I believe that the Scots would be better off if they go their own ways. They could follow the role model of Singapore. The city state gained 1965 independence from Malaysia. Today the country is one of the most developed and wealthiest countries in Asia. The citizens of the tiny country gained more income & wealth since the secession than their neighbors in Malaysia. A political independent Scotland can benefit, as Singapore is doing, from the globalization. Intense trade relationships with the rest of the world replace the advantages of being part of a large nation.
An independent Scotland would also benefit from the fact that small countries (and independent regions) are less complicated than huge states. They are easier to govern and to manage and therefore are less bureaucratic. The government of an independent Scotland would be closer to their citizens as the government in London which has to deals with other regions. An independent Scottish government could respond better to local needs. Government decisions about taxes, health car, public spending and more could be fairer. Switzerland has been proving for many centuries that little countries can do well. The Swiss are wealthier than the citizens of their neighbors Germany, France & Italy.
Creative Environment
The secession of Scotland would lead to a decentralization. Economists have often described the benefits of decentralization. Wikipedia writes that decentralization "increases efficiency - and effectiveness - due to reduction of congestion in communications, quicker reaction to unanticipated problems, improved ability to deliver of services, improved information about local conditions, and more support from beneficiaries of programs" (wikipedia).
The Italian Renaissance happened as Italy was just a cluster of independent tiny states like Milan, Florence, Pisa, Siena, Genoa, Ferrara, Mantua, Verona and Venice. The competition between these places created an creative environment that inspired advances in arts, science and business (wikipedia). The independent Greek cities (Athen, Byzantium, Sparta, Troy and more) developed democracy. The huge Roman Empire instead, which spread from Northern Africa to Southern England, broke down under its own weight.
Another argument for Scotland´s session comes from the dissolution of the late Soviet Union which has been governed central from Moscow. Many regions, which had been part of the gigantic stated, used the breakdown of to gain freedom and to become independent states: The Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) plus Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Moldova and more. At least some of the them have flourishing economies now. Other parts of the former Soviet empire also broke apart: Yugoslavia (now the separate states Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia & Slovenia) and Czechoslovakia (now separate Czech Republic & Slovakia).
I believe that small countries (and separate regions) have just one disadvantage: They are military weak and could be easily overrun by enemies. But the existence of Switzerland, Singapore, Luxembourg and other tiny countries shows that this risk is very low. It is not likely that Scotland will be attacked by its neighbors UK or Norway.
Viva la independence.
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