Let’s not fear the F-word or the C-word: we should move to a federal Britain in a confederal Europe | Timothy Garton Ash

An all-British referendum must settle the powers we want at every level, from Brussels to local councils

It’s a pity that FKB sounds like one of Vladimir Putin’s secret services, because the Federal Kingdom of Britain is what the British now need. Otherwise, the United Kingdom will become an Untied Kingdom. To achieve this federal solution, we must create across the whole of Britain what Scotland has just magnificently rehearsed for us: a democratic, constitutional moment. It is insulting to the peoples of England, Wales and Northern Ireland to suggest, as David Cameron has done, that this can be achieved in a few months.

The honouring of specific promises made by British political leaders to the Scots, including that tight timetable, must therefore be separated from a constitutional convention for the whole country. This convention should bring its proposals to an all-British referendum before the end of the next parliament. What is more, this constitutional settlement must address the question of what is done at the European level, as well as at the British (federal), national (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) and lower levels of government. In short, what we need is a coherent, carefully crafted, popularly deliberated and democratically decided proposal for a federal Britain in a confederal Europe.

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