Another modest proposal

 This blog is already on record supporting the accession of Jamaica to the United Kingdom in lieu of reparations for slavery. Sadly, that does not seem to be in the cards.

But should the United Kingdom decide to secede from the European Union, then an obvious opportunity presents itself: once Scotland goes its merry way, join Canada! No worries about American gun laws or presidentialism, surely the NHS can be integrated into the Canada Health Act. The Act, in fact, already allows provinces to opt out, although doing so would place an undue burden on the taxpayers of the provinces of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. (Call them the PEWNI, pronounced as spelled.)

Someone should calculate the fiscal burdens! I am not sure what they would be, but a back-of-the-envelop calculation should be pretty easy. First, figure out what teh PEWNI would pay into the federal fisc. Then assume it cuts provincial taxes by the same amount. Use that figure to calculate the transfer payments it would be due under equalization and add an estimate of its social and health transfer receipts. (Canadian federalism is so simple compared to its American counterpart!) Voila!

For additional benefit, calculate savings from economies of scale. I mean, come on, you could generate massive savings from combining the two militaries alone! 

Now think of the benefits for the PEWNI! First, your home market just grew by 36 million people! Yes, that is a lot less than the population of the European Union, but the economic union will be a lot closer. Second, you are now in NAFTA! No new negotiations, no wrestling with Congress, just poof, you’re in. , Third, you get into the Canada-E.U. trade agreement, also with no need to negotiate. Finally, you get to keep your own flags and adopt a very cool national banner! 

But won’t the English take over the Canadian Confederation? They will have more than half the population of the expanded country!

As it turns out, no. The drafters of the Canadian constitution were wise. First, no province can have fewer MPs than it has senators. Second, no province can have fewer seats than it had in 1985. Third, no province can lose more than 15% of its seats in any given redistribution. Add those together, and the Province of England will have only 36% of the seats in an expanded 543-seat House of Commons, no more than Ontario has today! 

Obviously, England will get 24 senators, same as Quebec. Or less. What the hell. Less.

So all good! England, you should jump at this.

As for Canada, well, there are myriad multiple many benefits. Since those benefits are so obvious, I am sure that readers will be happy to list them in the very long comment thread that I expect to follow.

Bueller?

Comments

[J.H.]

This was a very thought provoking and amusing proposal.

Actually, you missed a benefit for the PEWNI:

- travel to the United States will become easier as Canadians are actually visa-exempt while citizens of the UK are not required to get a visa under the visa waiver programme. So they can then join the lines for US/Canadian citizens instead of the line used by the Europeans and Aussies.

As for the benefits for Canada, well they would more than double the size of their home market at the stroke of pen. They can then do away with the Governor-General as an office since the Queen would now be in the same country. Canada might also inherit the UK's UN Security Council seat and nuclear arsenal.

Hmmm...actually this would bring a whole new meaning to repatriating the Constitution....

[Matt McIrvin]

I recall that there's been some interest in the Turks and Caicos Islands forming some sort of union with Canada. I suppose this would be one way of getting them.

[Will Baird]

Only if William Windsor can resist the syren call of being POTUS. The dark side calls...;)

[Randy McDonald]

Why would we want the UK? Honestly, I want to keep the British Tories as far away from me as possible.

Would you want Boris Johnson in a position to run your country? I thought you liked us, Noel!

[Noel Maurer]

Hahahahahah!

From the perspective of the world, would I want Boris Johnson in command of a federal nation with strong checks-and-balances and a heavily immigrant population or Boris Johnson in command of Little England with nuclear weapons?

So you must sacrifice, and annex England. For the good of Earth, Randy, the good of Earth. We'd take 'em, but you know. Guns, health care, and small-r republicanism.

You know, I might waste some time on this.

[Yildo]

> I mean, come on, you could generate massive savings from combining the two militaries alone!

Are we allowed to save money on the military? NATO's always on Canada's case for spending less than 2% of our GDP on the military.

[JKR]

Does this mean that all Canadians will have to learn Welsh and French in school?

[Dave K.]

Do the centrifugal forces of nationality and democracy not exist in this imagined world?

Otherwise why join together something likely to be costly to unify and then later costly to split apart?

[Logan]

I don't want that British mad cow getting into the US through NAFTA!

[Randy McDonald]

The US can just stop supporting Trident. Problem solved!

Wouldn't that be capable than giving those Little Englanders access to the resources of a country nuclear-capable since 1946 or so?

Also, mad cow. You do not want mad cow.

[Amma]

Make the Queen happy. Let Jamaica join.

[Matt McIrvin]

Brexit is apparently leading way ahead of the polls. People already predicting this means a Trump landslide in the fall.

[Matt McIrvin]

(Which is kind of dumb--the analogue to Brexit would be some much more canny politician playing Trump's white-nationalist shtick, to a population considerably whiter than the US.)