Whitehall has ignored devolution. It does so at its own peril London must prove to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that it takes their legislatures seriously—or face a break up Photo: Alex MacNaughton / Alamy Stock Photo What is it about Whitehall and devolution? Substantial legislative powers have been devolved to Scotland and Wales for over 20 years. Devolution in Northern Ireland has a longer—and not always happy—history, but the modern variant also dates from the late 1990s. Surely time enough for Whitehall to adapt its own ways of working and to be at ease with the handling of the dispersal of power to the devolved parts of the United Kingdom?