Scottish voters decisively rejected independence after voting to stay in the UK.
With 31 out of the country’s 32 council areas having declared after Thursday’s vote, the “No” side has an unassailable lead of 1,914,187 votes to 1,539,920.
Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond called for unity and the unionist parties to deliver on more powers.
UK’s PM David Cameron said he was delighted the UK would remain together and called for national unity.
The result became a mathematical certainty at 06:08, as the returning officer in Fife announced a comfortable “No” vote.
Shortly afterwards, Alex Salmond said he accepted the defeat and called for national unity.
He said the referendum and the high turnout 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 and work for the benefit of Scotland and the UK.
He told supporters: “The unionist parties made vows late in the campaign to devolve more powers to Scotland.
Scottish voters decisively rejected independence after voting to stay in the UK (photo Bloomberg)
“Scotland will expect these to be honored in rapid course – as a reminder, we have been promised a second reading of a Scotland Bill by March 27 next year.
“Not just the 1.6 million Scots who voted for independence will demand that timetable is followed but all Scots who participated in this referendum will demand that timetable is followed.”
Alex Salmond said he would shortly speak to the prime minister on the results.
He highlighted the “empowerment” of first-time voters, including 16 and 17-year-olds.
And the First Minister said: “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.
“I don’t think that will ever be allowed to go back to business as usual in politics again.”
In a rallying call to his supporters, Alex Salmond urged the “Yes” voters to reflect on how far they had come.
“I don’t think any of us, whenever we entered politics, would have thought such a thing to be either credible or possible,” he said.
“Over the last few weeks we have seen a scare and a fear of enormous proportions – not a scaremongering directed at the Scottish people but the scare and the fear at the heart of the Westminster establishment as they realize the mass movement of people that was going forward in Scotland.
“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 and we shall go forward as one nation.”
This margin of victory for the Better Together campaign – 55% to 45% – was greater by about 3% than that anticipated by the final opinion polls. The winning total needed was 1,852,828.
Speaking in Downing Street, David Cameron said the result was decisive.
He said: “Now the debate has been settled for a generation, or as Alex Salmond has said: <<Perhaps for a lifetime>>.
“So their can be no disputes, no re-runs, we have heard the will of the Scottish people.”
David Cameron said the three main unionist parties at Westminster would now follow through with their pledge to deliver more powers to the Scottish Parliament.
[youtube 5jEioqWZIKA 650]
Voting in the Scottish independence referendum is under way.
People are voting on whether Scotland should stay in the UK or become an independent nation.
Voters will answer “Yes” or “No” to the referendum question: “Should Scotland be an independent country?”
With 4,285,323 people – 97% of the electorate – registered to vote, a historically high turnout is expected.
Votes will be cast at 2,608 polling places across the country until 22:00 on Thursday, September 18. The result is expected early on Friday morning.
Ballot papers will be counted in each of Scotland’s 32 local authority areas.
These will include votes cast from the 789,024 postal vote applications, which was the largest volume of registration for postal votes ever in Scotland.
After votes have been tallied, the counting officer in each area will communicate the result to the chief counting officer Mary Pitcaithly in Edinburgh.
With her approval they will then make a declaration of the result.
People are voting on whether Scotland should stay in the UK or become an independent nation
Once the results from all 32 local authority areas are known, Mary Pitcaithly will declare the result of the referendum at the Royal Highland Centre outside Edinburgh.
Mary Pitcaithly has said she will announce the result at “breakfast time” on Friday.
The result is most likely to be between 06:30 and 07:30, according to Elections Scotland.
That is because the final Scottish declarations in the 2010 UK parliamentary elections and the 2011 Scottish parliamentary elections declaration were made at those times respectively.
However, running totals – which can be made from the first declaration onwards – may indicate a result earlier in the morning.
The bulk of these are expected to come in between 03:00 and 06:00.
Because of the expected high turnout, counting officers have put measures in place to reduce the risk of queuing at polling stations.
The remote nature of some Scottish regions also means bad weather could delay the receipt of ballot boxes at counting centers, in turn delaying the national result.
Helicopters and boats are being used to transport ballot boxes to counts in areas such as Argyll and Bute.
Elections Scotland said recounts will only be allowed at a local level on the basis of concerns about process, not the closeness of a result.
[youtube cucC3vRscdw 650]
Scotland has unveiled its blueprint for independence, ahead of next September’s referendum.
The 670-page document promises to “build a more democratic, more prosperous, fairer society”.
On September 18, Scots voters will be asked the yes/no question: “Should Scotland be an independent country?”
The document, launched by Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, pledged to tailor economic policy to Scottish businesses and industry.
Alex Salmond said independence would allow Scotland to harness its vast potential as a country.
The first minister went on: “Ultimately at the heart of this debate there’s only one question – do we, the people who live and work in Scotland, believe that we are the best people to take the big decisions about our future?”
The white paper also pledged to extend child care and scrap controversial UK government housing welfare changes, described by critics as the “bedroom tax”, should the Scottish National Party (SNP) be elected as the first government of an independent Scotland in the event of a “Yes” vote.
The document, Scotland’s future: Your guide to an independent Scotland, also said it would be in Scotland’s interest to keep the pound, but that would also benefit the rest of the UK, while the Bank of England would continue to be the “lender of last resort”.
Scotland has unveiled its blueprint for independence, ahead of next September’s referendum
The SNP document pledges included:
- 30 hours of childcare per week in term time for all 3 and 4-year-olds, as well as vulnerable 2-year-olds.
- Trident nuclear weapons, currently based on the Clyde, removed within the first parliament.
- Housing benefit reforms, described by critics as the “bedroom tax” to be abolished in first year of an independent Scottish parliament.
- No rise in basic rate of tax.
The Scottish government described the white paper as a “landmark document”, with the case for economic growth and fairness at its heart.
The SNP has argued Scotland’s finances are healthier than those of the UK, providing a strong foundation to put the focus of the referendum campaign on Scotland’s future.
The Scottish government’s critics said the white paper would be judged on whether it tackled concerns over issues like financial challenges.
For the UK government, Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael said there were huge question marks over some of the policies already revealed by the SNP.
Alistair Carmichael said it was “highly unlikely” the Scottish government’s plan to keep the pound and retain the services of the Bank of England as part of a “currency union” with the rest of the UK would work, and said the SNP must set out a “Plan B”.
The Scottish government’s critics have also questioned its plan to get rid of Trident nuclear weapons – currently based on the Clyde – while being a member of NATO.
And they have said other SNP promises, on issues like pensions and welfare, are uncosted.
[youtube hp7EGz44pqU 650]
