Article by Colin B. Picker
This Article offers a comprehensive treatment of the United Kingdom's recent constitutional revolution. It explores in detail the nature of the most important aspect of that constitutional upheaval—devolution of power to Scotland and the creation of the new Scottish Parliament. That examination is placed squarely within a historical and political context in order to understand more fully the significance of that constitutional development. The historical context includes the history of English, Scottish, Welsh, and Irish political union, while the political context includes the recent reforms to the House of Lords, the Human Rights Act, and the creation of the Northern Ireland and Welsh Assemblies. The Article then argues that these developments, and in particular the Scottish devolution, have transformed the constitutional structure of Britain, and more specifically have changed one of the world's oldest and most centralized countries from a unitary to a federal constitutional system. In addition to helping us understand our own federalism through examination of another, the Article also demonstrates that this new and unique federalism provides important lessons for countries and regions experiencing ethnic conflict—such as Afghanistan, the Middle East, and the Balkans.
About the Author
Colin B. Picker. Associate Professor, University of Missouri, Kansas City Law School. A.B., Bowdoin College; J.D., Yale Law School.
Citation
77 Tul. L. Rev. 1 (2002)