Dear George, here's how to get your parliament

OK, first off: I'm Scots, and a nationalist voter, and have been since 1979. I'm not, however, a nationalist because I believe in some notion of 'pure Scottish ethnicity', or other rubbish. Scotland has been a mongrel nation since the day Kenneth McAlpin united the Scots and the Picts, and has become more mongrel as it expanded into Welsh, Anglian and Norn territory, and as it assimilated successive waves of immigration.

No, I'm a nationalist primarily because I'm persuaded by Johan Galtung's thesis of social entropy - that more, smaller social units with more complex relationships between them have on balance less damaging conflicts than fewer, more powerful units. Specifically, an independent Scotland will not be able to afford a 'nuclear deterrent', and would not be able to project force in irresponsible and illegal invasions of distant countries. Scotland's size - like Norway's - will inevitably make it a good international citizen - or at least a better one than the United Kingdom.

So what does this have to do with an English parliament, within the United Kingdom? This: it won't happen. Why not? Well, that's the other reason for wanting Scotland to be independent. For the past half century Scotland has consistently voted left of centre; England has consistently voted right of centre. When we have independence, the English will never again be able to impose Maggie Thatcher on us - and we will never again be able to impose Brown on them. Brown - and Labour - knows this. They know that an English parliament will be held by parties to the right of theirs (surprisingly, this is possible) for the foreseeable future. So Labour won't support an English parliament.

Meantime, the Conservative party is still the party of the union. It seeks to reign back the aspirations of the smaller nations, to reassert the dominance of the 'mother' of parliaments. And it still sees itself as the 'natural' party of government, within the United Kingdom. So it will never support an English Parliament.

But Scotland's independence is also, in a sense, England's independence. Scotland's independence will profoundly shake the fabric of the United Kingdom. Will Northern Ireland unionists (No Surrendor!) wish to remain a satrapy of England, or will they they find a united Ireland a more comfortable home? How will Wales respond?

Remember, none of the constituent nations of the United Kingdom is a 'small nation' in world terms; that's just a lie propagated by unionist hegemonism. Scotland is exactly median sized. Neither Wales nor even Northern Ireland would fall within the smallest 25% nations, if independent. England, on its own, is among the 25% largest nations in the world. So there's no rational reason to believe that Wales - or Northern Ireland - could not 'go it alone'.

George - and all good people of England, too - if you want to see your English parliament (as I do), your solution is simple. Support the Scottish National Party. We're the only ones who will get it for you.