nocutstoRAF -
That's an interesting point and not one I've thought about but I suppose from a Scottish perspective it's not that we might or might not be subsidising any other part of the UK, it's the annoyance that for decades we were told by successive Westminster governments the Scottish economy was nothing more than an economic basket case when the reality is somewhat different. Successive governments in the 1970's even refused to allow publication of any report that showed Scotland was financially self sufficient.
McCrone report - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
As for the comments made to you, you get imbeciles no matter where you go unfortunately, Sam on this thread is typical of comments I'm getting more of when i travel south, so it can work both ways and I'm getting a little tired of being called a sponging Jock
But that's not an excuse for your own experience and certainly not one I'd condone and i'm sure the majority of Scots wouldn't either.