"Scotland is no different to any other geographical groupings of constituencies"

Scotland is not just a group of constituencies though. It is a nation within the union. Of course the UK parties are relevant here but the political landscape is totally different so I kind of get what Jim was getting at. As to your comments about haggis republic etc well they do verge towards the offensive side but as the debate within the Scotland itself is largely at least civil then no doubt we can live with someone on the sidelines making childish remarks. Your comments about you and your wife paying for Scotland are again simply not true. As to the Ireland and Iceland remarks then one can also point towards Norway. Ireland doesn't have Scotland's vast natural resources. Not all small countries have failed and not all larger ones are stunning successes - points towards Spain and Italy! As to the Westminster v Holyrood thing then yes theoretically the Westminster govt could wind up the Scottish Parliament tomorrow. Realistically though it is not an option which would be considered. It wasn't within Holyrood's powers to hold a binding referendum. Theoretically the UK govt could have blocked it altogether. Instead they chose to do no more than tinker with the details. Politically it wasn't an option to block it just as it wouldn't be an option to dismantle devolution against the will of the Scottish people.