SCOTLAND! It’s a prickly subject, ‘a thorn in our side’ — a thistle!

To go or not to go, that certainly is a question that affects us all, and not just those north of the border.

I suppose I should have a strong leaning to Scotland as my mother was born in Rutherglen near Glasgow, but no, I’m English, and very proud of it.

So what do I think about the parting of the ways?

Well, I’m against it, not because of any great love of Scotland.

But because I am a believer in Great Britain, and to break that unity which gives both countries a great strength would be foolish.

Mind you, financially, we here in England would be better off, but would Scotland? I think not.

Amongst other things, they would have no National Health Service, would lose the monies and grants we so generously allow them and they wouldn’t have the backing of sterling.

But I am just a little afraid of a referendum taking place without the Scottish population having had a full debate and had all the facts and disadvantages put before them.

Funny thing the United Kingdom.

For we are a conglomerate of very different peoples, often with a different approach to life and its problems and, in the past, I think that sometimes there has been a feeling almost of hostility But that is all long gone.

The main thing to major on now is our solidarity, so that our four small united nations, can keep our place on the world stage.

Strange isn’t it, though, that we English have no national costume.

Being English I, of course, assume it’s because we are so universally known and respected we don’t need one, whereas other countries seem to have the need to reinforce their characteristics by a ‘uniform’.

We should forget the old music hall jokes ‘There was once an English, an Irish, a Scotsman and a Welsh man, and say ‘there is now Great Briton’.

By the way, I have heard on the grapevine that our council has no plans to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee.

Someone, please tell me this is not the case.