Celtic Independence

There is talk in the news recently about a referendum vote for the independence of Scotland in 2014 (link).

I use to have a coworker from England and occasionally I would try to discuss the independence of the Celtic nations England had taken over.  He was opposed to the very idea, surprisingly so.  At one point in our discussion I got in a good comeback.  He said the Celts were an ancient, powerful and far-reaching culture that had nothing to do what-so-ever with the modern, so-called, Celtic people.  I said, "Oh, kind of like the British Empire?" 

On of his central arguments kept coming back to something along the lines of "the Scottish can ruin their economy and future just as well as the English can."  I tried to carry this to an (pointing out that it is) absurd counter-argument along the lines of "if I am just as capable of making bad decisions as you are, then why aren't I in charge of making decisions about your life, such as who you will marry, how many kids you will have, how much to save for retirement, etc... " 

In my mind it is not about who can do a better job, which just opens the door to all kinds of manipulative arguments on either side.  It is who should be in control of their own future, you or someone else?  The Scottish, Welsh, Irish, and Cornish or the English?