Whatever the outcome of the Scottish referendum, there is coming to the surface a phenomenon not seen since the end of world war two; English nationalism. Somehow England, as the predominant part of Great Britain, subsumed its identity into Britishness. Welsh and Scots remained so and also British. The Ulster protestants were a law unto themselves and Ireland had already broken away. It was as if England was like large people, conscious of their relative size to those around them, who are unassuming and shy. Whilst the Scottish referendum has awakened in the Scots a huge sense of Scottishness and political awareness, whatever the outcome, so it has awakened something in England.
In many ways this is a good thing, because if it happens that Scotland votes YES, England will have taken already the first subconscious steps to become again what it has not been since the days of Elizabeth I. For it was on her death that the Crowns were united and in those days that meant the governments also. But if Scotland votes NO it will find politics south of the border have changed. Instead of the usual mix of political ideologies, it will be confronted with a new mix in which English assertiveness will count for much more than it ever did before. Whether Salmond finds himself negotiating for an independent Scotland in a currency union, or devo- max, having failed in his primary objective, what England is willing to agree to will trump what Scotland wants.