EDINBURGH
In the end, the Scottish people decided to reject independence, with 55 percent opting to remain part of the United Kingdom in one of the most important votes in modern British history.
Welcoming the result, Prime Minister David Cameron declared he was “delighted.”
“The people of Scotland have spoken and it is a clear result," he said from Downing Street. "They have kept our country of four nations together and like millions of other people I am delighted.”
However, not everyone felt his elation and many of the questions that sparked the referendum remain, principally many Scots’ view that they are not represented by a Westminster government dominated by a party that holds just one parliamentary seat north of the border.
“I’m disappointed that after 300 years, the colonized mentality stopped Scots going it alone,” independence campaigner Zahid Ali said.
He commented that although it lost the vote, the “Yes” campaign has raised the profile of Scottish grievances and ultimately benefited the country.
“It will have far reaching consequences for the U.K.,” he said.
Scotland has been promised enhanced powers for the devolved government at Holyrood Palace and politicians on both sides of the border are again talking about the West Lothian question, which would see Scottish and Welsh lawmakers barred from voting on English issues at Westminster, the seat of the British parliament.
At the end of Thursday night’s count, 2,001,926 voted to remain British, with 1,617,989 opting for independence. The “Yes” campaign won four counts from the 32 local authority districts around the country.
It had been a highly contested election, with the pro-independence campaign having a greater visible presence in Edinburgh and Glasgow in the form of colorful stickers, banners and badges.
Many Scots were voting for the first time and the mood was a positive one, with voters draped themselves in the Scottish Saltire flag, singing songs and dancing along Edinburgh’s Royal Mile as the sound of bagpipes droned across the city.
But the merriment of election day soon gave way to reality on Friday, with Cameron announcing the “time for our United Kingdom to come together and move forward.”
He added: “There can be no disputes. No re-runs. We have heard the settled will of the Scottish people.”
And in an ominous sign for Scots, backbench lawmakers from Cameron’s Conservative party had already begun to voice their opposition to the pledge made by the leaders of Britain's three main parties to grant Scotland more control over its own affairs.
On Wednesday, James Gray, who represents North Wiltshire in the Conservative party’s English heartland, wrote on his website: “For too long the rights and interests of the 55 million people of England have been subordinated to the shouting of 4.5 million Scots. That must end. Now is the time for the people of England to speak - and to be heeded.”
The promises were made after a September 7 poll put the "Yes" camp in a one-point lead, sending party leaders scrambling north to pledge more control for Scots if they were to turn their back on independence.
Following the poll, the value of sterling dropped and banks and business leaders warned of the dangers of independence.
Supermarket chief executives said Scotland could face higher prices and the Royal Bank of Scotland announced its intention to relocate its headquarters to England in the event of a "Yes" win.
In an emotional plea, Cameron said he would be “heartbroken” if Scotland decided to go at it alone.
The tactics were described as scaremongering and offering too little, too late, but other polls continued to show the Better Together “No” campaign gathering pace but with the final outcome still too close to call.
By early Friday morning it was apparent that the “No” campaign had done enough to ward off a split from the rest of the U.K. and First Minister Alex Salmond conceded defeat at breakfast time.
“I accept the verdict of the people and I call on all of Scotland to follow suit accepting the democratic verdict of the people of Scotland,” he told supporters in Edinburgh.
Celebrating the victory, unionist campaigner Ian Drummond said: “Crisis averted, the establishment rattled and a mandate for real change, what's not to like about this result.”
He added: “I’m too exhausted to feel it properly yet, but this is the best night of my life, a historic victory for sanity and compassion.”
But for some the result left a bitter taste. “I still feel very disappointed that people fell for the scaremongering of the banks and the elite… Scotland remains a pool of wealth for them to grab,” Zahid said ruefully.
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