Federalism will never be an answer for Britain

OH dear, oh dear, oh dear. Labour MSP Neil Findlay and his Red Paper Collective (Letters, April 8) have been down into the crypt and dragged out the corpse of federalism, in the hope it will rise from the dead. Neil, it won’t; leave it in peace.

Federalism works in the United States, India and Germany. The US has 50 states; India has 28 plus eight Union Territories; Germany has 16 Lander. All three work pretty well at a regional and federal level, so there’s nothing inherently wrong with the concept of federalism. But how on earth could it work in the UK?

A federal UK would have four members: England, with a population of 56 million; Scotland, five million; Wales, three million; Northern Ireland, two million. A federal UK would be an English UK, with a light seasoning from the other states, who would have negligible influence on the federal whole. No change there, then.

The only way federalism could work in the UK would be if England were divided into a number of regions, each with its own assembly. As I recall, Tony Blair’s Government floated that idea, and it was roundly rejected by the people of England. The last thing they wanted was another layer of government, and I very much doubt they’ve changed their minds since.

Where Mr Findlay is correct is when he writes that “Labour has … delivered nothing in terms of firm, clear and deliverable proposals”. That applies to just about every area of policy, not just federalism. Nobody, not even its MPS and MSPS, seems to know what Labour stands for any more, beyond its trite slogans.

Mr Findlay also writes that “Labour must offer a credible position that reaches out to those voters who have left Labour in their droves”. Well, I’m one of those voters, and indeed was a Labour parliamentary candidate. I know how vacuous and incredible Labour’s position has become in so many areas. So I say to Mr Findlay and his associates: come and join us, ex-labour supporters, in campaigning for a self-governing state that prioritises the fight against inequality and injustice. Westminster will never deliver; Holyrood can.

Doug Maughan, Dunblane.

I DON’T doubt the sincerity behind Neil Findlay and the Red Paper Collective, but their call for a federal UK will go the same way as the Liberal Democrats’ policy on federalism, which over decades was trotted out during election periods, then put back on the shelf once the election was over. I have often wondered if Nick Clegg even mentioned federalism during his walk in the Downing Street rose garden when he struck his infamous deal with David Cameron; I suspect not.

Mr Findlay’s proposals will ultimately go nowhere, because Sir

Keir Starmer will, like other Labour leaders, chase after Middle England votes, and he won’t get them with talk of federalism, while the Westminster Parliament won’t countenance a federal UK and will say No. Which is why it is vitally important that Scottish voters are not distracted by any more smoke and mirrors fudge, no more false vows and empty promises, and say a resounding Yes to independence. Ruth Marr, Stirling.

READING Allan Sutherland’s letter (April 7) makes me think there really are none so blind as those who will not see. The accounting unit of the British Labour Party which deigns to brand itself “Scottish Labour” – notably without an iota of independent governance or autonomy justifying that title – in truth, remains finished in Scotland until such times as it recognises the new national political climate in which it attempts to operate.

The general dearth of political talent across all political parties in Scotland should be cause for concern for those of all political persuasions but the idea that we look to the likes of “Trident on the Clyde”supporting Jackie Baillie for political leadership is, I am afraid, laughable. However, in truth Labour’s problems in Scotland run much deeper, and many in my generation are simply incapable of supporting a party which has consistently demonstrated such hypocrisy, arrogance and incompetence in government and in opposition at all levels from local government up. More fundamentally, its lack of ambition and failure to articulate any kind of strategic aspiration for Scotland remain fatal to its chances of “ridding Scotland”, as Mr Sutherland puts it, of her democratically-elected Government. Iain Miller, Aberdeen AB15.