Having concluded that we do not have true democracy in the British Isles, we need to now look to the future, we have a few ideas of how to make things significantly fairer, more representative and thus democratic, but tinkering around the edges is not really going to solve anything. Politics, like language, is a living thing, it has to change, to evolve or it becomes irrelent and dies.

The British isles is made up of four distict nation states, England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, all have their own culture and unique history, regardless of your opinions on the matter, these Islands have been dominated by the English, a situation that has not served the Islands well and it can be argued, has held us back, not least because English control of the other 3 has a long history of terrible decision, bias and even worse actions.

We cannot undo history, buit we can learn from the mistakes and do our level best to ensure we do not repeat them and we put processes in place to ensure they cannot happen.

England is unique in the world, not for the reasons you may think, but we are the only nation state that has no Government, you may argue that point, but it is a fact, the Governance of the United Kingdom is controlled by the UK Government, whilst Scotland has it’s Government in Holyrood House in Edinburgh, Wales has its Government, in all but name, in the Sened Building in Cardiff whilst the Northern Irish Assembly meets in the Parliament Building in Belfast – however, England has no such representation. There are those that would argue the UK Government is the English Government, and whilst in essence this is not untrue, it is also not accurate. English MPs can only debate and vote in the House of Commons, they are legally barred, quite rightly to, from debating or voting in the Scottish Parliament or either of the devolved assemblies, however, MPs from the three devolved bodies can sit in, debate and vote in the House of Commons, even when the subject of the debate only impacts England – this is undemocratic, unfair and biased. The English have no independent Government that simply runs affairs in England.

So how do we change this?

There are several ways parity could be achieved, England could have it’s own Parliament, seperate from Westminster, in which only duly elected English MPs could debate and vote, but leaving it open for all MPs from all the regions to debate and vote in the House of Commons on topics that impact the whole of the United Kingdom. That is achievable, but the Westminster bubble does not seem inclined to do this, there seems a concensus that England should not go back to having a seperate Government – which is bigotted, but its because Turkey’s do not vote for Christmas, they percieve it as a loss of power.
There is a better way, the SNP has campaigned for an independent Scotland for decades, the IRA and other Republicans have campaigned for a united Island of Ireland since the end of the Irish Civil War in 1926 when England kept the 6 counties in the north (Ulster), there have also been calls for Welsh independence – actually, even the Cornish has clamoured after independence but that is, realistically, a pipe dream.

There will be those who will always clamour for independence from the nation they live in, and these calls are not unreasonable, why should another nation dictate to another how they live, their laws etc etc, so where does that leave us.

Different regions have different needs and priorities, central England and the London region are the bulk of the population and where most industry and money is concentrated, despite efforts to spread things more evenly, this has not really happened due to myopic thinking by central government for well over 100 years. There are large parts of the Islands that are under developed, parts of Wales, Cornwall, many parts of Scotland and even Northern England – and clearly this needs to change – Westminster dictating to these regions without understanding the local culture, people, industry and infrastructure is simply not tenable, it has been shown to not work, the latest iteration was the plan to “Level Up” – well that was an abject failure, the Government committed to spending over £130 Billion building a railways with old technology to get to Birmingham 20 minutes faster and then on to Leeds….what a myopic project – imagine how lives could have been improved if that £130 Billion had been invested in numerous smaller infrastructure and business support projects in the north of England, parts of Wales, Ulster and Scotland – there would be tanglible returns on such projects that would have positive impacts on the lives of people in those regions – instead, the money was spent on a conglomerate of vested interests, making them richer and the public finances much poorer.

So, what is the solution – well, British Democracy believes that people who live in a region should be the ones making decisions about their life and their future, thus, the Scots, the Welsh and the Irish should be the people deciding what happens in their region, they are only half way there however. There is a good reason why the question of Scottish independence was put to the Scots and the not a vote on English independence – the Government would have lost.

A possible way forward is to change the entire Governance structure of the British isles, we devolve all powers to the regional Governments in Scotland and Wales, so they have full control over everything, including taxation, within their respective borders, we correctly, cede Ulster back to Ireland to unite the Island, but we also break England up into more manageable regions, each with their own Government and each with their own Tax raising powers. We remove the Monarch as head of state, make Westminster a Museum, build a new Government Building and turn the British Isles into a Federal State system.

