Here in England, the Scottish Independence debate is very much viewed as a matter for the Scots to decide amongst themselves. Dare I say it, but the general mood I detect in England is one of apathy. And that is a huge mistake … the longer-term consequences for England (in particular) if Scotland goes independent is enormous. That is because the balance of power at Westminster will be substantially altered.
The removal of Scottish constituencies from the Westminster equation will have a dramatic effect. Scotland elects a substantial quota of Labour MP's, and most of the rest hail from parties of the left. The powerbase of the Conservative party is almost exclusively in England. That change alone will greatly enhance the chances of right-of-centre government south of the border going forward. And looking further ahead, if Wales ever fancies following the Scottish precedent another overwhelmingly Labour swathe of constituencies would be removed from the Westminster balance.
Effectively, anybody in England with Conservative leanings should be doing everything possible to encourage Scottish independence, whilst those favouring socialist governance should oppose it at all costs.
It is difficult to pin down direct consequences (beyond likely APD adjustments) at the aviation level. However, a long term scenario in which Scotland is Labour / SNP and the rest are Conservative will certainly lead to friction and greater divergence in the years ahead. Indeed, this may be why the debate over sharing the pound requires such scrutiny. A left wing government and a right wing government sharing a currency union is a surefire recipe for financial instability. Fiat currencies require confidence on a global scale.
Those in the rest of the union need to pay careful attention to this debate too. The consequences will not affect Scotland alone.