Freedom from who?

The reality of the Scottish referendum is gradually beginning to dawn on me, maybe I am a bit slow, but until the last couple of days I just could not accept the possibility of the breakup of my country.   I still find it hard to believe that the Scots will vote for independence, it just feels that the implications for (in no particular order) Defense, Civil Services, Utilities, Finances, Broadcasting etc. etc. are simply too complicated and too expensive.   Blimey, we'll even need to get a new flag!   Yet the gap between the Yes and No sides in the polls seems to be closing, I wonder is this a symptom of the Scottish dislike for the English, or for the English upper class dominated government.

It seems to me to be highly unfair that this referendum is not simply about whether Scotland gets independence from the UK but the breakup of the UK, yet only a small part of this country gets to vote on the matter.   Arguably England would be financially better off without Scotland, but then again London would be better off without the rest of England, should Londoners get a vote on being independent of the rest of the UK?   We would of course hold onto bits of the Home Counties, the Bank of England etc. and be so financially successful that we would have to bus in the cleaners and dustmen from the newly impoverished midlands.   Ridiculous? well too me this seems no more ridiculous than Scotland being a separate nation state to the UK.

Whatever happens things will never be the same again, at the moment Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales all have degree of devolved self government, and all the major parties are promising the Scots that if there is a no vote then there will be even greater autonomy.   This would mean that England, the largest and richest part of the UK is governed solely by the UK Parliament while all other pars have at east a degree of independence.   Even now Scottish Welsh and Northern Irish MPs get to vote on legislation that will only effect England, how long will he English be prepared to put up with this?

I can foresee a gradual slipping into some form of federal Government, while we will continue to share a head of state whatever happens, that may be the only thing that stays the same.

Maybe if nothing else this will be a strong signal to the rest of the World that Britain, the United Kingdom and England are not synonymous.   I am British, I am a Citizen of the United Kingdom, I am English, I am Londoner, I am also European none of these are contradictory, and I hope I will be able to continue to say this.