Scotland votes for independence this week. In what might have seemed quite unlikely 12 months ago, there is a real possibility of a Yes vote in a few days time. Opinion polls appear to have everything tied up.

There has been a lot of talk about leaving the matter to the Scot-minus the expats-to decide. It's their business if they want to go it alone. That is certainly true. But it isn't the whole story or the only one. Here's why.

The United Kingdom, by any reckoning, has been one of the most successful unions of nations in history. It is rare for one nation to have had such an influence on people and events. The UK, despite its relatively small size, punches well above its weight. It is a presence at all the top forums around the globe and generally speaking, a force for good. I could recount a sizeable list of failings too, but few nations would escape such an examination. Perhaps none.

It strikes me that the truncated United Kingdom would lose some of the respect and influence that it currently wields and that is not a good thing for the planet. With armed psychopaths forming armies and ersatz states in the Middle East, a volatile and recalcitrant Russia and forces generally aligned with intolerance on the march, strong liberal democracies need to step up and take on the challenge.

I love Scotland and enjoyed my time there in 2005. I understand the impulse that 'independence' stirs in the blood. The sense of freedom and the call to a fresh start, unleashed from the apparent shackles of Westminster. I suspect that feeling might last a few years, only to be overtaken, eventually, by the realisation that something greater has been lost. I hope not. Truly.