I recently read that the Scottish Nationalist Party are planning to hold a referendum in 2014 on the proposed secession of Scotland from the United Kingdom. The reason they have chosen 2014 is that this is a big year for the Scots being the 700th anniversary of  their victory over the wicked English at the battle of Bannockburn.
It is thought, probably accurately, that nationalistic feelings will be running high and there will be more chance of success for the Nationalists. Fair enough, I don’t suppose it would have made much sense holding the referendum on the anniversary of  defeats such as Neville’s Cross or Flodden Field! Actually, it does provide food for thought though and maybe we should follow their example and hold our own referendum on Europe on the anniversary of the battle of  Waterloo!

One further thought occurs to me about a Scottish referendum. What if the Nationalists are successful and they break away from the union? In the absence of the English who on earth are they going to blame for all their future problems?

In all seriousness, the possibility of the break up of the United Kingdom is not a pleasant one. England formally united with Scotland in 1707 and together with the Welsh and Irish they created one of the largest and most influential empires the world has ever seen. England may well have been the most populous member of the union and the senior partner but nobody can possibly deny the huge input of the Scots, Welsh and Irish in the building of that empire. It was a British Empire not an English one and it could not have been built by the English alone. The British flag, the Union Flag (Jack) is one of the most beautiful and recognizable flags in the world and it represents so much of what is good and great about these Isles. It would be sad if 2014 saw its destruction.