David Kauders – who has previously written several books on the economy and Brexit – has proposed giving the “dead-end” British political system a makeover in his new book Reinventing Democracy: Improving British Political Governance.
Kauders has argued the UK should adopt a federal system that includes a UK Parliament – with limited powers over mainly defence, trade, foreign affairs and currency – and four national legislatures that would be sovereign in every other area.
His plan involves bringing in a written constitution – which he has drafted as part of the book – via a referendum in each nation, and that constitution would include an alternative path for Scots to achieve independence.
Through the creation of a People’s Council – which would replace the House of Lords and Privy Council – he has suggested campaigning Scots would be able to call for a referendum by submitting a petition signed by 10% of the electorate to the body.
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However, for independence to succeed, Kauders has argued 50% of the electorate would have to agree to it in what he called a “constitutional lock”.
Kauders told the Sunday National he had become frustrated with Scotland’s legislation being blocked by Westminster while the nation remains stuck without a clear, democratic path to independence.
“Scotland needs to have the right to determine its own future. It’s denied it at the moment,” he said.
“If the UK goes on with its present constitutional arrangements, it has to break up. There’s no alternative. Irrespective of the travails of the SNP now, give it another couple of decades, the SNP will have come back strong and invigorated and fed up with English dominance.
“Northern Ireland is well on the road to leaving the UK. Michelle O’Neill [Northern Ireland’s First Minister] said she hoped there would be a referendum in about 10 years and I think that will go the way of unity with the Irish republic.
“What this book does is it provides an alternative path for Scotland.”
Kauders has argued the lack of a written constitution in the UK has allowed every government to “make things up as it goes along” with two parties taking it in turns to have absolute power over the UK’s laws – a system he describes as “wholly inadequate”.
Within the federal system outlined by Kauders, he argues Scotland would have clear-cut powers in all but a few areas embedded into a written constitution, meaning a situation like the blocking of the Gender Recognition Reform Bill by Scottish Secretary Alister Jack would not be allowed to happen.
He has even suggested the possibility of Scotland having its own trade agreements, providing they don’t cause internal UK borders.
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For those who are still not satisfied with a system that admittedly falls short of full independence, he said his plan still gives Scots an option to rally the troops and demand a national referendum from the People’s Council. Scotland’s members of the council would then vote on holding a referendum before it is put to the country.
Kauders said: “Some will say the federal system is not enough, but hopefully sensible people will think if we can get this constitution in place, then no longer can Westminster block us.
“The problem at the moment is nothing is certain after the expiry of a parliament because everything can be changed. This provides an alternative path.
“The people could propose a referendum on leaving the UK and that goes to the People’s Council to approve, but the People’s Council would only act with its national members for national matters, not all the UK members, so there’s no question of an English veto.
“Scotland is a modern, outward-looking, progressive European democracy. England is a regressive, inward-looking, hard-right monarchy. The two have to find a way to co-exist or to separate.
“I’m trying to provide a model of cooperative competition and Scotland can see if that is adequate to satisfy its needs and if not, then it would have to vote to go its own way.”
The requirement for 50% of the electorate to agree to independence may seem a daunting prospect, but Kauders argues this would clear muddy waters when it comes to Scotland’s right to self-determination and bring it into line with the rest of Europe.
“The Brexit referendum has created a precedent and that is that England could use its numbers to impose its will on the rest. That was the Brexit referendum,” he said.
“There was no constitutional lock. In Italy there is a constitutional lock on all referendums – 50% of the electorate must vote in favour, otherwise it fails. We know 50% of the electorate did not vote in favour of Brexit.
“In Switzerland, there’s a different constitutional lock on federal referendums, and that is that a majority of the cantons must vote in favour as well as the majority of the people. Either form of constitutional lock would’ve led to the Brexit referendum failing.
“Brexit showed how the political system is what is holding Britain back.”
Reinventing Democracy: Improving British Political Governance will be published on May 28 in hardback and ebook formats. The ebook will only be 99p until the General Election.
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