shaw
Department of Politics
University of Stirling
Dr Gerald Taylor
School of Humanities and
Social Sciences
University of Glamorgan
Dr Alys Thomas
School of Humanities and
Social Sciences
University of Glamorgan |
| Duration of Project: |
1 May 2002 - 31 October 2003 |
| Amount of Award: |
£88,626 |
| ERSC Project Number: |
L219 25 2116
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