Scotland votes to stay but will receive more power

In a historic referendum watched closely by the world, voters in Scotland rejected independence from the United Kingdom, choosing instead to stay in a union that they have been part of since 1707.

To the question “Should Scotland be an independent country?”, 55.4 per cent of voters voted “no”. The referendum saw an unprecedented numbers of voters, including 16- and 17-year-olds for the first time, and Commonwealth, and EU citizens resident in Scotland. Over 84 per cent of eligible voters cast their vote in over 2,600 polling booths across the country, signifying the extent to which the issue had struck a chord with the public.

In the 2011 Scottish parliamentary elections turnout had been just 50.4 per cent. Among the regions that voted pro-independence were the cities of Glasgow and Dundee while nearly two-thirds of Edinburgh’s voters chose to remain in the UK.

The 45 per cent vote in favour of independence represents a significant gain for the Yes campaign in recent months. A year ago just 32 per cent of Scotland;s residents supported independence but a strong push by the various members of the Yes campaign, including the ruling Scottish Nationalist Party, the Scottish Green Party, and the Scottish Socialist Party as well as the Radical Independence Campaign, managed to mobilise support, particularly among young voters disillusioned with Westminster politics and those in deprived communities. The Yes campaign also successfully managed to avoid alienating minority communities, with polls by the country’s largest Asian radio station ahead of the referendum suggesting that a majority of its listeners would vote “yes.”

As the results became clear in the early hours of Friday morning, Alex Salmond, the First Minister of Scotland, in his concession speech said that the 1.6 million “yes” votes represented a substantial vote for independence. “I accept the verdict of the people and I call on all of Scotland to follow suit.”

The result will come as a relief to the British establishment, which has, in recent weeks, been increasingly concerned by the gains made by the Yes campaign, despite attempts by Westminster to portray the Yes campaign as lacking a credible fiscal and economic roadmap for the country.

Last week the leaders of the three main political parties, including Prime Minister David Cameron, cancelled the weekly parliamentary Prime Minister’s Questions to campaign in Scotland. In a rare display of unity, all three parties pledged to speedily devolve more power to Scotland should it vote “No.”

As the referendum drew near, former Prime Minister Gordon Brown became a prominent face of the “No” campaign, making an impassioned speech the night before. “The vote tomorrow is not about whether Scotland is a nation… the vote tomorrow is whether you want to break and sever every link and I say lets keep our UK pension, lets keep our UK pound, lets keep our UK passport, lets keep our UK welfare state.”

While the Yes campaign garnered support from some within the business community – among those both in Scotland and those in England who hoped a Yes vote could instigate a rebalancing of the UK economy away from London – big business has largely supported remaining within the union. Ahead of the referendum, the pound also suffered amid concerns about the stability of a UK without of Scotland’s substantial oil reserves and revenues. “Business has always believed that the Union is best for creating jobs, raising growth and improving living standards and welcomes that the people of Scotland want to play an integral role in this internationally successful partnership,” said John Cridland, director general of the business organisation CBI.

Welcoming the referendum result as a “clear result” Prime Minister David Cameron announced that Lord Smith of Kelvin – who headed the organising committee of the recent Commonwealth Games in Glasgow - would oversee the process of greater devolution, giving the Scottish Parliament further powers over tax, spending and welfare to be agreed by November with draft legislation early next year.

The results were welcomed by the EU and its member Governments, some of which (Spain in particular) have been concerned by the precedent the referendum could set for their own secessionist movements. “The outcome is good for the united, open and stronger Europe that the European Commission stands for,” President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso said in a statement after the results.

While the referendum should spur a greater devolution of powers to Scotland and the other parts of the UK, Yes campaigners also welcomed the much-needed dialogue the process had set off within the country. “What we have seen is unprecedented numbers of people participating in a process to decide how they want the country to be run,” says Nighet Riaz, an academic and businesswoman who heads the ‘Scots Asians for Yes to an Independent Scotland’ campaign. “It has got people talking to each other, and civically and political motivated. It has got people to take ownership and responsibility over what is happening and that can only be a good thing.”