I haven't said anything here about the Scottish referendum before now, partly because--being unable to vote--I wasn't following it closely. But I did have an opinion, namely being pro-Union, and so was glad to see today that the Scottish public agreed. With over 80% voting, it was a striking demonstration of democracy, and a sign that the British public are still motivated to vote when a serious choice is presented.
Despite the fairly large margin in the end, with the No vote winning by over 10%, there's still a lot to take away from the vote. Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond called for national unity in the aftermath. He was talking about Scottish national unity, of course, representing that the Scots are far from one mind on such a basic question. But as a pro-Union Brit, I think that his comments extend beyond that. It is clear that, if Britain is to continue, we must somehow forge a British identity that is comfortable for all Brits. I just wish I knew how we could do that.
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