Alistair Darling who led the Better Together campaign made a speech this morning following the declaration of 31 out of 32 results in the Scottish Independence Referendum which shows that the overwhelming voice of Scottish people says they do not want independence.
With declaration after declaration coming in for NO, following the first declaration for Clackmannanshire, Dundee , West Dunbartonshire and Glasgow were the only areas which voted YES.
Notwithstanding the number of areas which voted No the final tallies of votes cast for and against are 1,539,920 for YES and 1,914,187 for NO.
Alistair Darling said this morning:
The people of Scotland have spoken. We have chosen unity over division and positive change rather than needless separation.
It is a momentous result for Scotland and also for the United Kingdom as a whole.
By confirming our place within the Union, we have reaffirmed all that we have in common and the bonds that tie us together.
Let them never be broken.
But as we celebrate, let us also listen. More than 85 per cent of the Scottish population has voted. People who were disengaged from politics have turned out in large numbers.
While they have voted on the constitution, that was not the only or perhaps the major issue that drove them to the polls.
Every political party must listen to their cry for change, which could be echoed in every part of our United Kingdom but had this opportunity to express itself in Scotland.
To those who have supported us, and all the great team of volunteers who have worked for this outcome, I want to say thanks from the bottom of my heart.
You represent the majority of opinion. Your voices have been heard.. We have taken on the argument and won. The silent have spoken.
Of course I understand that amongst those who supported Yes there will be disappointment, or even grief. Defeat is painful, as I can tell you from personal experience.
I know there are many people with deep and genuine commitment to Scotland on the Yes side. They will and must continue to make their contribution to the political debate.
But that debate must move on from the constitution to the day and daily issues which affect their lives and prospects.
And the Scottish Parliament must use both the powers it holds and those which are coming to it, to address these concerns.
When the Scottish Parliament was born, delivered by Donald Dewar and the government of which I was proud to be a member, we talked of devolution being a journey.
He would be proud that Scottish democracy is so vibrant, so alive, and so determined to take the next steps down the road which we began..
So I am clear that all of the parties who have made shared commitments to change must now start to translate this into action. I give my commitment to promoting that process.
We will work with the people of Scotland in advancing these commitments.
We must also recognize that the debate has created some fairly deep divisions in our country. This has been a campaign that has both energized and, at times, divided.
Some people have felt unable to speak out except through the ballot box
This division now needs to be addressed.
This requires leadership, and my colleagues and I will play our part in bringing the country together, to demonstrate that after this vote we remain united.
This has not been an easy campaign YES to change is sometimes easier to argue for than NO. We were obliged to point to the risks of separation as well as the positive aspects of the Union.
But those risks were real, and it is in my view a tribute to the good sense of the Scottish people that they decided they were far too great to take.
So the vote is over. The Scottish people have given their verdict.
We have made a decision for progress and change, for Scotland within the United Kingdom.
Come on Scotland. Let’s do it together.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
I think Clackmananshire should be changed to South Angus as one of the 4 YES voting regions. It was Clackmananshire, (an expecetd YES) was announced that the writing was pretty much on the wall.
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
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