Yet another enlarged Dominion-survival topic from me in the vein of 'Bigger South Africa'. 
Although I know very well that the West Indian islands and mainland nations have always had local nationalisms, the CARICOM's projects of common passports, single market, and if I remember right a single currency is really making me feel like it's an expanded WIF in all but name...
...so what would it take to make the WIF stronger, maybe take in Belize, Guyana, and even the Bahamas like the political parties wanted at the time? It sounds like the unusually weak federalization scheme killed it before it even got off the ground and Jamaica's displeasure at carrying most of the weight being the second, immediant problem I would assume to fix it we must:
A) Having even a bit stronger federal structure will placate many islander nationalisms and offset Jamaica's large contribution...and with a stronger government from the get-go the Federation can handle whatever comes next, and
B) ensuring the independence bit WILL happen with a much sooner timetable than five years to placate Jamaica, and
C) perhaps getting Guyana and Belize to join from the get-go (apparently Guyana was interested in a re-structured WIF proposed in 1971, and it alongside Belize and Jamaica joined Barbados in the 1973 CFTA, quickly followed by the other BWI islands), which in turn would balance Jamaica out as big-boy of the WIF.
And so even if it's shaky for a bit yet, I assume we can gaurentee the WIF surviving with those three (rather minor, IMO) POD's and maybe making the CARICOM developments be 'parallel' butterfly actions in the survivng WIF's history (IE the CTFA is done in their world as a constitutional convention or act of the WIF's Parliament itself as a way to fix up the WIF's multiple customs unions and economic confusion sooner, etc...). And so the whole WIF/Anglophone Caribbean region is not just united in a single state in the present day, but hopefully a bit better off too as a common market.
Thoughts and suggestions are highly appreciated, since I find the Caribbean very interesting.
Although I know very well that the West Indian islands and mainland nations have always had local nationalisms, the CARICOM's projects of common passports, single market, and if I remember right a single currency is really making me feel like it's an expanded WIF in all but name...
...so what would it take to make the WIF stronger, maybe take in Belize, Guyana, and even the Bahamas like the political parties wanted at the time? It sounds like the unusually weak federalization scheme killed it before it even got off the ground and Jamaica's displeasure at carrying most of the weight being the second, immediant problem I would assume to fix it we must:
A) Having even a bit stronger federal structure will placate many islander nationalisms and offset Jamaica's large contribution...and with a stronger government from the get-go the Federation can handle whatever comes next, and
B) ensuring the independence bit WILL happen with a much sooner timetable than five years to placate Jamaica, and
C) perhaps getting Guyana and Belize to join from the get-go (apparently Guyana was interested in a re-structured WIF proposed in 1971, and it alongside Belize and Jamaica joined Barbados in the 1973 CFTA, quickly followed by the other BWI islands), which in turn would balance Jamaica out as big-boy of the WIF.
And so even if it's shaky for a bit yet, I assume we can gaurentee the WIF surviving with those three (rather minor, IMO) POD's and maybe making the CARICOM developments be 'parallel' butterfly actions in the survivng WIF's history (IE the CTFA is done in their world as a constitutional convention or act of the WIF's Parliament itself as a way to fix up the WIF's multiple customs unions and economic confusion sooner, etc...). And so the whole WIF/Anglophone Caribbean region is not just united in a single state in the present day, but hopefully a bit better off too as a common market.
Thoughts and suggestions are highly appreciated, since I find the Caribbean very interesting.