Chris

Indeed - it’s a powerful argument for some. Having lived here almost two decades it’s one I understand and (to an extent) buy into. When I visit England now it does at times feel (almost) foreign.

However I don’t think it’s a catch-all that trumps everything. In the case of the EU it’s not credible to claim the UK resigning membership is an economic calamity. We were a net contributor to the organisation and we are a major global economy more than able to make our own way in the world even if there are short term issues while we adjust.

In the case of Scotland vis a vis the UK, how patriotic is it really, to insist that Scottish sovereignty trumps all, in the face of the hard numbers published annually by the Scottish government itself that prove beyond doubt that removing Scotland from the UK would mandate savage reductions in state services?