Scotland Votes ‘No’ To UK Independence
Scotland will remain a part of the United Kingdom following a vote for independence that saw 55 percent of Scots vote ‘No’.
As the BBC reports, “With the results in from all 32 council areas, the ‘No’ side won with 2,001,926 votes over 1,617,989 for ‘Yes’.
“Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond called for unity and urged the unionist parties to deliver on more powers. Prime Minister David Cameron said he was delighted the UK would remain together and that commitments on extra powers would be honoured “in full”.
“The prime minister also acknowledged that the people of England, Wales and Northern Ireland must have a bigger say over their affairs.
“And he promised a solution to the West Lothian question – the fact that Scottish MPs can vote on English issues at Westminster, and not the other way round.
“The voting results became a mathematical certainty at 6.08am [UK time], as the returning officer in Fife announced a comfortable ‘No’ vote.
“Shortly afterwards, Mr. Salmond said he accepted the defeat and called for national unity.
“He said the referendum and the high turnout [nearly 85 percent] had been a “triumph for the democratic process” and promised to keep his pledge in the Edinburgh Agreement which paved the way for the referendum to respect the result.”
Mr. Salmond added, “Whatever else we can say about this referendum campaign, we have touched sections of the community who have never before been touched by politics, these sections of the community have touched us and touched the political process.
“Today of all days as we bring Scotland together, let us not dwell on the distance we have fallen short, let us dwell on the distance we have travelled and have confidence the movement is abroad in Scotland that will take this nation forward.”
The Guardian quotes Prime Minister David Cameron as saying, “The people of Scotland have spoken and it is a clear result. They have kept our country of four nations together and, like millions of other people, I am delighted.
“As I said during the campaign, it would have broken my heart to see our United Kingdom come to an end. And I know that sentiment was shared by people not just across our country but around the world because of what we have achieved together in the past and what we can do together in the future.
“So now it is time for our United Kingdom to come together and to move forward. A vital part of that will be a balanced settlement, fair to people in Scotland and importantly to everyone in England, Wales and Northern Ireland as well.”
- Graphic courtesy of i100
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Mommy and Daddy, I want to leave home to grow up and be independent. But I want to keep your Visa gold card, the car you bought, insured and registered in your name and continue to enjoy the annual all expenses paid family vacations
The tight “Scotsman purse” a member of the Hibiscus family of plants can not attract the bee.
Well done Scotland , at least you kept your politicians honest by making sure the referendum was carried out .
Waste of taxpayers money…I wonder how much that cost !
Taxpayers money well spent for the 5 million people who wanted it
It was a great day for democracy.
I am glad that Scotland remain part of the UK and the narrow margin should wake up Westminster. Much of Northern England are as disenfranchised by the Govt. too.
The main difference compared to over here is that most Brits don’t trust any of the main parties, whilst in Bermuda we have lots of blind followers of one party or the other.
Coffee, do you think that the PLP will also be kept honest and stick to a referendum to decide such an important matter as independence for Bermuda when they do get back in? Or will they simply lump it into a General Election platform as they’ve done in the past in the hope that this most important of all issues gets muddied/lost within the other General Election issues?
Genuine question.
good result although Scotland is off my list for awhile.
och ay laddie…see you Jimmy,we’re not Scotch,we’re SCOTTISH!
Swing voter such a comment can only come from an ignoramus who knows absolutely nothing about the United Kingdom let alone the Scotland.
touched a nerve huh? I don’t need to know the local gossip to form an opinion on independence with benefits!
Alba, I actually completely agree with Swing Voter. And as a university educated professional, I am definitely not an ignoramus. Also, as someone living in Scotland, and having voted in the referendum, I’d like to think I know a little bit about the situation. Swing Voter’s comment is referring to the fact that the Yes campaign wanted Scotland to become independent, but keep the UK pound, still have the Queen as Head of State, not change the passport, continue with business and trade, and not acknowledge the fact that they would become a foreign country to the rUK. So a child wanting independence without the responsibilities of being independent seems like a fair analogy.
Look at the bright side ‘Alba’.
They don’t need new freeking passports et al and can travel freely and invest.
Heads: 1
Hearts: 0
The head of Russia’s election observation body has sensationally accused the British government in Westminster of rigging the Scottish Independence vote, asserting that there were more ‘yes’ votes than ‘no’ votes despite the no campaign claiming victory.
Speaking to RIA Novosti, Georgy Fyodorov, the head of the Kremlin-aligned Association for the Protection of Electoral Rights, stated that, “According to what our observers at the polling offices tell us, there were more Yes votes during the vote count.”Fyodorov went further, remarking, “Scotland found itself under immense pressure… Those on the UK side campaigning for a No vote resorted to every violation imaginable.”His sentiments were echoed by Igor Morozov, a member of the Council of the Federation Committee for Foreign Affairs, although Morozov stopped short of claiming the entire referendum was rigged.
Hopefully we never go independent!
The results of the referendum in Scotland offers a great reference. It was not about the majority not wanting to change from the status quo. The verdict was against their independence because of that insecurity that always comes along with any new Direction. Even if it were clear to everyone that a change of Direction could lead to a future better than the present one thing must be dealt first and that is the transition or that period of time that must go by before “the promised land” is reached, or the period of time that people fear the most. Next time there will be an opportunity for such change it will be necessary to explain in details to the people how step by step this change should bring from point A to point B without placing upside down the daily life of the people.
http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/User:EttoreGreco/Commutalism
http://www.wavevolution.org/en/humanwaves.html
What truly surprised me was that sixteen year olds were eligble to vote, and they did in their school uniforms. Although they were not the lion share of voters, how many sixteen year olds can even grasp the enormity and far reach significance of the referandum, and how many really care at that age?
If you followed this referandum closely, there were threats and counter threats, blackmail and counter blackmail of economc reprisals, pressure points and counter pressure points. Even love notes (by celebrities) to the Scottish entricing them to stay in the union.
If a yes vote prevailed, the pound sterling would have been devalued immediately. It would have financially wounded England and well as Scotland, but Scotland may have recovered swiftly as North Sea oil is on their territory, and so the revenues would go into their coffers, not centrally in Westminister as is done today.
It may appear to be politically okay, but Salmond was forced to resign immediately and so others will go in the coming weeks.
Conclusion, any referandum is a very hard, perilous path, just the emotional factor alone can undermine to most noble intent of independence and cast a political party or, at the very least, the political leader into the wilderness.
It is one thing to talk of independence, but the reality is that it is an all or nothing event. The winners take all and the losers get nothing.
Right now, there is NO leader in Bermuda who can take Bermuda through a successful referandum on independence. It comes together when there is a window of opportunity and that window is currently not open.
That was the neatest political trick in history.
I thought at they had all left for greener pastures.
does any one believe or trust the conservative UK government can or will keep it’s promises to Scotland…..
if they don’t do you believe the threat of secession can be used as leverage again…
It tends to be the same story, be it Scotland, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Gibraltar, or Bermuda. The driving force with these independence movements come from ambitious politicians. The hearts of the people want independence. However, the heads tend to trump, with issues like jobs, home values, currencies, and potential corruption … you know, the actual important things … overwhelm passions. Bermudians tend to get their point of reference regarding independence from their island cousins to the south, where the majority of islands that went independent from the UK went downhill economically. I actually think Bermudians have lost a little desire to go independent based upon the party who wants it and their economically disastrous turn at the wheel.
Well done ALL you *NO* voting “Jocks”!!! Keep it British!!!