The United Countries

With the issue of Scottish Independence a permanent fixture in the news at the moment, maybe it is time for a radical rethink of the way our country is structured. Our current system of a centralised executive and legislative, based entirely in one capital city is getting a bit out dated. Devolution went some way to equalising power, but this has created new absurdities. Scottish, Welsh and Irish MP’s can vote to change issues that only effect England, yet English MP’s cannot do the same, due to these powers being devolved to local legislatures. The system needs to be changed, to appease nationalist groups and to ensure a balance of power and I think the best way forward is a more federal system.

Instead of a United Kingdom we should become the United Countries of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. In the current system there is no clear recognition that the kingdom is created from four separate systems; our lack of one written constitution means that this issue is very complicated. A better system would be a clear recognition of the four separate countries and creating local parliaments for each country. These parliaments could control local issues, such as culture, local taxation, tourism, housing, education and transport. A national parliament, elected like the House of Commons, could then control national issues, such as defence, foreign relations, and economic policy and make sure that issues such as transport and education were unified across the parliament, without interfering with the ways that the local governments run these areas. An upper house, similar to the House of Lords but actually democratically elected, could make sure that the national parliament never infringed on the rights of the local government and making sure policy it passed was fair and just. They could also make sure that the local parliaments never overstepped the mark and ensure they did not start making unfair policy. This system would ensure that power was never too concentrated in one place but equally spread across the country.

A new federal system would ensure a rebirth of British politics. It would usher in a new era of responsibility and accountability. A new era of transparent and fair politics. It would show nationalist groups that, yes, you are part of a country but that our four countries work better together, working together to bring about a fairer society. But at the moment this is a far off vision, but I believe this is the way forward for our country; the only way to achieve a better society for all.