Scottish Indepenence Referendum Sep 18,2014

 

As the Scottish referendum draws near, people may wonder how independence would affect their nationality. Would you still get to be a Scottish citizen in an independent Scotland?

 








With only 24 hours to go in the increasingly rancorous campaign, the No side has a four-point lead – on 52 per cent compared with 48 per cent for Yes

  

The headline results show that 44.1 per cent of Scots plan to back independence, up from 42.4 per cent in a comparable poll from last week. 

Support for a No vote remains virtually static at 47.7 per cent, with 8.3 per cent undecided. Overall, this points to a final result of 52 per cent No and 48 per cent Yes. 

The poll confirms a gender divide across Scotland, with 49 per cent of men planning to vote Yes and 46 per cent saying No. Just 39 per cent of women plan to vote Yes, with 49 per cent choosing No.

Alarmingly for the No camp, the poll indicates a shift back to Yes among Labour voters, who may decide the outcome. While 91 per cent of those who voted Conservative in the 2011 Holyrood elections are backing No, just 60 per cent of Labour voters plan to do the same.

David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg yesterday signed a ‘vow’ to hand Edinburgh more powers if the Scots choose to stay – and promised to preserve the controversial funding formula which guarantees Scotland more public cash

   

Thousands of Yes voters gathered in Glasgow's George Square yesterday on the final day of campaigning 

  

Andy Murray says 'Yes' to independence

 

As Scotland goes to the polls today for an historic vote on whether to back independence Wimbledon champion and Olympic gold medalist Andy Murray appears to have finally taken a side.

After years of refusing to be drawn on whether he supports Scottish independence or not the tennis star, 27, today tweeted at 1.08am: 'Huge day for Scotland today! no campaign negativity last few days totally swayed my view on it. excited to see the outcome. lets do this!'

With the bold statement to his 2.7million followers on the day voting starts, Murray appears to have dropped the carefully guarded neutrality he has maintained when he's been asked his views on the referendum in the past.

It comes as a final series of opinion polls last night suggested the future of the UK hangs in the balance. 

A giant Yes sign, created by campaign group The Hills Have Ayes, appeared on the Salisbury Crags in Edinburgh

Wednesday night saw the final and most ferocious night of campaigning with much of Scotland lit up with signs in favour of or against independence. A No Thanks logo lights up Edinburgh castle

 




Millions are heading to the polls today Sep 18,2014 to cast their vote on whether Scotland should cut ties with England

  

Polling stations opened at 7am this morning and people have until 10pm to cast their ballot, with the result expected to be known by breakfast time tomorrow. 
 

The historic vote, which could see the 307-year-old unions between Scotalnd and England brought to an end, is expected to go down to the wire, with polls predicting the contest too close to call. 
 

Following a frantic final day of campaigning from the two camps yesterday, turnout is expected to to be high, with 4,285,323 people registered to vote, according to the Electoral Commission, and for the first time 16 and 17-year-olds across the country will be able to take part.

Scottish Deputy first minister Nicola Sturgeon casts her vote in the Scottish Independence referendum at Broomhouse Community Hall in Glasgow this morning

What happens if you were born in Scotland and moved elsewhere? Or what about if you are a migrant living in Scotland? The Scottish government has provided the anwers in a handy chart

SCOTLAND SAYS NO!

Scots spurn independence, vote to stay in the United Kingdom

Scots were asked to answer "Yes" or "No" to the question: "Should Scotland be an independent country?".

Voters lined up at polling stations across Scotland to vote with 4.28 million voters, or 97 percent of the electorate, registered to vote. Turnout hit a record high.

All but two opinion polls - in August 2013 and August 2014 - showed unionists in the lead but a dramatic surge in nationalist support from mid-August prompted Britain to promise more powers to Scotland.

The prospect of breaking up the world's sixth-largest economy and a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, has stoked concern in the United States and Europe.

USA has made clear it wants the United Kingdom, it main ally in Europe, to remain together.

 

 

 

More than 4.2million registered to take part in in the extraordinary vote, turnout is expected to be exceptionally high, and could top 85 per cent.

 

Some areas reported more than half of people had cast their ballot before lunchtime.

Each council area is announcing the total number of votes cast for Yes and No, which are being collated at the national count HQ at Royal Highland Centre near Edinburgh Airport.

The referendum campaign has produced one of the most astonishing campaigns in British political history.

