I’ve written before about the casual prejudice against Scotland that is now acceptable in the London “national press.”

Probably  the worst examples of this can be found in the Daily Telegraph, but even in The Guardian today,  the liberal Jackie Ashley includes a gratuitous and inaccurate reference to Scotland, designed to remind people that the stupid Jocks are apparently primarily responsible for the global banking crisis.

“He, (Gordon Brown) she writes, “made friends with the same Scottish bankers now in disgrace.”

Apart from the fact that as far as I can see there is nothing particularly Scottish about Sir James Crosby, Andy Hornby and Lord Stevenson, their nationality seems irrelevant – unless you want to whip up some anti-Scottish sentiment.  

I cannot imagine a Scottish political commentator  talking about ”English” bankers in reference to Northern Rock or Bradford and Bingley, so why is it ok to make this kind of remark about Scotland?