Westminster has taken a great constitutional leap in the dark, with the creation of a new parliament in Scotland and new legislative assemblies in Wales and Northern Ireland. These devolved legislatures may not remain satisfied with the powers conceded to them by Westminster and there is clearly the potential for a sustained political challenge to the authority of the Westminster parliament. It is not clear whether this constitutional arrangement will improve or destroy the unity of the United Kingdom. This book aims to provide the historical context for the constitutional challenges facing the United Kingdom. It explains how parliamentary sovereignty has for so long benefited the English people in particular while creating major problems for the other constituent parts of the British Isles and for Britain's colonial territories overseas. Some chapters explain Scotland's relations with the Westminster parliament from before the Union of 1707, through centuries of semi-independence, to the prolonged efforts to return legislative power to Scotland.
Other chapters explain how Wales, the American colonies and the White-settled Dominions accepted or rejected the authority of Parliament and, in particular, why Ireland has for so long remained the most difficult and constitutional challenge facing Westminster.