I am now proposing a joint British-Irish referendum on the reunification of Ireland. The referendum would be held on the British island and Irish island at the same time. If the percentage of pro-unity votes cast on the British island combined with the percentage of pro-unity votes cast on the Irish island is 50 percent or greater, the result would be a vote for reunification.
Let me use a hypothetical case to show how this referendum will work. If the percentage of pro-unity votes is 60 percent on one island and the percentage of pro-unity votes is 40 percent on the other island, the results are merged and divided by two. The result is a 50 percent pro-unity vote for both islands combined and the referendum has passed. Every vote is counted equally by the use of percentage. The British island has a much larger population than the Irish island.
This referendum uses the democratic principle of self-determination and a proportionately weighted vote. This pro-unity referendum result would be binding on the British and Irish governments to negotiate a new Anglo-Irish treaty and the reunification of Ireland. The Irish nation would be reunified with four provincial legislatures under the Irish Dail. This result would be a federal structure of government for Ireland. Ulster will have a degree of autonomy that this area of Ireland had practiced under British rule.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
