The argument about Britain in Europe is just the same as the argument about Scotland in Britain

I know some readers have tired of Scotland’s independence debate. That is understandable, even forgivable. It has, after all, been rumbling along for 40 years. There may only be six weeks of campaigning left but these arguments won’t go away. You’ll be hearing them again and again for the next few years at least. This is true even if Scotland does vote Yes next month.

Because the argument about Scotland’s place within the Union is really not very different from the argument about Britain’s place within the European Union. Of course the similarities are not absolute but they are significant enough to be striking. And just as Scottish nationalists have no intention of folding their tents until they prevail, so the Better Off Out brigade will never rest until they heave Britain out of the EU.

Yes voters in Scotland dislike being compared to eurosceptics, chiefly because most supporters of Scottish independence favour remaining within the EU (though a third or more of Scottish voters do not).