| ID | 149250 |
| Title Proper | No-men of England |
| Other Title Information | the Geordie Revolt that Defeated the Scotland and Wales Bill in 1977 |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Mclean, Iain |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Scotland and Wales was a principal policy of the Labour governments in office from 1974 to 1979, it was defeated in a guillotine vote in 1977. That defeat was orchestrated by the leaders of Tyne & Wear County Council, angry that a government of their own party was apparently neglecting their region in favour of Scotland. The project was rescued in two separate bills, but a further rebel amendment inserted a minimum assent condition in the required referendums. The people of Wales rejected the devolution they were offered. The people of Scotland accepted it, but by a margin that failed to cross the threshold. The resulting vote of confidence brought down the Labour government in March 1979. The role of Tyne & Wear County Council in killing the first bill has never been fully acknowledged. The lessons of the story for current devolution policy are explored. If the UK remains a single country, any policy for tax transfers must be fair to the English as well as to the people of the other three territories. |
| `In' analytical Note | Political Quarterly Vol. 87, No.4; Oct-Dec 2016: p.601–608 |
| Journal Source | Political Quarterly 2016-12 87, 4 |
| Key Words | No-men of England ; Geordie Revolt ; Scotland and Wales Bill ; 1977 |