I'm not the most qualified to discuss this idea, being American and only having schooled over in England (Oxford) for a term, but it seems to me that even though the Scots and Welsh are getting to be more independently known, it's still the British or English Parliament who holds most of the cards, isn't it? Kinda like the East Coast and West Coasts in the States: The West has its own identity, but it's still the Easterners who control the books and laws. Hmm.

But I know little about British parliament, since Bridget Jones's Diary and Harry Potter don't really talk about it much and they, and the antiquties, are about the only English literature I've read. What kinds of freedoms do the Welsh and Scots have that the English don't?

BTW, I hear Braveheart wasn't entirely true... That was all I knew about Scotland for a long time.

I heard this argument while I was in England and thought it was hogwash then and still do. Parliament is dominated by the English and so even though the Welsh and Scottish can vote in Parliament, they still don't rule over England.

Well, the Scots and Welsh(though to a lesser degree) can raise their own taxes. Raising taxes, spending tax payers monies as you see fit and are become responsible/ accountable for, is a healthy sign of democratic life! Yes, it is still Westminster that Governs the UK as a whole and where the power resides. But, and this was the point that I am anxious about, the English have no such rights as a nation to do so. Scrap Westminster and have a loose federal idea? Yes by all means!