Setting the pace: Scotland and the UK devolution project

The intentions, structure and contents of this chapter are somewhat different to those of other contributions to this book. First, the intentions of the chapter are to provide a broader UK context for Scottish devolution, and to offer an assessment of the implications and consequences for the rest of the UK of what has already occurred and is now taking place in Scotland. Second, the structure of the chapter reflects these intentions: it begins with a brief recent history of devolution in the UK and then progresses to a discussion of some of the more important issues, trends and challenges. It then concludes with an assessment of some possible alternative future pathways for the UK devolution project. Third, the contents of the chapter reflect the wide range of issues, factors and arguments associated with the devolution debate, this focus is unavoidable if the full impact of Scottish devolution on the rest of the UK is to be investigated.