Scottish identity

Further to my piece on Glenrothes yesterday, a Scottish friend writes:
'I find the identity question perplexing. In my lifetime Scotland in some senses has become much less distinct - disappearance of Sunday observance and the erosion of influence of Church of Scotland. People follow the English Premiership as they do everywhere else. The Scottish editions of London newspapers grow all the time. Now the banks are eroding and yet just at the point that everyday life is becoming less Scottish many feel more Scottish.'

Of course, it is just when an identity is threatened that people cling to it more strongly and try to re-define and reinforce it. In an era of greater global interdependence, more specific identities can provide something of a security blanket.