Yes, in the short term at least. An independent Scotland would begin with a draft constitution that would change little and would leave the Queen in place, says Adam Tomkins, professor of constitutional law at Glasgow University. A yes vote would not imply Scotland should become a republic because the referendum concerns the 1707 union of the nations and not the union of the crowns, which happened in 1603, when James VI of Scotland became James I of England. A widespread public consultation on a permanent constitution would follow a yes vote and Scotland’s justice minister, Kenny MacAskill, has said of the monarchy: “It will be for the people of Scotland to decide.” That means it could come down to another referendum. Robert Booth