d55:-
devolve all bar Defence and Foreign Policy. Most in Scotland would run with that even those like me who would have preferred we never started down this road in the first place.
I'm with you there draken, but the law of unforeseen consequences kicks in yet again and there's no going back now, is there? So a confident and empowered Scottish Parliament, knowing that 45% voted for full independence anyway, isn't happy with the UK Government offering the UK population a referendum about leaving the EU. It passes a motion decrying the move and the Scottish Government begins a campaign to oppose it. It can't? Just wait and see... The Scottish Parliament similarly votes against the UK finally agreeing to US pressure to bomb IS in Iraq. It can't? Just wait and see...
I can't see any of this working other than to play into the hands of the YES campaign. You can't be half independent, you are or you aren't, and almost half the Scottish voting population wants 'you are'. Similarly the much talked of balancing act in England, of Regional Assemblies, will have the effect of emasculating the UK Government's authority, producing clones of Derek Hatton's Liverpool Council to produce anarchy throughout the land. Great stuff if you are an Anarchist of course, but bad news for we boring old farts wanting stability.
The Scottish Referendum was the first round of a game of Russian Roulette with the pistol held permanently to the UK's temple. The only way we can prevent it eventually going off is to give them what they want beforehand, ie full independence, either directly or as a consequence of seizing it for England first. Unforeseen consequences...