The pro-independence "Yes" campaign may have made all the noise and provided all the media visuals. However, in the end, it was the “No” voters who held the real heart of Scotland. The UK is a union that’s more than 300 years old.
For a brief moment, a couple of days, Alex Salmond and the Scottish National Party convinced themselves and the world that maybe, just maybe, they had enough votes to create a majority of Scots who wanted to go it alone. But it was Scotch mist (an irresistible cliche).
The pro-independence “Yes” campaign may have made all the noise and provided all the media visuals. However, in the end, it was the “No” voters who held the real heart of Scotland.
The UK is a union that’s more than 300 years old. There has not been a significant conflict between Scotland and England for centuries. So, the SNP was going against the grain of history, and the final vote will reflect that.
Nationalists north of the border may have to wait another century or more to try this gambit again.
In the count on Thursday night and Friday morning, the smaller constituencies declared first. Orkney, Shetland, Clackmannanshire, the Western Isles — and they all fell for “No.”
As the Yes momentum died, news filtered through from the large Yes cities of Aberdeen, Dundee, and Glasgow that turnout there was low — this was the SNP heartland, and it didn’t show up. The Yes campaign won only four of 32 districts.
By the time the big cities declared — Edinburgh later — the vote was already lost.
The Scots are proud to be Scottish. But it turned out being Scottish includes being British, too.
It was exciting stuff.
Across the UK, a massive majority of English, Welsh, and Northern Irish people will be glad to see the Scots come home. A smaller majority of Scots will feel the same way.
As for the nats … it’s time to accept that history has been made.
Scotland remains part of the United Kingdom.