The Britannic Parliament

Four individual distinct nations bound in political union together in the fireplace of Parliament. A brilliant idea which created the world's oldest and most successful union. All shattered by Tony Blair's need to prance on the world stage as Northern Ireland's great healer advertising power sharing agreements with the IRA's political wing. We can't go back and shut down Parliaments to re-establish a Westminster who won't listen, and the fracturing of devolution isn't sustainable. We need to sidestep the trap to advance forward.

The other problem we have is our country has been trying to reform the House of Lords in some form or another since the 14th Century; an upper revisioning chamber which is utterly bloated with over 1600 partisan cronies.

Nor can we tolerate these endless calls for a devolved "English parliament," because it furthers the existing division. The absolute last thing we, or countries like the United States, need is a balkanised or fractured federal constitution. Division and political in-fighting was precisely the problem which left the land defenceless against the Vikings: the kingdoms of Wessex, Mercia, Northumbria, and East Anglia were so adversarial after the exit of Rome they couldn't work together to expel foreign invaders.

What Went Wrong?

The current devolution settlement has generated four fundamental structural problems which threaten the stability of the United Kingdom. England's demographic dominance ensures 85 percent of the union's population effectively controls national policy, while London-centric governance systematically neglects regional concerns across all constituent nations. This imbalance has fueled Scottish separatist sentiment, as Scotland seeks independence partly to escape perceived English hegemony and rejoin European institutions on its own terms.

Wales faces a different but equally problematic situation: unlike Scotland, which entered the union through treaty, Wales was incorporated through conquest and has never achieved full constitutional parity with its neighbour. The Welsh settlement reflects this historical inequality, creating ongoing tensions about representation and recognition. Northern Ireland presents perhaps the most complex challenge, where power-sharing arrangements at Stormont between republican and unionist communities remain fragile and have repeatedly collapsed, undermining both local governance and broader UK stability.

These problems stem from a fundamental flaw in the devolution process: it has created competing centers of democratic legitimacy without establishing clear hierarchical relationships between them. The result is a system which fragments rather than unifies, weakening the bonds which have held the union together for three centuries.

A New Home For The Fireplace

The proposed constitutional rearrangement addresses these challenges through a comprehensive restructuring which rebinds the nations while preserving their distinct identities. At its heart lies the establishment of a new Britannic Parliament located at - roughly - the geometric center of the United Kingdom. This parliament would occupy a magnificent neo-Gothic structure which symbolises both continuity with British constitutional tradition and the dawn of a new constitutional era.

The lower house of this parliament would operate on the principle of population-weighted representation (as it somewhat does now), ensuring democratic legitimacy flows from the people while preventing any single nation from dominating the others. The Crown would sit in this parliament as tradition demands, providing royal assent and maintaining the monarchical character which distinguishes the British system from republican alternatives. This arrangement preserves the essential principle which has made the United Kingdom function for centuries: binding the nations together through a common parliament where the governed participate in government.

Rather than creating a single federal senate, each constituent nation would retain its own upper house with powers of consultation, refinement, and ratification. These chambers would be populated however each nation likes, whether through appointment, election, or hybrid arrangements, and would award their own honours and distinctions. Wales would appoint its own Welsh heroes and experts on Wales, for example. This system preserves the autonomy which makes devolution attractive while embedding it within a unified constitutional framework.

The Britannic Parliament would produce legislation as normal, which would then proceed to the four national upper chambers for ratification in a round-robin process. Each chamber would address the legislation from its own national perspective, ensuring local concerns receive proper consideration. The lower house would retain override powers to prevent deadlock under the existing principles of the Parliament Act 1911, maintaining constitutional continuity with existing parliamentary supremacy doctrine.

Any Future UK Nation Could Join

The proposal extends representation for the first time to all seventeen territories of the United Kingdom, (home ruled and crown dependencies) each receiving three consultation seats in the Britannic Parliament. These representatives would maintain their existing home rule assemblies while gaining a voice in national affairs affecting their interests. While insufficient in number to block essential legislation, territorial representatives would ensure the interests of British communities from the Channel Islands to the South Atlantic receive proper consideration in national policy-making.

Charter cities, special economic zones, or territories acquired through future British global engagement could receive additional representation based on population density and strategic importance. Such elasticity positions the constitutional settlement to accommodate the changing character of British influence in the twenty-first century.

Crucial examples of this are the Falklands war, the Chagos fiasco, the resistance to opening Caribbean registries, and the disaster over Gibraltar. Representatives from these home rule territories would be able to fight their cause directly.

Sidestepping The Trap

The Britannic Parliament transcends rather than reverses devolution, stepping beyond current constitutional debates to offer a genuinely new union. Scottish separatists gain enhanced representation and national recognition without requiring independence or EU membership, while English concerns about proportional influence receive satisfaction through population-weighted representation in a geographically neutral location. Wales achieves constitutional parity with Scotland through its own upper chamber and equal participation in the round-robin ratification process, while Northern Ireland benefits from integration into a stable, unified system which reduces communal tensions through shared British identity.

The proposal neutralises republican sentiment by demonstrating monarchy remains compatible with modern federal arrangements. Unlike the American model, which fragments executive authority across competing institutions, the British system maintains unified executive power under the Crown-in-Parliament while distributing legislative authority across multiple democratic chambers. This arrangement provides both efficiency and legitimacy while preserving the cultural and ceremonial elements which distinguish British governance.

