Freeeeeeeeeeeeeeedoommm! – the last roar from a dying Mel Gibson, in that film which no doubt will be become even more quoted should a certain Celtic Nation decide to leave a so-called United Kingdom.

The panic that has broken out amongst most of the established commentariat since a single poll suggested that the Yes side might actually win has been most amusing to watch. I should of course feel very guilty about the delight I have in observing my neighbours discomfiture, but I’m not. After all, its none of my business really, and as a member of a State that has obviously failed and is being kept alive by bailouts from the boys in Brussells, I have some cheek to even comment on the constitutional status of Great Britain, Britannia, Scepter-ed Isle, et cetera, (Elgar playing in the background – you get the drift).

Firstly – I like Britain, I love and share their language, their history – fascinating, their bull dog tenacity – admirable, their inventiveness  – breathtaking, their commitment to independence – courageous. I could go on and on but I really mean it. As an Irishman I am irretrievably shaped by my relationship and view of Britain, or the collection of nations that are England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.  However I also acknowledge the “difficulty” of our past relationship. My States previous history as a member of the United Kingdom was, let us just say, – not a joyful experience for either party. But thankfully, in more recent times a more appreciating and genuine closeness has been achieved in anglo-irish relations. So much so, dare I say it, that I do not in the least feel guilty or worried about expressing my support for Scotlands efforts to become Independent.

Britain has always been consistent in its ever changing Constitutional foundation – and that’s without a written one! To paraphrase another scholar speaking about another Country – Britain is an exercise in Freedom, but it is a work in constant progress. It is to Britains great credit that the belief in freedom is so strong that her national character if there is one is really a constant debate on the nature and limits of freedom. However an established and secretive State and Economic apparatus has become in my view far too powerful in both of our Islands and the global economy generally. The sage and wise heads that dine together in fine rooms who are aghast at the possibility of Scottish Independence are the very reason that Scotlands grasp at freedom would actually be as big an opportunity for England, Wales and Ireland as it would for the Scots.

Personally, and as a firm believer in republican forms of Government, I have always had a soft spot for a federal relationship between these islands, with an empowerment of communities both urban and rural, and a polity that sees the citizen as centre. I not holding my breadth however…

Well, for whats it worth – fair play to Scotland and to Britain for keeping the idea of freedom – relevant and important. Whatever the result, the tenacity of even asking the question – is quintessentially and ironically – British!