To understand why Scotland might soon vote for independence one has only to listen to the way the English talk about the 307-year-old union at the heart of the United Kingdom. The dominant strand of English opinion says that Scotland would drown in the attempt to go it alone. Instead of seeking separation, Scotland should count its blessings for England’s unbounded generosity.

Eight months ahead of a referendum that could presage the break-up of the UK, opinion polls say most Scots may indeed decide to play it safe. The headline figures suggest only a third are committed to independence. Closer examination of public sentiment, however, indicates that among those who say they are certain to vote in September about 40 per cent back independence; and the trend has been in the direction of the nationalists.

Tune in from Edinburgh or Glasgow to the conversation in London and it is not difficult to see why Alex Salmond, Scotland’s first minister and leader of the Scottish National party, still hopes to lead his country to independence. From the Labour left to the Conservative right, self-proclaimed English unionists hum the same insulting tune: outside the union Scotland’s future would be one of impoverished irrelevance.