We would suggest that Scotland and Ireland also consider a splitting of powers with their main Government acting as an arbitor for matters that impact the whole of Scotland/Ireland or are international in their impact, but that would clearly be a matter for them to decide, not to be dictated to – The English really need to stop dictating to others how they live.

Thus, for example.

England – 8 Regional Governments.

Scotland – 3 or 4 Regional Governments

Wales – 2 or 3 Regional Governments

Ireland – 3- 4 Regional Governments (If they chose to join a British Isles Federal State)

Total possible regional Governments – 19

Then, of course, we have the Governments of the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey – which could be included, bringing the total to a possible 22. (If they chose to join a British Isles Federal State)

However, Ireland and Scotland could choose of have more or less devolved regions, that should be a matter for the Irish and Scottish people, not the English. However, such a make up would then mean the English no longer have a majority of the votes in a Federal Government system, they would need to carry along others in order to achieve a majority vote, this would decrease English influence, increase cooperation and regional representation.

Here is a county breakdown of what a dissolved governance of England could look like.

Clearly, for such a federation to be created, all states would need to have a referendum of their population to decide if they wish to join or not, it cannot and must not be assumed that they can be automatically added. This Referendum cycle should also include the Isle of Man, Guernsey, Jersey and the 14 British Overseas Territories – it should be the decision of the people who live there as to whether it would be their wish to join the Federation as dependent, self governing states, without this freedom to decide, there can be no true democracy.

The proposal would need to set out, clearly, what membership would mean, what it would bring to the table that would be of benefit, and what, if any, negative consequences there would be. This should be in plain, simple language, listing pros and cons, no hyperbole, just facts, and then allow the people time to discuss, absorb and then vote. Should they choose not to join the Federation, then they would become a truly independent state, responsible for all aspects of their Governance. Those that choose to join the Federation would then have a seat in the Federal Government, technology allows remote connections for debates, meetings and conferencing.

As of 2024, the UK is divided into 650 constituencies, with 543 in England, 32 in Wales, 57 in Scotland, and 18 in Northern Ireland, this is a ridiculous imbalance and far more than is required in England, especially when you consider that the House of Lords has some 815 sitting members, but theoretically, more than 1500 unelected people deciding our lives still.

Here is how the current UK Governance compares to other western nations, we have thrown Russia in as a comparision.

Representatives in Western Nations and Population

Country	Lower House	Upper House	Total Elected	Unelected	Population	Average Population with Elected Representation
UK	653	815	653	815	66,970,000	102,557
France	577	348	925	0	67,970,000	73,481
USA	435	100	535	0	333,300,000	622,990
Spain	350	208 (266 possible)	558 (616 possible)	0	47,780,000	85,627 (77,564 possible)
Germany	735	69	804	0	83,800,000	104,228
Russia	450	177	627 (Theoretically)	0	144,200,000	229,984
Mexico	500	178	678	0	127,500,000	188,053
Average	528	270 (279 possible)	682 (691 possible)	815	124,502,000	200,989 (199,837 possible)
UK Above or Below average	+21.1%	+201.85%	-4.35%		-60%	-64.85%

But, lets now look how the British isles fairs itself.

Country	Represented in Westminster	Population	Percentage of Westminster Votes	Percentage of UK Population
Wales	32	3,136,000	4.92%	4.72%
Scotland	57	5,454,000	8.75%	8.2%
England	543	55,980,000	83.55%	84.24%
Northern Ireland	18	1,885,000	2.78%	2.84%
UK Total	650	66,455,000	100%	100%

On paper this looks like a fair distribution, the number of MPs appears to reasonably reflect the percentage of the overall UK population, but is this really fair, is it truly democratic? The major Parties, Labour and the Conservatives, would claim it is, and this is because it keeps them in power and prevents other paryies challenging for the role of official opposition or even forming a sizable block within Westminster that can challenge them for dominance, this is why we have only ever had Labour or Conservative Governments (a couple of coalitions) for the last 100+ years.

The UK “first past the post” system of electing officials also gives a false view of the state of the nation.

Lets look at how it panned out in the Regions of the UK.

How the Vote share is undemocratic in the UK major regions.

 

Lets take Northern Ireland as a representation of how bad and undemocratic the FPTP system actually is.

