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Avoiding the obligatory crack at Bush - no one is more susceptible to groupthink than an "independent" academic - the author raises a couple of hopeful points. He neglects to mention that another advantage of smaller nations is that they tend to be more ethnically and culturally homogeneous, a thing that is the more quickly threatened for all that by ill-informed immigration policy.

There are downsides to Scotland's prospects as well, not the least of which are what appears to this outsider as a shocking lack of actual planning for success on the part of the separatists and failure on the part of the unionists. If at this late date all any of these can speak about is what "might" happen there is very little room for an informed vote. Forming a newly separate country is not really a time for winging it.

Scotland has, to be sure, enough natural resources to provide a cushion provided they are not squandered in the name of ideology as they have been in Venezuela. Were it not for the EU and the Euro one might suspect this to be the day of the Scottish Pound; that will be one of the first things that will need to be worked out in the event of a separatist victory. One hopes that somebody in a position to do something about it has thought the matter through.

Either way it works out, my best to both parties. It is always awkward watching friends orbit around a divorce.

He neglects to mention that another advantage of smaller nations is that they tend to be more ethnically and culturally homogeneous, a thing that is the more quickly threatened for all that by ill-informed immigration policy.

A very astute point.

another advantage of smaller nations is that they tend to be more ethnically and culturally homogeneous, a thing that is the more quickly threatened for all that by ill-informed immigration policy.

Two important points in one. They can quickly commit suicide by ill-considered immigration policy. Independence doesn't mean much if they are still ruled by non-scots.

A dynamic economy will usually need to allow fairly free movement of people and money. But they must be clear with themselves that they are a small country and opening themselves to people who will never assimilate culturally defeats the very purpose of independence.

The lack of planning by Scots? Yeah, that’s like trying to find sheep up there.

The Tories need to pull out everything if separation passes. You want out? You’re out. Alas, that isn’t the usual way with the UK — Rhodesia threw out the British rule, and the UK led the fight to crush Rhodesia and usher in the Zimbabwe fiasco, because Rhodesia had not left the right way.