The o-Cigarette

(Original hand-rolled)

He'd have preferred an e-cigarette but he couldn't get a wi-fi connection!

By quirk of fate the first stranger I chanced upon today happened to be Scottish. And he is the first Scotsman I've found locally to have wanted independence for his native country. Ronnie here was up all night watching events unfold. He hails from Dundee and was delighted for the yes vote from his home city. He did however have some unprintable things to say for the people of Edinburgh! I asked him about his nationality and whether he would have applied for a Scottish passport if the vote had gone the other way. He didn't understand what I meant. "I was born in Scotland," he said. "I'm a Scot." That was all that mattered. I think that actually said a great deal.

It's been an extremely long day at the office, which, on top of a late night and an early morning (watching events unfold myself), means I'm now totally washed out. From a purely personal point of view I feel a great sense of relief over the decision but I also feel other unexpected emotions. There's a part of me that's surprised, possibly almost disappointed at the loss of a faith which was clearly building. If I was a Scot living in Scotland I suspect I would have had a strong urge to vote yes for independence. For the nationalists it must be heart-breaking to feel that they were so close. It was quite probably just down to the head overruling the heart when it came to the final crunch in the clinical environment of the polling booth. I really feel for those who put their soul into this campaign. The hope is, of course, that they won't come away with nothing. The amazing turnout, the passionate political engagement, all will hopefully bring about change, not just in Scotland but throughout the United Kingdom. I hope the momentum can be maintained. You guys up there have set a very fine example.

Thanks so much for all the wonderful commentary. I'm preparing to take a much needed and long overdue break for a week so, as usual, there's a mighty rush to get everything sorted here before I go. I hope to find a bit of time tomorrow to respond.