I disagree with Randolph Murray (Confederation is the way forward for Scotland, Letters, October 4). The confederation of the British Isles he suggests requires a UK-wide referendum to ratify a highly unlikely reorganisation of the constitutional arrangements of these islands that the English have no appetite for.

In the short term, a quasi-federal solution is possible – by assigning revenues raised in Scotland directly to Holyrood, equal to the value of the block grant. By replacing the block grant with revenues raised in Scotland the Barnett Formula would become redundant, English votes for English laws would be realised fairly, and the West Lothian Question resolved.

In practice, this would mean assigning all VAT, national insurance contributions and non-North Sea corporation tax revenues raised in Scotland to Holyrood, alongside the putative income tax powers from Smith. These revenues would pay for the current block grant expenditure and the additional £3bn of welfare expenditure powers coming to Holyrood via Smith – about £32.5bn in total.

In this way, Scots MPs would cease to vote on matters that are already devolved, since there would be no Barnett consequentials from changes to English health policy, for example. Scots MPs would, however, retain the right to debate and vote on reserved matters such as defence, foreign and home affairs and, of course, the budget.

Longer-term, I expect Indyref2 after Scots have seen the new powers (or lack thereof) in action for a couple of parliaments, and when we have an appetite for more. With referenda in 1979, 1997 and 2014, I expect 2030 (as the next number in that sequence), to be the year of Indyref2.

Ross Auld

Edinburgh