Among Scots living in Scotland, the split has been 50:50, while a majority of people born elsewhere but living in Scotland wanted to stay in the UK.

Turnout in many parts of Scotland has been very high, with some traditionally Tory areas thought to have hit as much as 97 per cent. 

With 29 of the 32 council areas in Scotland now declared, No leads on 55% with Yes on 45%

SNP leaders admit to 'deep disappointment as Better Together campaign heads for clear victory in referendum

 

  

The count in Glasgow's Emirates Arena, the largest of the 32 counting centres in the country

 

 

Final results showed the No camp won 2,001,926 votes (55.3 per cent) against 1,617,989 for Yes (44.7 per cent) on a record 84.4 per cent turnout;

• Alex Salmond resigned as his dream of separation was crushed, insisting: ‘My time is nearly over... the dream shall never die’;
• President Barack Obama hailed the referendum result, saying the US had ‘no closer ally’ than a strong and united Britain;
• The FTSE hit a 14-year high and sterling soared as confidence flowed back into the City after the rejection of Yes;
• Boris Johnson put himself at the head of a Tory revolt over financial ‘bribes’ offered to the Scots to persuade them to vote No.

A visibly relieved David Cameron, who had been braced for calls to quit in the event of a Yes vote, hailed a ‘clear result’ after staying up to see the returns come in.

 

The 10.6 percentage-point margin of victory for the No camp – despite Labour haemorrhaging almost 40 per cent of its voters to Yes – was wider than pollsters had predicted. ‘There can be no disputes, no reruns – we have heard the settled will of the Scottish people,’ David Cameron said.

A despondent Alex Salmond struck a different tone, accepting only that Scotland had ‘at this stage’ rejected independence.

 

The First Minister claimed Westminster was already reneging on commitments about the timetable for the devolution of more powers to Holyrood. But Mr Salmond announced his resignation, leaving the way open for his deputy Nicola Sturgeon. 

Ed Miliband promised yesterday to examine the case for 'a Senate of the Nations and Regions', an apparent echo of Labour's failed 'regional assemblies' from when they were last in power.

He vowed to 'reverse a century of centralisation' adding: 'We need further devolution of power within England, we need reform at Westminster, and we need to look seriously at codifying the constitution.

Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon refused to admit defeat while there were still outstanding results to come, but her face at the count in Glasgow showed how the evening had gone from moment of celebration to bitter acceptance of the voters' rejection

Constituency	Yes	No	%
1. Orkney	4.9k	10.0k	33	67
2. Shetland	5.7k	10.0k	36	64
3. Western Isles	9.2k	10.5k	47	53
4. Highland	0	0	0	0
5. Moray	27.2k	36.9k	42	58
6. Aberdeenshire	71.3k	108.6k	40	60
7. City of Aberdeen	59.4k	84.1k	41	59
8. Angus	35.0k	45.2k	44	56
9. City of Dundee	52.6k	39.9k	57	43
10. Perth & Kinross	41.5k	62.7k	40	60
11. Argyle & Bute	26.3k	37.1k	41	59
12. Airdrie	25.0k	37.2k	40	60
13. Clackmannanshire	16.4k	19.0k	46	54
14. Fife	114.1k	139.8k	45	55
15. Falkirk	50.5k	58.0k	47	53
16. East Dunbartonshire	30.6k	48.3k	39	61
17. West Dunbartonshire	33.7k	28.8k	54	46
18. Inverclyde	27.2k	27.3k	50	50
19. Renfrewshire	55.5k	62.1k	47	53
20. City of Glasgow	194.8k	169.3k	53	47
21. North Lanarkshire	115.8k	110.9k	51	49
22. West Lothian	53.3k	65.7k	45	55
23. City of Edinburgh	123.9k	194.6k	39	61
24. East Lothian	27.5k	44.3k	38	62
25. Midlothian	26.4k	34.0k	44	56
26. Borders	27.9k	55.6k	33	67
27. South Lanarkshire	101.0k	121.8k	45	55
28. East Renfrewshire	24.3k	41.7k	37	63
29. North Ayrshire	47.1k	49.0k	49	51
30. East Ayrshire	39.8k	44.4k	47	53
31. South Ayrshire	34.4k	47.2k	42	58
32. Dumfries & Galloway	36.6k	70.0k	34	66
Total:	1538.9k	1914.2k	45	55