But looking down the long road of history yet to unfold, I wonder whether, if Scotland goes, Wales can be far behind. I have two reasons for this doleful, if distant, sense of foreboding. First, what is once given can never be taken back in politics. Second, seldom is there a halfway house in self-determination. Wales will continue its march toward independence.
Independence movements can be infectious.
For years, a group called Mebyon Kernow has canvassed for home rule for Cornwall. Others, too, might sharpen their knives to restore, perhaps, the ancient Saxon kingdoms of Wessex and Mercia or the Northumbrian principalities of Bernicia and Deira. In the '60s, Buckingham Palace sent emissaries to find out how Scottish nationalists viewed the monarchy. Considering the uncertain future, I am glad I went to Caernarvon in 1969. I was then representing an Indian newspaper, The Statesman, catering to readers with an appetite for things British.