"Nationalism is an issue in many countries" You're probably going to baulk at this but your own views show "to me anyway" a rather strong nationalist stance towards the current British state. And it is a form of nationalism which seems to seek to deny other peoples (ie as in national peoples) the basic right of self determination. You seem to suggest that the current national borders are somehow inviolate whatever the wishes of the peoples within these borders may be. Also I'm sorry but that the idea that the wishes of a minority nation within a wider union to self determine their future path should be ignored in case it affects the majority nation within the said union smacks of colonialism. And it is totally out of kilter with both general Scottish opinion, as well as the UK govt's stance, and I imagine the vast bulk of English opinion too.

Obviously the UK govt wants to maintain the current UK. National states don't tend to like seeing great chunks of their territory depart. However I don't see what option they had other than to allow the referendum and argue their point! Had they denied the Scots the right to determine their future then it would only have greatly bolstered the nationalist cause within Scotland and would have made Scottish independence a more likely outcome.