Identity crisis

We hear that Scottish independence is not about national identity, but about what sort of nation we want to create.

This is wrong: normal political business is about what sort of nation we want to be, and the electorate is pretty lukewarm about it, not even bothering to vote in many cases.

If Scotland becomes independent, a low level of political engagement will probably continue.

Scottish independence is about restricting the circle of those we wish to share our existence with as fellow citizens. It’s about making a division in an existing community of mutual support and cooperation.

Nationalists have striven to sour our relationship to the UK for decades, one manufactured grievance at a time, in order to promote their own exclusive nationalist identity.

They have so besmirched the face of Britain that cutting off the nose seems justified in order to spite it.

Richard Lucas

Broomyknowe

Edinburgh