EDINBURGH, Scotland — The decisive rejection of Scotland’s independence referendum set off an instant scramble Friday to fundamentally reorganize constitutional power in the United Kingdom, with Prime Minister David Cameron citing a chance “to change the way the British people are governed.” With Thursday’s “no” vote against independence, Cameron avoided the eternal stigma that would have come from allowing Britain to break up on his watch. But with elections due next spring, the prime minister still faces a raging anti-establishment tide that helped to fuel the Scottish independence bid and that has penetrated all corners of the realm. Within minutes of results showing that the union had been saved, Cameron was in front of cameras Friday at 10 Downing Street to announce a response to the growing outcry, one that would make the United Kingdom more like the United States. That means power over taxes, spending and welfare devolved away from the central government in London and toward the regional administrations that govern Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Crucially, Cameron said that the English — who do not have their own assembly — would also get more say over their own affairs. The effort represents what could amount to a radical rethinking of power in Britain, bringing it closer to the local and regional levels.
Posted on: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 18:20:07 +0000
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