IT IS hardly surprising that David Cameron and Alex Salmond disagreed during their talks on Scotland yesterday.

As we have said before, we struggle to see how Scotland would ever benefit from being independent of the rest of the United Kingdom.

If a referendum goes ahead and if the Scottish people vote in favour of independence, then so be it.

But we don’t think the implications of independence have been fully thought through, even by the separatists.

The Scottish parliament is not entitled to organise a referendum itself without approval from Westminster and Alex Salmond is being very naive by saying it is.

Yesterday the prime minister offered to consider more powers for Scotland, in the event of a vote against independence.

In our view the union is best kept as it is, strategically, economically, socially and culturally.

That said, if the people of Scotland want to go it alone that is something we all have to accept, whatever the ramifications.