No shots will be fired, the only blood that will be spilled is metaphorical, so for those who like history, political science and speculating on the role of government it is interesting (and physically safe) to look closely at the drive for Scottish independence.

Simon Jenkins, a man who sits at the top table of Britain's establishment despite his Celtic origins, has some very interesting ideas in his Guardian column:

"Britain went to war to break up the Yugoslav union," he chides those who fear Scottish independence.  "Many Britons yearn for the break-up of the European one. Why do they fight to sustain the United Kingdom as it manifestly crumbles?"

In the first stage of a game of call my bluff, David Cameron announced yesterday that a referendum on Scottish independence should be held within 18 months.

The Scottish National Party took over Scotland's devolved parliament after winning a sizeable majority in the elections of May 2010. The main plank in the party's platform was its pledge to offer Scots a referendum on whether to remain in the United Kingdom. 

SNP leader Alex Salmond wanted to hold that referendum in 2014 on the 700th anniversary of Robert the Bruce's victory over the English at the Battle of Bannockburn - they are obsessed by history everywhere on this island.