SO Scotland has voted to remain in the UK. And it has got a basket of extra goodie bags promised by Mr Cameron, panicked by that rogue poll in the Telegraph.

The politicians can breathe again, there will be no run on the pound, and the EU will be relieved in the light of other nationalist breakaway movements in Spain and Belgium gaining traction.

So it is good news for the UK, and for the world in the opinion of US President Barack Obama, Pope Francis, Tony Abbott of Australia, Nato and the UN. But this has been a raw and divisive campaign.

It has divided Scotland in half. It was based on a real dislike of “Westminster” government, although there is a Scottish Parliament and Scottish Labour politicians largely ran Westminster from 1997. The campaign also did turn nasty, even threatening towards the end.

We are surely glad to remain one United Kingdom, but are left with the deepest possible questions about our union and nations. Why has the brand of Great Britain, become so unsure of itself and losing self confidence so as to prompt such a big 45 per cent Scottish vote to quit?

Well, the politicians have not helped to work at the marriage and its bonds. Since 1997 the image of Great Britain was under attack, notably from educationalists whose syllabuses contained the message that the British Empire was just evil and did no good in the world at all, which is simply untrue and a huge exaggeration of its faults.

New Labour began the idea that traditional British culture needed to be broken up in favour of a menu of other cultures with their different cultural norms. Christianity, the old glue of British values has been given at the very least a “chill factor” by the secular state.

Despite this political contempt, in England the Church of England parish system is a vitally important national pastoral network and focus of identity for local people at grassroots. The state since 1997 has chosen to foster diversity over unity in the UK, and this has loosened the sense of belonging to an integrated whole with shared values and a common identity and loyalty.

No wonder the UK feels uncertain about itself and its worth. In education syllabuses, Britain’s history is now presented as oppressive and shameful, eroding a common loyalty and worth, by contrast to mono-cultural Scotland’s deeply held national pride.

Any marriage, however solid, has to be worked at positively, celebrated – not discouraged and insulted. People of faith will be praying for a healing of acrimony and division, and will value properly the virtues of the British way of life together, of balanced unity and diversity within this common value system and positive historic identity. This succeeded in uniting warring British tribes of Saxons, Vikings and Celts in a common Christian faith.

Our politicians seem to be working at re-tribalising Britain, not nurturing common bonds of union: We are better together rather than put asunder.