Almost seven centuries ago, my namesake, William Wallace of Ayrshire was hanged by the English King for attempting to free Scotland from England's control. I am here to argue that in 1999, Scotland should not seek and would not benefit from separation from the long and historically profitable Union with England.
It is comforting to think that if we did not have the English, then we wouldn't have been involved in the late war, but this is a false comfort. One need look only at current prisoner Walden MacNair has a name and clan that goes back to the Picts, before Scots were dominant in Scotland. There are so-called "Pureblood" Wizards in Scotland and class segregation is as real here as it is in the home counties. We are no more class-blind than muggles.
So, if we cannot say we will be inherently better, are there practical reasons to leave the Union? You may hear that it is good for business. No one who says that has thought it through. What are the rules? Who sets them? How does a business used to dealing with one Ministry deal with more than one, especially if they conflict? With no answer to this, the "Devolve Now" side merely assures that it would be a wreck.
How would common services be managed? Hogwarts trains people for Ministry jobs. How will they answer to two Educational Authorities? Will they have to offer all classes in Scots Gaelic? Will students need to take two sets of tests to get English and Scottish O.W.L.s? How will they know what to teach?
What about money? Will Scotland mint their own? Will people need to carry currency from two jurisdictions to assure themselves that they can buy a Butterbeer in Hogsmeade (Scotland)? Will the Goblins handle moneychanging? Will we have to have a bank for every nation on every corner of the wizarding world?
And in the end, where does it stop? Does Ireland want to be independent? How about Wales? How about the Isle of Man? Devonshire? What polity gets to say "the hell with London" and who doesn't?
Scottish Independence raises more unanswered questions than it answers, and the answers we have look as if they aren't good enough.