Things can only get fried in batter Alex Salmond came up with a line recently to placate wavering Scottish Labour voters. If Scotland left the union it would not have to be for ever and Scotland could rejoin it if they wanted.

Who says that we would want the Scots back! I'm agnostic on the union. If the Scots want to have their own separate country I don't think we should start a civil war over it. They can go if they want to. You would hope that we could do a deal over the votes in Eurovision if the Scots could get over their paranoia that the english are holding them back.

I find the Scots Nats position incredible. It is predicated on the assumption that the English would roll over and want to get their tummy tickled like some labdrador gratfull at the return of its master. No doubt they would be whining for the return of their present subsidy junkie financial settlement.

If they want to stay fine. If they want to go fine. If they want to waltz in and out like it's strictly come dancing they can get lost. Then comes the divying up of the assets. The Scots should remember that it is British oil and the that Scotland is only a small part of Britain so I find it bizarre in the extreme that they should expect to get all the oil revenues.

The Scots get a remarkably good deal in the union. They get the rest of us to pay for public services which are more lavishly funded than for the rest of them. If you look at the coverage of the elections on thursday most of it is about Scotland when most people will be voting in england and wales. If they want to give that up fine but let them be under no illusion that they are going to get that deal back.  ¶ 11:54 am