Scotland is a small country that shares a state with a far bigger one. This is an untidy but, over the centuries, successful relationship. I would be very sad to see it end. Inside the union, the Scots have played a huge role, from the enlightenment to today. England would be vastly worse without them.

Yet, whether I like it or not, Scottish independence is on the agenda. I would make just two points on the process. First, any referendum decision must stand for a generation. Prolonged uncertainty would be costly, above all to the Scots. That is one lesson from the protracted debate over Quebec’s future inside Canada. Second, any referendum should be over a choice between sovereign independence and remaining inside the union. The precise terms of Scotland’s position inside the union is another matter.

If the focus is on independence, the experience of the crisis should transform the debate. This has demonstrated that the results of independence are more complex and perilous than we used to think. This is not to argue that it is infeasible, but that it has implications barely considered even a few years ago.