Kevin, I was not referring to the SNP or indeed Plaid Cumry or any other specific party, neither did I want to implicate them indirectly. I just wanted to make the point that one could be complacent, thinking the worst atrocities couldn't happen in the UK in the name of petty nationalism. The Yugoslavs too thought they were living in a civilised country, after all.

If such a thing ever transpires for the UK - and I fervently hope it will not - it will be despite the advice of such parties, not at their instigation (with BNP the sole possible exception in this). Incipient xenophobia, racism and other such traits can simply coagulate around whatever handy organisations exist at the time (in Byzantium, the Iconoclasts and their opponents formed around two competing sports teams to wreak their havoc, for chrissake!).

Last weekend my daughter was visiting an old schoolmate studying in Bangor. She heard amazing stories of persistent unprovoked violence by local youths against students and outsiders generally. Sure, some of it is the old "town v gown" syndrome; but much of it goes well beyond. How hard would it be to marshal such feelings into something really ugly? Not very, I suspect.