Scotland will never be the same no matter what the result of poll

THE UK looks finished, from where I’m sitting. It’s true my view is a little bit obstructed right now, after a “Yes Scotland” rally in Glasgow’s George’s Square. But no matter how the people of Scotland vote today, I believe the joyous euphoria released by the “Yes, Scotland” campaign means the days of the UK are numbered.

Nationhood doesn’t matter anymore, does it? Tell that to a Scot standing in George’s Square. And put a sock in it the next time Ireland plays a rugby match against England. Of course nationhood matters. Nationhood matters because nationhood is identity, community and kinship.

It is clear that the “nation state” as we understood it, as an utterly sovereign entity, is over — if it ever existed. But statehood within the context of wider groupings and allegiances is not over. In fact you can argue that the small state working within a big multi-lateral confederation, such as the EU, is the way of the future.