Home rule is where constituent parts of a state are given greater
self-government within the administrative purview of the central government.
In the
United Kingdom, it has traditionally referred to self-government, or
devolution or independence, for constituent nations (namely
Scotland,
Wales, and
Northern Ireland), and at one point
Ireland. Home rule also refers analogously to the process and mechanisms of self-government by
municipalities and
counties in many countries with respect to their immediately-superior level of government (e.g.,
U.S. states, in which context see
special legislation). It can also refer to the similar system by which
Greenland and the
Faroe Islands are associated to
Denmark.
In the
British Empire, there were vigorous demands for home rule by
activists in
India.
Home rule is not, however, comparable with
federalism. Whereas states in a federal system of government (e.g.,
Canada,
Federal Republic of Germany,
Switzerland and the
United States of America) have a
guaranteed constitutional existence, a devolved home rule system of government is created by ordinary legislation and can be reformed, or even abolished, by mere
repeal or
amendment of that ordinary
legislation.
A
state legislature may, for example, create home rule for a
county (or its
townships), so that a
county commission or
board of supervisors may have
jurisdiction over its
unincorporated areas, including important issues like
zoning. (Without this, a U.S. county is simply an extension of
state government.) The legislature can also establish or eliminate
municipal corporations, which have home rule within town or
city limits through the
city council. The state government could also abolish counties/townships, or their governments, according to the
state constitution and
state laws.
Irish home rule
The issue of Irish home rule was the dominant political question of
British and
Irish politics at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries.
From the late nineteenth century, Irish leaders of the
Home Rule League, the predecessor of the
Irish Parliamentary Party, under
Isaac Butt,
William Shaw, and
Charles Stewart Parnell demanded a form of home rule, with the creation of an Irish parliament
within the British government of the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. This demand led to the eventual introduction of four Home Rule Bills, of which two were passed , the
Third Home Rule Act won by
John Redmond and most notably the
Government of Ireland Act 1920 (which created the home rule parliaments of
Northern Ireland and
Southern Ireland -- the latter state did not in reality function and was replaced by the
Irish Free State), which was enacted.
The home rule demands of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century differed from earlier demands for
Repeal by
Daniel O'Connell in the first half of the nineteenth century. Whereas home rule meant a constitutional movement towards a national All-Ireland parliament in part under
Westminster,
repeal meant the repeal of the
1801 Act of Union (if need be, by physical force) and the creation of an entirely independent Irish state, separated from the
United Kingdom, with only a shared monarch joining them both.
Indian home rule
Several nationalist leaders banded together in 1916 under the leadership of
Annie Besant to voice a demand for self-government, and to obtain the status of a
Dominion within the
British Empire as enjoyed by
Australia,
Canada,
South Africa,
New Zealand and
Newfoundland at the time.
While enjoying considerable popularity for some years, its growth and activity were stalled by the rise of
Mohandas Gandhi and his
Satyagraha art of revolution: non-violent, but mass-based
civil disobedience, aimed at complete independence.
District of Columbia home rule
The U.S. Constitution gives jurisdiction over the capital city (District of Columbia or
Washington, D.C.) to the
United States Congress in "all cases whatsoever". This arrangement is due to the fact that the District is neither a state, nor part of a state. At certain times, and presently since 1973, Congress has provided for D.C. government to be carried out primarily by locally elected officials. However, Congressional oversight of this local government still exists, and locally elected officials' powers could theoretically be revoked at any time.
Greenland home rule
Greenland is a self-governing Danish province. Home rule was granted by
Danish parliament in 1979. Denmark's monarch is Greenland's head of state. Greenland is not part of the
European Union, even though Denmark is.
See also
- Devolution, the practice of a national power granting specific powers to a region, state, or province
- Municipal home rule, the legal ability in most American states where voters can adopt a home rule charter granting the municipal government greater local control
Category:History of Ireland 1801-1922Category:Indian independence movementde:Home Ruleis:Heimastjórnsv:Home rule
