It's long been predicted in certain quarters that any threat to the United Kingdom's current constitutional make-up will come in the guise of Scotland. Indeed, the prime political proponents of an autonomous Scottish state fully independent from the rest of the UK - the Scottish National Party - lead a minority administration in the Scottish Parliament, have strived for a referendum on independence, and hope to dramatically increase their representation in Westminster come the summer general election.

I've always found this heightened sense of identity in Scotland fascinating, particularly when compared to its southern neighbours in England where such intangible concepts seem far more muted. And it's not just evidenced in the electoral success of nationalist politics; a distinct Scottish identity pervades virtually all spheres in public life. When you're in Scotland you know exactly where you are.

In the true spirit of scientific endeavour, and by way of adherence to the highest standards of objective analysis, I sat down this morning after the traditional Sunday lie-in and thought of as many businesses and organisations that specify 'Scotland' or 'Scottish' in the title and yet do not do the same for equivalent bodies in England or the rest of the United Kingdom. And as it turns out there are quite a few of them.

Fancy a visit to an outstanding site of natural or cultural heritage? That'll be the National Trust for Scotland, or the plain old National Trust in the rest of the UK. Or do you want to take in a nature reserve? Chances are it'll be managed by the Scottish Wildlife Trust, but don't waste your time looking for a specifically English equivalent because there isn't one. And if you're looking for cheap overnight accommodation you might want to try a Scottish Youth Hostel Association
property, or the Youth Hostel Association across the border.

Then there's the Scottish media; many national daily newspaper titles carry a Scottish prefix or suffix - the Scottish Daily Express, the Scottish Daily Mail, the Daily Star of Scotland, The Scottish Sun - for those regional editions of their paper while no equivalent exists for English versions.

Off to watch a football match? The Scottish Football Association - just the FA to you and me in England - might have been involved in organising it. And you might get there by Scotrail - no, there's no Engrail - and enjoy floodlighting powered by Scottish Power or Scottish and Southern. Glass of water to cool off on arrival? Thanks, Scottish Water.

The same is true with commercial banking, political parties and many other institutions; those operating in Scotland will often include that fact in their operational titles whilst their equivalents in England and the rest of the United Kingdom - even those that are part and parcel of the same organisation - noticeably omit their geographical remit. It's tempting to suspect that this has as much to do with an apparently inherent and highly developed concept of identity manifesting itself in proto-nationalist discourse as with any real logistical benefit.

And some might argue that this is a natural symptom of the nation state and one that is replicated elsewhere in other parts of the world, although Scotland's continued status as a member country of a supranational unitary entity complicates the matter. But what really makes the debate so interesting is that such nationalistic expressions - even if they don't necessarily translate into nationalist politics - is noticeably absent by comparison in England. It's safe to say that as many theories abound over England's general reluctance to embrace a distinctly 'English' cultural identity in public as they do over Scotland's propensity to do the very opposite.

So which approach is better? One that seeks to constantly remind the observer of the state and its associated cultural identity, even if it done so unconsciously? Or one that seems to take the diametrically opposed view? And at what point do concepts of a greater 'British' identity begin to chafe at the national subsets within the United Kingdom?

It might not keep many people up at night, but with the forces of nationalism throughout the UK and elsewhere enjoying something of a renaissance of late an exploration of the link between politics and identity has never become more pressing.