I still look back on the 1990 World Cup semi-final, when England faced West Germany, as a seminal test of my Scottishness. In the offices of The Scotsman I had an altercation with my friend and colleague Ruth Wishart. I told her I was supporting England. Perhaps that really did define nationality — the way you felt in your bones was more important than what ran in your genes. Newly returned to Scotland after working in the south, it had never occurred to me that the rough edges of my Scottishness might have been worn away.

Source: The Times July 11, 2021 16:52 UTC