First Secretary of State and Leader of the House of Commons William Hague has outlined plans to give English MPs a 'decisive say' over 'measures that only affect England while maintaining the unity of Parliament as a whole.' Promoted by some as a long-awaited answer to the 'West Lothian question', the conundrum Hague is attempting to solve has far longer historical roots. It is not just to 1979 and Labour MP Tom Dalyell's lament as to the influence of Scottish, Welsh and Irish MPs on 'English politics' that we must look if we are to understand the machinations of the 'devolution revolution'. Moreover, the 'West Lothian question', like the 'Irish question' before it, impacts far beyond England's borders. It is vital that we consider the history of devolution in the United Kingdom from a four nations perspective.
In December 1885, the political establishment was ablaze with rumours that former Liberal Prime Minister William Gladstone intended to restore to Ireland the domestic parliament abolished under the 1800 Act of Union with Great Britain. The effect on the UK, and on 'England' in particular, was a key issue for Westminster politicians. In his diary, Lewis 'Lou Lou' Harcourt, son of and Principal Private Secretary to the ex-Home Secretary William Harcourt, concluded that the idea of dedicating a portion of the parliamentary session to 'English Business' was 'altogether impracticable'. He noted that:
a Govt. might be in a majority in the Imperial Parlt and in a minority in the English Parlt or vice versa and which decision is to be final and on which if either vote is a Govt to resign.
