I was 29 and so far as I recall it was pretty plain sailing and regarded by most as a golden opportunity. Only those who regarded it as "us giving up our Sovereignty" seemed unhappy, and they went on being unhappy until Brexit. It was always a fake argument with only emotional consequences but there are still those who put such things above the welfare and prosperity of their fellow citizens.

I know which side of this argument Shirley Williams stood on and with her passing we have lost another voice of reason.

Now we are likely to witness the break-up of the UK, which would probably have been avoided without Brexit. Is that really a price worth paying? Political systems evolve to suit altered environments and all I ever saw from the Brexiteers was fear of progress, rather than an embrace of it. Baroness Williams must have viewed the last few years with great sadness.

The Scottish independence referendum was in 2014, so don't think you can blame the break-up of the UK on Brexit. That they had a referendum is proof of unrest in the union.

I attended a "secondary modern" school before comprehensives were introduced. I "failed" the 11+ as my parents wanted as they couldn't afford the uniform and the expectations of the grammar school. When I was a child kids like me didn't go to grammar school. They were for "posh" kids and not for those of us who lived in council houses. It continued when I reached 16 and my headmaster wanted me to go on to further education and then to University. My mother wanted me to earn, so I went to work.

I ended up doing OK but I often wonder whether I would have done even better had those chances been on offer.

So this question has to be considered in the round and whether, on balance, the greatest number achieve the greater good via a comprehensive or selective system. My own experiences inform my opinion.

EU referendum Scotland result wasn't as overwhelming as you seem to think. About half a million (500k) votes separated the outcome out of the circa 4 million voters. 67% of voters turned out.

Scottish independence referendum was even closer, with the difference less than 400k, but almost 85% turnout.

It appears that Scottish people were less concerned about EU membership than UK membership.

So to try and pin the break-up of the UK on Brexit is somewhat remiss. An awful lot of the Scots are, and always were, anti English. They loathe Westminster and see English politicians as upper class toffs. Many have, quite rightly, stronger connections to Ireland than to England. It's an ancestry and a religious split, as it is in NI. So if you want to pin the break-up on anything, look no further than the church.

Yup in my school that lot were the gardening and pottery club, I kid you not.

Oddly enough the rest of us swots envied them at the time as they were always outside and having a good time. Still in the long run....