Letter: Federal option

In recent articles about manifestos for political parties in the Holyrood elections, there is no consideration of a federal structure for the UK.

Federalism has become the "F" word of British politics, and is not even mentioned in the article by Gerry Hassan on the lack of an English parliament in our devolved UK (Perspective, 29 January).

Yet many countries, such as America, Canada, Australia and Germany, have a federal structure which gives devolved powers where appropriate, while retaining such things as external affairs and defence to the federal government.

At the moment the UK is a constitutional shambles, with the Calman proposals adding to the confusion. A federal structure for the UK would resolve the West Lothian problem and provide a basis for reform of the House of Lords as a federal parliament.

A federal constitution for the UK has long been Liberal policy, with a bill in 1912 under the then Liberal government giving parliaments in Scotland, England, Wales and a united Ireland, within a federal UK under the crown.

The bill never came to fruition due to the outbreak of the First World War.

Liberal Democrats today seem to have forgotten this policy.

David Hannay

Carsluith

Wigtownshire