This is already an issue at the next UK election. The Tories are likely to win a big majority in England, but have a small majority or hung parliament, due to Scots over-weighting, which is unsustainable as their MPs have the right to vote on English and Welsh laws.

Richard, London, England

Can anyone take the Labour(ious) party seriously after all the scandal, muddle, fiddle, & bumble.

Hmm - Bendy Wendy Alexander, Gordon Brown...or Nicola Sturgeon & Alex?

Nnnnope, no contest. Independence cannot come soon enough, away from the Westmincester sleaze.

Labour..how low can you go

Richard Taylor, Aberdeen,

Please read the SNP manifesto before entering the debate,
Their declared intention was to show the Scottish people that they were a capable government ,then , in 2010 they would put forward their bill on independence.
Seems reasonable , don't you think ?
Labour is NOT in power in Scotland.

Disgruntled Dorothy, Glasgow, Scotland

I would start negotiating now with the Scots over oil (it's not all theirs) and the national debt and the other matters needing to be sorted out.
A "yes" vote (PLEASE!) will instantly give England a foreign PM, whom we can deport, along with Darling and the other Scots idiots in charge down here.

Dave, Slough,

Time for the PUBLIC to have their say.
The English/Scotish/Welsh AND Northern Irish all.

But can we have it in a friendly AND honest fashion please?

Ben Moss, London, England

What are the choices left for Scotland?

1) Vote Tory at next election? That's not going to happen.

2) Vote New Labour and help them to victory? Nope.

3) Continue to increase SNP vote and ask for increased powers/independence? Yes.

This train has one destination: Independence.

joe, Berwickshire, Scotland

The Thunderer has spoken loudly and clearly ...and not a soul in Scotland was listening. Now did you hear that?

JohnMcDonald, London,

While we're at it, UDI for Wessex! Wessex out of the EU!
THEN, Wiltshire can call for its own independence, and then you can all bog off. Bring it on.

On behalf of the WNP (Wiltshire Nationalist Party), PPC for the parochial Yokel-sub-Normal ward,

Mike L, Chippenham, Wilts

The sight of Scots publicly debating what they thought of their ties with the English might not be that attractive south of the Border."

I have to admit that the sight of the sassenachs doing the same thing vis a vis their ties with the Scots , have not exactly filled me with brotherly love either!

John Banks, Dumfries,

"in which case Ms Alexander could not carry on with any plausibility"

She had little to start with as she did not face an internal election, burned what she had with the donations scandal, and is now in credibility overdraft - which I suspect the bank may call in at any moment.

EuroMac, Brussels, Belgium

When will sanity enter this debate? I personally couldn't care less if Scotland left the Union. I just don't think it will happen. Not once the Scots (canny people, after all) see that their freebies (currently funded by the UK as a whole) will after independence have to be paid for by THEIR taxes!

JF, Canterbury, UK

So the Times says:

"There is no reason why Mr Salmond should be allowed to call the tune on this matter."

O yes there is! His party was elected in enough numbers to form a government, and he is the First Minister. He is also simply sticking with the pledge made in the manifesto. So tough!

MH, Cymru,

The double U-turn should just about finish Labour off I would say.
Labour ARE going to lose the next Westminster election.
The SNP ARE going to have a referendum on the back of a Tory victory.
The Scots ARE going to deliver a YES vote
Scotland WILL become an independent State.

Colkitto, Inverclyde, Scotland

You are advocating a double U-turn for Scottish Labour on the independence-referendum issue?

If that were to happen no one should be surprised if support for Scottish Labour collapsed to the benefit of the SNP and the noble cause of Scottish independence.

Ronald MacDonald, Edinburgh, Scotland