Party	Votes Cast	Percentage of Votes Cast	Seat Won	Percentage of Seats won	Seats won if shared by vote percentage	Average Vote in Constituency Won
DUP	172,100	22.1%	5	27.7%	4	24.8%
Sinn Fein	210,900	27.0%	7	38.8%	5	32.6%
SDLP	86,900	11.1%	2	11.1%	2	15.6%
Alliance	117,200	15.0%	1	5.5%	3	19.7%
UUP	94,800	12.2%	1	5.5%	2	22.2%
Others	98,100	12.6%	2	11.1%	2	22.3%
	779,800	100%	18	100%	18	N/A

NI is worse than other regions in the UK due to history, where there are starker social divisions than other parts of the nation, there is no clear evidence that a winning candidate would not help a constituent who was not one of those who voted for them, but it is very possible considering the fractured nature of  Ulster politics, some of the blame sits in Westminter, where the Sinn Feine MPs have constistently refused to take their seats, in fact, the whole NI assembly has been in turmoil for years due to bitter and deep seated rivalry – its at times like this you want to sit them all in a room and just shout – “Grow UP, do the job you were elected to do”. Unless they work together, they will not fix NI and the people are the ones that suffer the people of Ulster have been let down by generations of politicians and others on both side of the Irish Sea, they deserve so much better than the petty bickering we see, however, as we have such petty bickering taking place in Westminster, its hardly surprising, Leadership starts at the top, so when you have no effective leadership, the whole pack of cards collapses.

The Future

So, if we convert the British Isles to federated states, how will we aachieve thisd and how will it work, please bear in mind that all the following statements and proposals are open to discussion and amendment as needed.

The Monarchy

The monarchy is an outdated and anachronistic system that impedes democratic progress. There may have been a time when an all powerful monarch with no accountability was necessary, but that changed more than 1000 years ago, then markedly with Magna Carta, although King John largely renaged on this, but the biggest change was following the Wars of the three kingdoms (1639-1651) which incorporated both English Civil wars and the Anglo-Scottish War which then saw the removal and later execution of King Charles I with Oliver Cromwell declared Lord Protector until his death in 1658. Cromwell is a controversial figure, his military prowess is undisputed, but his bloody campaign to suppress the Irish in his 1649 – 1653 campaign is a stain on the history of England, a wholly unecessary and brutal campaign that costs the lives of an estimated 200,000 peopple, with an estimated 137,000 being non-combatants. By modern standards, Cromwell committed and is responsible for horrific war crimes.

However, his son Richard, who took over the title of Lord Protector, was a weak man, nothing like his father, and this led to the restoration of the Crown in 1660, a terrible mistake.

The Monarchy has changed a lot since the civil war, the Crown no longer has absolute power and is subjegated by Parliament, but the very existance of the Monarchy holds back progress. This is not a slight on the current Royal Family, they are not much more than figure heads stuck in a a form of modern slavery, they have little privacy, not real control over their lives, despite their wealth and priviledge.

The monarch is head of state 

The monarch reigns, but they does not rule. Ruling is done by the elected government, and as head of state in the UK the Monarch is constitutionally obliged to follow the government’s advice. Their main functions as head of state are to appoint the Prime Minister as well as all the other ministers, to open new sessions of parliament, to give royal assent to bills passed by parliament, signifying that they have become law.

The Monarch also chairs monthly meetings of the Privy Council, to approve Orders in Council, they receive incoming and outgoing ambassadors, they make a host of other appointments, such as the senior judges, but in all this he acts on the advice of the government. He has a weekly audience with the Prime Minister, and receives daily boxes of state papers for his signature, and for information. He also has regular meetings with senior officials of all kinds.

The monarch is also head of the nation 

To the public the Monarch is more visible in the wider role as head of the nation. In this representative role the Sovereign acts as a focus for national identity, unity and pride; gives a sense of stability and continuity, officially recognises success and excellence (on the advise of Government!!). This role has been fulfilled through speeches such as the King/Queen’s annual broadcast on Christmas day, through giving honours to recognise public and voluntary service (only when put forward by the Government!), and through visits to the armed forces, schools, hospitals, charities and local organisations.

Lets be realistic, there are many roles the Monarch performs that elected officials with political ambitions could not perform, and we should not detract from the excellent works performed by the late Queen and even the current King, Charles III, but just because a person does good does not mean it is best for the nation, and this has to change if the nation is to move forward in a positive and democratic way – priviledge by birth cannot be allowed to continue.

The House of Lords

The House of Lords is the upper house of the UK parliament, but is it an unelected house, the population of the UK have no say in who can and cannot sit in the chamber.

