Watch above: Stuart Greer is on the streets of Edinburgh the morning after it was revealed Scotland voted NO to remain part of the United Kingdom.
EDINGURGH – After staying up all night waiting for the results to trickle in, bleary-eyed Scots are digesting the verdict of their historic referendum on independence.
For a while, it looked like it might be a tight race with Dundee and Glasgow voting YES.
But before dawn, at around 5:30am, the NO-side pushed past the fifty-percent threshold and finally ended up with 55 per cent of Scottish voters choosing to stick with the United Kingdom.
The Yes-side conceded defeat with just 45 per cent support. It was crushing loss.
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“I’m quite angry. I’m pissed off,” said die-hard separatist Bruce Ogilvie, from Angus.
Ogilvie was dressed in a red tartan kilt and carrying the Scottish flag, the Saltire, on the Royal Mile in the heart of the ancient capital.
“We’re not going away,” he said, “We’re like Quebec and we’re going to carry on until we get justice here.”
There is little faith among Yes-voters that British Prime Minister David Cameron or the political elite in Westminster will keep their promise of giving Scotland more powers.
“Let’s get real here. Scotland is going to be shafted,” says Ogilvie. “We are going to get nothing.”
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Others are even more pessimistic about Scotland’s future. Natalie Maitan sells handmade jewelry to tourists and believes Scots will be punished for taking the U.K. so close to the brink.
“I’m expecting future sanctions from Westminster,for stepping out of line, rather than future powers,” she said.
Disillusioned with politics, Ogilvie is ready more extreme measures.
“We don’t want referendums any more. We want a revolution,” said Ogilvie. “We need people marching on the streets.”
But that’s unlikely anytime soon: only a handful of Scots are so radical.
The ball is in Westminster’s court and most are waiting to see if Cameron lives-up to his pledge of more powers for Scotland.
If he fails to meet expectations, separatist passions could be reignited.
But for now, everyone is exhausted.
After a grueling campaign and being up all night, both sides are emotionally drained.
Many are taking the day off and staying in bed. Call it the “referendum hangover.”
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