Perhaps most importantly, the system addresses the London bias which has poisoned relationships between the capital and the rest of the country. By symbolically relocating the seat of government to Britain's geographic centre, the proposal signals a fundamental rebalancing of national priorities away from metropolitan interests toward a truly national perspective. Westminster would be preserved for ceremonial purposes, maintaining its historical significance while reducing its practical dominance. The Prime Minister would continue to sit in Downing Street.

A Positive-Sum Game

The proposal's political logic lies in its ability to offer something valuable to every constituency while requiring sacrifices from none which exceed the benefits gained. Current political establishments might resist changes which threaten their authority, but the alternative of continued constitutional fragmentation poses greater long-term risks to everyone involved. Scottish nationalists receive enhanced influence without the economic risks of independence; English MPs gain proportional representation without shouldering blame for dominating smaller nations. Welsh politicians achieve parity with Scotland, while Northern Ireland representatives participate in a stable system which reduces sectarian tensions.

The territorial dimension adds crucial support from constituencies who currently lack meaningful representation: from Jersey to the Falklands, British communities would gain their first direct voice in national governance, creating powerful incentives for supporting the new arrangement. International observers would recognise the proposal as a sophisticated response to federal challenges which strengthens rather than weakens democratic governance.

What Could It Look Like?

Establishing the symbolic geometric centroid of the UK is not an exact science; in fact, you could call it a fool's game. However, one can make a rough guess by mapping the polygon whose points connect the political centres of London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, and Belfast.

Drawing it crudely places it approximately around Liverpool.

The geography of the Britannic Isles is, of course, awkward. Scotland's northern position inherently disadvantages it with this approach, as does Ulster's. However, one must counter-balance England's disproportionate population and economy.

The centroid rectangle encompasses the towns of Crewe, Newport, Stafford, Stoke-on-Trent, and Whitchurch - lying between the massive industrial powerhouses of England: Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, and Sheffield.

The structure itself is an opportunity to redesign for continuity-of-government in the event of a catastrophic biological or nuclear strike. An underground complex would precede architectural development to house and shelter decision-makers in the event of an attack.

As for aesthetics, there's only one choice.

Preserving The Beauty of Westminster

The Palace of Westminster would undergo transformation from seat of government to the ceremonial and cultural heart of the British constitutional system. Rather than becoming merely a tourist attraction, Westminster would assume enhanced significance as the symbolic center of British democracy and global influence.

The palace would serve as the permanent home for state occasions, hosting the State Opening of Parliament ceremony when the monarch addresses the nation at the beginning of each parliamentary session. The House of Lords chamber would be converted into a magnificent venue for the annual Honours Convocation, where representatives from all four nations and seventeen territories would gather to witness the presentation of the highest awards in the British system. This ceremony would become the premier celebration of achievement across the entire realm, rivaling the Nobel Prize ceremony in international prestige.

Westminster Hall would be transformed into the Commonwealth Parliamentary Assembly, hosting annual gatherings of parliamentary representatives from across the Commonwealth realms and republics. This would position London as the democratic capital of the English-speaking world, providing a counterweight to international organisations dominated by other powers. The assembly would offer consultation on global challenges while strengthening ties between British constitutional democracy and its worldwide offspring.

The palace would house the British Diplomatic Institute, training the next generation of ambassadors, consuls, and international negotiators in the grandest setting of British statecraft. Students would learn their craft surrounded by the portraits and artifacts of British diplomatic achievement, creating an institution rivaling the École nationale d'administration in France or the Foreign Service Institute in the United States.

The palace would also become home to the British Institute of Statesmanship, offering fellowships to former prime ministers, cabinet ministers, and senior civil servants who would contribute to policy research and constitutional scholarship. This institution would ensure British governmental experience continues to influence global democratic development while providing elder statesmen with meaningful roles in national life.

Finally, Westminster would host the annual International British Conference, bringing together governors, chief ministers, and premiers from all British territories and dependencies to coordinate policy and strengthen administrative ties. This gathering would demonstrate the British system remains dynamic and globally relevant rather than historically confined.

These functions would transform Westminster from a working parliament into something more significant: the ceremonial and intellectual capital of the British constitutional tradition. The palace would become a pilgrimage destination for democrats worldwide while remaining a living institution rather than a museum.

The Downward Clock Is Ticking

By rebinding the nations through shared governance while devolving upper chambers to preserve national identity, a Britannic Parliament addresses contemporary tensions while strengthening the foundations of British democracy for the next three centuries.

The current moment demands constitutional imagination equal to the challenges facing the union. Incremental adjustments to devolution will not resolve fundamental structural problems which threaten the integrity of the future British state. Only a comprehensive rearrangement which transcends existing mistakes can preserve what has made the United Kingdom successful while adapting it to twenty-first century realities.

The choice before the United Kingdom is not between the status quo and fragmentation, but between managed constitutional evolution and chaotic political breakdown. The Britannic Parliament provides a pathway toward renewal which honours British constitutional tradition while creating institutions capable of governing a modern democracy over different individual countries. The question is not whether change will come, but whether it will serve the cause of union or dissolution.