The House of Lords performs a function not dissimilar to the House of Commons, in that it scrutinises legislation before it becomes law, it ensures that laws, for the most part, and lawful, accurate and are not discriminating in any way – in simple terms – the House of Lords does perform a vital function, but it is steeped in traditions that go back to the 11^th century and whilst there have been reforms in the last 30 years, it is still an unelected body with a massive amount of power.

Currently there are 781 Lords sat in the chamber who are eligible to sit and vote, this is the largest upper house of any bicameral parliament in the world, only beaten in size by the National Peoples Congress of the Peoples Republic of China!!

As of October 2024 there are 804 sitting members of the House of Lords arranged three distinct groups.

• 25 are the Lords Spiritual – Archbishops and Bishops (so much for the separation of Church and State)
• 664 are Life Peers (Lords Temporal) – these are people that have been appointed by a political party whilst in office.
  • 186 Labour Peers
  • 273 Conservative Peers
  • 78 Liberal Democrat
  • 6 Democratic Unionist Party (Northern Ireland)
  • 3 Ulster Unionist Party (Northern Ireland)
  • 2 Green Party
  • 2 Plaid Cymru
  • 1 Independent
  • 43 Non-affiliated
  • 184 Cross benchers
  • 1 Lord Speaker
• 92 are Hereditary peers elected by the House of Lords membership from the roughly 750 current hereditary peers.
• 23 are either suspended or they have been granted a leave of absence due to ill health.

There have been several attempts at radical reform of the chamber, but all have either been defeated or simply failed for other reasons, the most radical reform was in the early 1990s when hereditary peers where barred from automatically sitting in the chamber and the members of the chamber were restricted to elected 92 of their number to the chamber.

The Future

An upper chamber for any parliament is a crucial safety net to avoid critical mistake in legislation and to hold the lower house to account, but the current system is simply anachronistic and fraught with cronyism, where Ministers who retire are Knighted and take up seats in the Upper chamber, as well as those who have been significant donors to political parties, and this massively benefits the two main political parties, which can be seen by the numbers of Conservative and Labour peers compared to other groups.

There have been calls to stop the appointment of more peers, but these calls have gone unheeded, despite the fact the chamber can only accommodate a maximum of 400 people on the benches.

So, how do we change things.

Step 1, We strip all current Lords of their titles, they are either throwbacks to a bygone era or political appointments that are based more on cronyism than representative politics.

Step 2. Each County of the British Isles holds elections to appoint a “Lord” as the senior representative of the county – they must comply with the following.

• Cannot be a former member of the House of Lords
• Cannot be a former MP
• Cannot be a sitting MP
• Cannot be a sitting Judge
• Cannot be a sitting religious leader of any faith
• Cannot have a criminal record
• Cannot be a serving Police Officer
• Cannot be a serving member of the armed services
• Cannot be or have been the leader or board member of a Trade Union
• Cannot be a serving Director or Board member of any company (They must resign their position to stand and have no financial influence over any company)
• Must have their primary residence in the County for a minimum of 10 years prior to the election.
• Must be a UK Citizen
• If a UK citizen by naturalisation, they must have been a citizen for a minimum of 10 years.
• Cannot be a member of a Political Party (3 years has to have expired between their membership and the election date)

The United Kingdom currently has

• 48 Counties in England
  • England is also divided into 84 metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties. These correspond to areas used for the purposes of local government and may consist of a single district or be divided into several. As of April 2023, 28 such counties are divided into districts, and 21 of those have a county council.
• 33 Counties in Scotland
• 22 Counties in Wales
  • Eleven of the 22 unitary authorities are legally “counties”, and eleven are county boroughs, although informally all are referred to as “counties”.
• 32 Counties in Ireland
  • This would be the combined counties of Ireland and the 6 historic countries of Northern Ireland, which, under our proposals, would be recombined with the Island of Ireland.
• The Channel Islands would have 1 representative overall
• The Scilly Isles would also have a single representative.
• There would also be representatives of the same standing from each of the 14 British Overseas Territories.

This would mean that the Upper House that would have a combined number of 103 for those outside England, this would then add around 60 additional representatives (There would be a lot of work out due to Unitary authorities etc) but would take the 48 Counties plus some additional representatives for Unitary authorities or larger areas, such as greater London, bringing the total number of seats in the Upper House to around 163.