20 september 2014, aye, but

The incredible 85% turnout for the scottish referendum shows vividly that even in our increasingly cynical, mass media celebrity, short-termist, brittle culture, if voting matters, people will do it. Perhaps democracy is not petering out after all. That 45% of the scottish people voted to become an independent country is remarkable; that it wasn't the talk of the day after was more remarkable still. Much of the momentem the "ayes" had in scotland was built on decades of neglect and patronising from the london-based system, whose media in the last weeks has virtually migrated to scotland, saturating and showcasing the country to britain and the world. Yet, within hours of the vote being called, all the talk was of england, a rocket launched on the steps of downing street by david cameron, who said now was the time "millions of voices of england must be heard". Devolution for scotland was suddenly yoked "in tandem with, and at the same pace as a settlement for scotland". The airwaves duly hummed with welsh nationalists, the thinly disguised english nationalists of ukip and our very own jim o'neill and his cities commission, singing my own song of city devolution, led of course by manchester - devo manc. Just about everything was on the media menu, apart from scotland. And europe, as scotland staying in this little union does at least help a smidgeon with our chances of staying in the bigger one. Aye; it was fun while it lasted.