Both camps hoping for unity in vote aftermath

As thick fog descended on the Scottish parliament building late yesterday afternoon, the country slipped into twilight before its future became clear at dawn today.

In the dark hours of uncertainty before the result was declared, supporters from both sides were focused on how the country could heal itself after such a polarising campaign which has seen fault lines erupt across families and friends.

Well, perhaps not all families if ardent No supporter Michael Bennett Levy is to be believed.

“My family are all No voters — they were all educated,” he announced in incendiary comments which Unionists praying that the ‘silent majority’ of No voters would save the United Kingdom must have wished this No voter had stayed silent about.

But was that a similar feeling of slight superiority on the Yes side from Chris Thomas, 19, — “My dad is a Yes voter, he’s very interested in this, and my mum and my sister are on the No side, but they don’t know much about it.

“I started off as a No, but the more I learned about it, the more I realised how great this country can be on its own. I hope there won’t be a backlash from the losing side, I don’t think there will be.....,” he said, his voice trailing off into the damp air.

But can a country that has been so divided about its future direction heal any time soon after one side triumphs against the other?

Iona Murray, 22, is fearful, saying: “It will be like Thatcherism, she was out of power before I was even born but you still hear people referencing Thatcher all the time.

“This situation with the referendum is so unprecedented I don’t think anyone really knows how soon the country can come back together again after all that we’ve been through.”

Student and Yes supporter Lewis Rae admitted that with so many English people studying at Edinburgh University, the atmosphere would be “tense” there in the coming days.

“The English students will become foreign students, but being foreign is not a negative thing — they will be like Americans,” he muses.

And just like in Ireland, there always seems to be an American on hand to offer strong views on the country his forebears left.

Step forward John Smith, 52, who flew in from Boston to be here for the vote and is not happy with his native Scottish cousin for backing the No side.

“I don’t know how he is going to live with himself. I don’t love him any less because of it, I just don’t understand him,” Mr Smith despairs.

Alex Brady, 21, was confident his mostly pro-union family would forgive him, saying: “We’ve had some heated rows, but that’s because we all care about Scotland, and I know we will all respect the result.

“If independence goes wrong then I’m sure I’ll never hear the end of it. It’s definitely a risk but, sometimes, you have to take risks in life, and even if we don’t get independence this time, time is on our side. It’s coming sooner or later.”

As evening fell, a kilted bagpiper began playing ‘Flower of Scotland’ and the Yes and No supporters all joined in with the unofficial national anthem in a show of unity both camps will be wishing echoes through the country in the aftermath of a historic moment of decision now unfolding.