For a little while there, almost everything else, all the terrible news of the conflicts scattered around the world, receded a little bit into the background, as the possibility of a peaceful break by Scotland from the United Kingdom became a distinct possibility. Emotional pleas from both sides were made, and the polls suggested a very tight race. What had once seemed almost a laughable notion - Scottish independence actually gaining traction and winning in such an election - suddenly became a very real possibility. Polls as recently as last week showed that not only had the pro-independence vote gained, but had sprung ahead of the "No" vote!
The huge vote for Scottish independence is now history, and the people of Scotland soundly rejected independence.
So all of the questions and speculation about all the different possible scenarios if Scotland should break away - questions like what currency would be used there, would they remain part of the European Union, would relations with the neighboring United Kingdom remain friendly, or deteriorate, and what would Britain's flag look like if they were forced to remove the blue of Scotland - all of those questions and possibilities can be shelved, at least for the time being.
The polls are in, and the pro-independence vote was defeated by a margin of 55.3 % to 44.7%, the nays have it. A clear majority - 2,001, 926 Scots voted against breaking away from the United Kingdom of Great Britain, while 1,617, 989 voted in favor of independence for Scotland.
So, the people of Scotland have spoken, and the United Kingdom will remain as is - at least for the time being!
But many disappointed Scots, reenergized by the surprisingly successful campaign for independence that seemed weak and easily dismissed initially, will surely now make great efforts to have another opportunity to break away.
And Prime Minister Cameron, acknowledging the lessons to be learned from all of this, emphasized that a renewed process of devolution away from the central government in Great Britain, and gradually empowering regional governments much more as the proper direction.
We all knew that such a hard fought campaign and a fairly close vote (although not as close as the polls suggested in the days leading up to the vote) was going to change things in the United Kingdom, one way or the other.
And so, it has come to pass. The election is over, and the attention will surely draw away from Scotland and the suddenly not so United looking Kingdom of Great Britain.
But if Cameron was serious about the process of change, which will affect not just Scotland, but the other entities that the United Kingdom consists of - England, Wales, and Northern Ireland - then things will indeed start to take a different form in the coming weeks and months.
Here, according to the Guardian article (David Cameron commits to devolution revolution in UK after Scotland vote by Patrick Wintour of The Guardian, 19 September 2014 -see link below), is much of what Prime Minister Cameron had to say, in the wake of the defeat of the proposed Scottish independence yesterday:
He gave a clear warning to nationalists that it would be wrong to seek to revive the independence debate after a vote that engaged more than 80% of the Scottish electorate. "There can be no debates, no reruns. We have heard the settled will of the Scottish people."
Cameron added: "The people of Scotland have spoken and it is a clear result. They have kept our country of four nations together and, like millions of other people, I am delighted.
"As I said during the campaign, it would have broken my heart to see our United Kingdom come to an end. And I know that sentiment was shared by people not just across our country but around the world because of what we have achieved together in the past and what we can do together in the future.
"So now it is time for our United Kingdom to come together and to move forward. A vital part of that will be a balanced settlement, fair to people in Scotland and importantly to everyone in England, Wales and Northern Ireland as well."
He sought to justify his decision to stage the referendum on the terms he had chosen. He said: "The Scottish National party was elected in Scotland in 2011 and promised a referendum on independence. We could have tried to block that, we could have tried to put it off, but just as with other big issues it is right to take and not to duck the big decision.
"I am a passionate believer in our United Kingdom and I wanted more than anything for our United Kingdom to stay together. But I am also a democrat and it was right that we respected the SNP's majority in Holyrood and gave the Scottish people the right to have their say.
"Let us also remember why it was right to ask the definitive question: yes or no? Because now the debate has been settled for a generation, or as Alex Salmond has said, perhaps for a lifetime."
Not everyone is impressed, however. Some, in fact, suggest that emphasizing that affairs in England should only be the business of the English was, in fact, a counterproductive message (same article):
Labour reacted coolly to Cameron's decision to link devolution in Scotland to the introduction of English votes for English laws. Owen Smith, the shadow Welsh secretary, said: "The last thing Scotland needs is a constitutional fix which reduces Scotland's voice at Westminster and strengthens Tories' grip on power."
And so it goes. Once again, it's coming down to political details and infighting, as the level of historical significance of the Scottish vote recedes, and the pettiness of politics fills the vacuum, and the horrors going around all over the world begin, once again, to take front and center.
David Cameron commits to devolution revolution in UK after Scotland vote by Patrick Wintour of The Guardian, 19 September 2014:
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/sep/19/david-cameron-devolution-revolution-uk-scotland-vote
Also, I thought that this was an interesting link, even if it's a bit irrelevant after the fact now:
9 big questions before Scotland’s big vote on independence
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/09/17/9-big-questions-before-scotlands-big-vote-on-independence/
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