“The survival of the United Kingdom was hanging by a thread last night after the final Times poll in the referendum campaign put the nationalists only two points from victory. The large YouGov poll put the No campaign to keep the Union on 52 per cent with Yes on 48 per cent. Four per cent remained undecided, enough to swing the result. With 4.2 million Scots registered to vote in today’s referendum and the expected turnout as high as 90 per cent, fewer than 100,000 voters separate the two camps” – The Times (£)
>Today:
Scotland decides 1): We wish its people the best of British today
Scotland decides 2): The wizardry of us – what next for the British constitution?
Scotland decides 3): Brian Monteith: The end of Great Britain as we know it…
>Yesterday:
WATCH: Gordon Brown stands up for the Union
Shy Unionists will see the No campaign to victory, says Ruth Davidson
“Alex Salmond praised nationalist activists as the ‘greatest campaigners’ in Scottish history at an eve-of-referendum rally last night after they repeatedly booed and jeered Nick Robinson, the BBC’s political editor. The First Minister said he was speaking on the ‘eve of the most exciting day in Scottish history’ and repeatedly attacked Westminster, claiming the UK parties only agreed to the referendum because ‘they thought they had it in the bag’” – Daily Telegraph
“The Yes campaign urges Scotland to seize an elusive freedom. The very claim is histrionic. This is no story of liberation from the imperial yoke. This is not the story of a downtrodden people seeking power denied by remote colonial masters. It is a story of a country that knows itself, has pride in itself, governs itself and yet is greater than its own part alone for belonging to the most successful Union in the history of nation-states. It is for that reason we urge Scots of all persuasion to vote “no” to independence — and to do so with great national pride” – The Times leading article (£)
“Nigel Mills, the Conservative MP for Amber Valley, accused the three party leaders of ‘bribing the Scots’ with a promise of more devolved powers. Philip Davies, the MP for Shipley, vowed to oppose plans for greater devolution. ‘It was done in a panic when the polls narrowed. It was completely ill thought through,’ he said. ‘I’m certainly not prepared to give a blank cheque to Scotland that my constituents will have to pay for.’ He said that he would not vote for the deal ‘under any circumstances’” – The Times (£)
>Yesterday:
Conservative MPs demand a level playing field for England on devolution
“An English parliament with headquarters in Leeds, Manchester or Sheffield would be more likely to think of the nation beyond London. To appease the TaxPayers’ Alliance it should be financed by abolishing the House of Lords. This would also give members of the UK-wide House of Commons primacy over its reduced responsibilities…David Cameron…needs to do something special to win the general election. Giving England the parliament it deserves might be the big, bold initiative” – Tim Montgomerie, The Times (£)
“The entire conduct of the referendum campaign by the Westminster elite has been nauseating, as they slid from arrogant complacency into tearful hysteria. But nothing has been more repulsive than the attempt by these incompetent, self-serving mediocrities to don the mantle of patriotism, professing their deep love for the British nation. All these eleventh hour declarations of patriotic devotion are hypocritical in the extreme. These are the very politicians who have presided over the wilful, systematic destruction of our national identity, independence and heritage during the last two decades” – Leo McKinstry, Daily Express
“Many No voters I met complained of an atmosphere of intimidation…. This gives us a hint of what Alex Salmond’s brave new Scotland would really be like: a divided and rancorous society with a vindictive style of politics. If that sounds familiar, that’s because it nicely sums up Scotland as it was before the Union” – Niall Ferguson, Daily Telegraph
“Ed Miliband came under attack from his own party last night as MPs accused him of failing to offer an inspiring alternative to Scots tempted by independence. Anger was growing among backbenchers at the party’s failure to convince voters to support Labour at the general election. ‘I just think that part of the reason we are in this situation is because people are not enthusiastic about the leadership,’ said one MP. ‘If the Scots thought Labour was going to win the next election … they wouldn’t be voting yes’” – The Times (£)