It seems almost certain Scotland's independence referendum will be held in 2014, a year when Scotland should be a particularly vibrant, busy and confident country.
We shall be hosting both the Commonwealth Games and the Ryder Cup, and there will be another Homecoming.
There will also be the 700th anniversary of our greatest ever military victory, Bannockburn, when the Scots, led by the brilliant if enigmatic King Robert the Bruce, routed a larger invading English army.
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