Regional Identities: Devolution, Scotland & Wales

Vocabulary flashcards summarising major terms, events and cultural concepts related to UK devolution, Scottish and Welsh history, and national identities.

Devolution

The statutory granting of powers from the UK Parliament to sub-national bodies such as the Scottish Parliament, the Senedd (Welsh Parliament) or the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Reserved Powers

Policy areas that remain under the sole authority of the UK Parliament (e.g., defence, foreign affairs, immigration).

Asymmetric Devolution

A system in which different parts of a state receive different levels or forms of self-government, as in the UK where Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have distinct settlements while England has none.

West Lothian Question

The problem whereby MPs from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland may vote on English-only matters in Westminster while English MPs cannot vote on devolved matters.

Scottish Parliament (Holyrood)

The devolved unicameral legislature for Scotland, reopened in 1999 in Edinburgh.

Union of the Crowns (1603)

The event when James VI of Scotland became James I of England, uniting the two kingdoms under one monarch.

Act of Union (1707)

Legislation that merged the Scottish and English Parliaments, creating the Kingdom of Great Britain.

Jacobite Risings

Early 18th-century attempts (1715, 1745) to restore the exiled Stuart line to the British throne.

Declaration of Arbroath (1320)

Famous Scottish declaration asserting independence from England, pledging to fight for freedom.

Battle of Bannockburn (1314)

Decisive Scottish victory over England led by Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Independence.

William Wallace

Medieval Scottish knight and national hero executed in 1305 for leading resistance against England.

Robert the Bruce

Scottish king who secured victory at Bannockburn and advanced Scottish independence.

Darien Scheme

Late-17th-century failed Scottish colonial venture in Panama that weakened Scotland economically before the 1707 Union.

Scottish National Party (SNP)

Political party founded in 1934 advocating Scottish self-government and independence.

North Sea Oil

Petroleum discovered in 1967 off Scotland’s coast; strengthened arguments for Scottish economic autonomy.

Poll Tax (Community Charge)

Flat-rate local tax piloted in Scotland in 1988, sparking widespread protests.

Scottish Devolution Referendum 1979

Vote that failed to introduce a Scottish assembly because turnout did not meet the 40 % threshold.

Scottish Devolution Referendum 1997

Vote in which 74.3 % supported restoring a Scottish Parliament with tax-varying powers.

Scottish Independence Referendum 2014

Plebiscite in which 55 % voted No and 45 % Yes to leaving the UK.

Yes Campaign (2014)

Pro-independence coalition led chiefly by the SNP with figures like Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon.

Better Together (No Campaign)

Cross-party campaign—Labour, Conservatives, Liberal Democrats—urging Scotland to remain in the UK.

Invention of Tradition

Concept (Hobsbawm/Trevor-Roper) that many traditions, such as Scottish tartan culture, were modern creations claiming ancient roots.

Highland Tradition

Romanticized image of Scotland featuring kilts, clan tartans, bagpipes, largely popularized in the 18th–19th centuries.

Tartan

Checked woollen cloth associated with Scottish clans; codified in the 19th century.

Gaelic (Scottish)

Celtic language spoken by about 1 % of Scots, primarily in the Highlands and Glasgow.

Robert Burns

18th-century national poet of Scotland, author of ‘Auld Lang Syne’.

Ben Nevis

At 1,344 m, the highest mountain in the British Isles, located in the Scottish Highlands.

Trainspotting

1996 Danny Boyle film (based on Irvine Welsh’s novel) emblematic of 1990s Scottish urban cinema.

Eisteddfod

Annual Welsh festival celebrating literature, music and performance, central to Welsh cultural identity.

Welsh Language Act 1967

Law that allowed Welsh to be used in legal contexts and mandated bilingual road signs.

Welsh Language Act 1993

Statute giving Welsh equal status with English in public administration.

Sianel Pedwar Cymru (S4C)

Welsh-language television channel launched in 1982, home of soap ‘Pobol y Cwm’.

Plaid Cymru

Welsh nationalist party founded in 1925, campaigning for greater autonomy and protection of Welsh culture.

Blue Books Report (1847)

Official inquiry that denigrated Welsh language and morals, sparking modern Welsh nationalism.

Welsh Not

19th-century punishment token used in schools to discourage children from speaking Welsh.

Nonconformism (Wales)

Protestant denominations outside the Church of England; chapel life preserved Welsh language and identity.

Welsh Devolution Referendum 1979

Vote in which only about 20 % supported a Welsh assembly, defeating the proposal.

Welsh Assembly Referendum 1997

Closely fought vote (50.3 % Yes) leading to creation of the National Assembly for Wales (now Senedd).

Senedd (Welsh Parliament)

Devolved legislature for Wales; gained law-making powers after 2011 referendum.

Internal Colonialism

Theory (Michael Hechter) that peripheral regions like Scotland or Wales are dominated economically and culturally by the English core.

Celtic Fringe

Term for the non-English nations (Scotland, Wales, Ireland) at Britain’s geographic and cultural periphery.

First Minister of Scotland

Head of the Scottish Government; current holder (2024) John Swinney MSP.

First Minister of Wales

Head of the Welsh Government; current officeholder (2024) Vaughan Gething MS.

Hadrian’s Wall

Ancient Roman fortification near the Anglo-Scottish border; sometimes cited symbolically in discussions of English-Scottish division.

Glenmorangie

Well-known Highland single-malt Scotch whisky brand, iconic element of Scottish identity.

Dylan Thomas

Renowned 20th-century Welsh poet, author of ‘Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night’ and ‘Under Milk Wood’.