Would a confederation work for the Scots and Irish?

With the latest opinion polls showing independence for Scotland becoming a very possibility, would it be an appropriate time to suggest a radical new proposal for the governance of the western flank of these islands?

It is a proposal that, if endorsed by the governments of the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland, might finally bring about the true reconciliation of the political, religious, cultural and industrial traditions of our 12 million strong people.

The proposal for the setting up a confederation (or even a more formal federation) of the three political entities is not rooted in some misty-eyed dream of a ‘celtic’ counterbalance to the political dominance of England within what was, in former times United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland but, rather, it is a practical suggestion on how best to secure long-term peace and prosperity on the north-west fringe of the European Union in a post-independence scenario.