On Thursday, December 9, Alan Trench gave a lecture entitled "Unitary or Multinational State? Making sense of the United Kingdom?" which addressed the recent changes in United Kingdom government and discussions on the characteristics of these changes based on theories by political scientist Arendt Liphart.

Trench's presentation took place at the FFLCH (Faculty of Philosophy, Letters and Human Sciences) at University of São Paulo in the Social Sciences building. The audience of the lecture was composed of schoolars, researchers and students.

As part of the cooperation activities between the Center for Metropolitan Studies (CMS/CEM) and the University of Edinburgh, Alan Trench, devolution specialist researcher, has been visiting São Paulo in December.

The researcher associated with the University of Edinburgh and University College London studied politics in Britain and the U.S., in addition to legal training. As a scholar writing about devolution in the UK, with emphasis on government relations, financial aspects of devolution and the institutions of the United Kingdom have responded to the new settings, and has assisted in the development of the Constitution of Wales. He also researches federal systems and their operation throughout the world. He was a consultant on three committees of the UK Parliament on aspects of devolution.

Trench's visit to Brazil is part of the design collaboration and joint research with CMS/CEM maintained by the Institute of Governance at Edinburgh University. Besides his activities as researcher, Alan Trench maintains the blog Devolution Matters facing issues related to the return of power to Britain regions.

Making sense of the United Kingdom: the declining importance of the ‘Westminster model’

Abstract

The United Kingdom is often understood as the classic example of the ‘Westminster model’ of majoritarian democracy. This model is also found in other parliamentary democracies, including former British colonies such as New Zealand, Australia and Canada. While it is useful for comparative work, and as an ideal-type of this form of democratic government, it does not accurately reflect the working of the British system of government as that has developed over the last 20 years.

A number of factors undermine the accuracy of the Westminster model. One are changes in the party system, which has turned into a ‘2½’ party system since 1992. Another are a wider range of constitutional reforms introduced by the Labour UK Government since 1997. A third is the historic make-up of the UK, which has never been a unitary state but a composite one, composed of four nations with their own identities and histories. While England is the largest of these, all 4 parts of the UK need to be considered. Many aspects of politics are different in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and these differences have become more important since devolved institutions were created in 1999.

Some of these changes may not last; the party system may alter as a result of the current Coalition government, for example. But the changes to the ‘territorial constitution’ of the UK will prove long-lasting, and create their own logic for further constitutional change.

Watch Alan Trench presentation here