As someone who lives here, I have to think with my brain, not just go with my heart. I can tell you that there is a HUGE difference between any remaining grudg

As someone who lives here, I have to think with my brain, not just go with my heart. I can tell you that there is a HUGE difference between any remaining grudges the Irish may have against the English - and, honestly, in my experience, the Irish and the English get on terrifically well - and the extremely dark feelings that most Scottish people harbour. This feeling of oppression, and the self-loathing that accompanies it, seeps into every aspect of life. When working in the startup scene in Scotland, I was always taken aback, on visits home, by the relative positivity and optimism of the Irish startup scene. Many Scottish point to the Irish crash as an example of why independence is a terrible idea but, seriously, even after the crash, there was more energy in Ireland than there ever was in Scotland. This is a country in permanent depression. The natural progression of what you are saying is that Ireland should have remained in the United Kingdom because, after all, they would still be EU members.