‘Té Para Todos’? A Comparison of the Processes of Devolution in Spain and the UK

Abstract

This paper focuses upon a comparison of the experiences of regionalisation in Spain and the United Kingdom. Spain's process of devolution, initiated in the late 1980s, has led to an asymmetrical structure of devolution with certain regions, such as Catalonia and the Basque Country, acquiring more autonomy than others. However, the slogan ‘ café para todos’ (coffee for everyone) has in recent years been employed by Catalan and other nationalists to argue that the State of Autonomies has not respected the special status of Spain's historic communities and has diluted their claims for greater levels of self-government. It is precisely such a model of asymmetrical autonomy that has been adopted in the United Kingdom since 1997, the implications of which remain to be seen. As this paper explores, however, there are already signs emerging that the United Kingdom is following a similar trajectory to that in Spain, which is why the comparisons are particularly important and timely. Indeed, the authors argue that adopting a model of asymmetrical autonomy can lead, even at an early stage, to the emergence of regional identities in regions with no previous manifestations of regional consciousness, the rise in territorial tension after devolution, and the backlash by the historic regions against a ‘one size fits all’ or uniform approach towards devolution.