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Scottish nationalism isn’t about how bad Westminster is; it’s about how good Holyrood is

The rest of the UK's reaction to Scottish nationalism is one that shows the independence debate is more tied to Holyrood's success than to how bad Westminster is.

By Gary Hayes

There is a broad range of reactions to Scottish nationalism in the rest of the UK. A lot expressing negativity, shock or indignation. There is also a surprising lack of familiarity with the history and reasons for it.

The predominant reactions in England seem to be “what have we done?”, “what don’t they like about us?” and “please stay with us, we really like you”. As touching and maternalistic as it seems, the reaction in Scotland to this is often “why do they always think it is about them?” In some ways it is, but not in the way most English think. In most cases it has nothing to do with England or English people (or Welsh or Northern Irish).

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