UK: British prime minister Tony Blair has dismissed calls for an "English parliament" while declaring himself confident that the United Kingdom would survive the renewed nationalist challenge in Scotland.
On the 300th anniversary of the passage of the legislation effecting the Act of Union, Mr Blair said independence would have "catastrophic consequences for the Scottish economy" and prove "an incredibly regressive and reactionary step".
But he stressed that his case for the continuance of the union was based on mutual benefit and not on negativity or fear.
"In commerce, trade, security and, above all, in shared values, the union of England and Scotland continues to be good for England, good for Scotland and right for the future of Britain - so we should celebrate today with pride," he declared.
At his monthly press conference in Downing Street Mr Blair was questioned as to why his government's celebration had been confined to the production of a rather "measly" commemorative £2 coin. Scottish National Party leader Alex Salmond argued that the lack of mass celebrations showed there was little public enthusiasm for the union.
"There's no popular celebrations, no street parties, no fireworks parties," said Mr Salmond, who hopes to lead the SNP as the largest party in the Scottish parliament after the May elections: "I think they realised that very few people would turn up - and it's unwise to hold a party no one would come to."
However, Mr Blair countered that the most important thing was "not fireworks" but "argument, and giving a coherent reason as to why the union of England and Scotland is good for today's world and for the future".
His comments, following chancellor Gordon Brown's call for a debate about "Britishness", coincided with a new opinion poll showing majority support in both England and Scotland for an English parliament. But while Mr Salmond claimed "more support for [ Scottish] independence than there's ever been", the poll, for BBC's Newsnight programme, also showed a majority of Scots in favour of retaining the union.
Mr Blair argued that while devolving power to Scotland made sense in circumstances where over 80 per cent of the UK population was English, a separate English parliament would be "unworkable" and "unnecessary".
Conservative constitutional affairs spokesman Oliver Heald also welcomed the poll result showing continued support for the union, while insisting that it highlighted "the need for a constructive unionist response . . . so giving English MPs a greater say over purely English matters".
Mr Blair also dismissed this argument, insisting there could be only "one class of Westminster MP" and reminding the Conservatives this was the view they took when the issue was first raised back in the 1960s.
Meanwhile, of interest to politicians involved in the Northern Ireland peace process - and to Gordon Brown - Mr Blair also gave another strong hint that he hoped to remain in his post until the summer and to attend the EU heads of government summit in late June.