Thanks Gaz, all very thoughtful stuff.
Let me hone in on the question in your second paragraph, albeit that my answer is something of a tangent to this post’s point:
“…if Scotland leaving the UK as is can be seen as having no real detractions to British cultural identity, or at least no detractions that aren’t largely trivial, then the natural counterargument is what would Scotland then gain from independence on a cultural identity basis?”
I think Scotland would gain a lot from independence on a cultural identity basis, not least through the more effective and relevant marketing of the country as a tourist destination, as a “brand” and as the home of unique and wonderful traditions such as its music, literature and so on. There would be a hugely enrichening conversation in Scotland (and I’d wager, in rUK) when independence happens and people then ask “right, after all that, who are we?”
And while culture is a devolved issue, broadcasting is not, so there will be much to gain from devolved broadcasting in terms of the cultural dimension of that. Further, we can argue that with full political freedom and not to mention slightly increased wealth, there will be more money to put into culture.
That said, a lot of it will come down to political choices made after independence. Some romantic nationalists would have you believe that independence could be a great boost to, for instance, the Gaelic language. I’d not be so sure, because – as some might currently argue is the case – Scotland ruled from Edinburgh might not be as pro-Gaelic in its decision-making as many Gaels would like.
However, I’d actually challenge the “natural counterargument” you refer to, because I don’t think it is automatic that independence would not strengthen or enrich Scottish identity. Your assumption perhaps implies there is only X amount of culture and it will not grow or shrink however you cut the cake. Rather, it’s more like cutting a cake and ending up with two cakes which have the ability to be shaped, iced, remoulded or even expanded anew.
Think, for instance, about resurgent cultures – eg post-Soviet identities in the 1990s. They never came at the cost of a unit-for-unit reduction in some other culture.
It’s rare I resort to cake metaphors so hopefully you see where I’m coming from!