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Scotland's first minister resigns
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ALEX Salmond yesterday announced his resignation as leader of the Scottish National Party and said he would be standing down as Scotland’s first minister following the nation’s rejection of independence in a historic referendum.
“For me as leader my time is nearly over but for Scotland the campaign continues and the dream will never die,” Salmond told reporters in Edinburgh.
He said he would not accept the nomination as leader of the Scottish National Party at its annual conference in November and that he would then resign as first minister.
“After the membership ballot I will stand down as first minister to allow the new leader to be elected,” he said.
Scotland’s voters opted to remain part of the United Kingdom in a decision that prevented a rupture of a 307-year union with England, bringing a sigh of relief to sections of Britain’s economic and political establishment, including Prime Minister David Cameron, who faced calls for his resignation if Scotland had broken away.
Thursday’s vote — 55 percent against independence to 45 percent in favor — saw an unprecedented turnout of just under 85 percent.
“We have chosen unity over division,” Alistair Darling, head of the “No” campaign, said in Glasgow yesterday. “Today is a momentous day for Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole.”
Salmond’s impassioned plea to launch a new nation had fallen short, with the country choosing instead the security of remaining in a union with England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
However, the result sets up a whole new political dynamic in the UK, with Cameron appearing outside No. 10 Downing Street to pledge more powers for regional governments.
Cameron promised to live up to earlier promises to give Scotland new powers on taxes, spending and welfare. He said the new plans will be agreed on by November, with draft legislation by January.
But he also said change was coming to other parts of the country.
“Just as the people of Scotland will have more power over their affairs, so it follows that the people of England, Wales and Northern Ireland must have a bigger say over theirs,” Cameron said. “The rights of these voters need to be respected, preserved and enhanced as well.”
The “No” campaign won the capital, Edinburgh, by a margin of 61 percent to 38 percent and triumphed by 59 percent to 41 percent in Aberdeen, the country’s oil center.
The “Yes” campaign won Glasgow, Scotland’s largest city, but it was not enough.
As dawn broke to lead-gray skies, the dream of independence that had seemed so tantalizingly close evaporated in the soft drizzle.
Glasgow’s George Square, the rallying point for thousands of “Yes” supporters in the final days of the campaign, was littered with placards and debris of a campaign in which many had invested more than two years of their lives.
“I had never voted before or got involved with politics in any way but this time I thought my vote would count for something,” said truck driver Calum Noble, 25.
“I wanted a better country but it’s all been for nothing. I don’t believe we will get any of the things the London politicians promised.”
But opinion on a leafy residential street in Edinburgh’s west end told a different tale. In half a dozen homes, nearly all said they had voted “No.”
“Just because I’m not out in the street in a kilt screaming how Scottish I am, that doesn’t mean I’m not a proud Scot. I am. And a proud Brit. That’s the point the ‘Yes’ side doesn’t respect,” said Ger Robertson, 47.
Salmond had argued that Scots could go it alone because of its extensive oil reserves and high levels of ingenuity and education.
He said Scotland would flourish free of interference from any London-based government.
The result saved Cameron from a historic defeat and also helped opposition chief Ed Miliband by keeping his many Labour Party lawmakers in Scotland in place.
Labour would have found it much harder to win a UK election in 2015 without that support from Scotland.
Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown returned to prominence in the final days before the vote. He said Scots could be devoted to Scotland but still proud of their place in the UK, rejecting the argument that independence was the patriotic choice.
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