The race has been run and won and those of us who supported independence must accept the result gracefully.
However, the result is a wake-up call for the Westminster establishment. The main lesson from the referendum is that, when people feel that their vote will make a difference, there will be active participation by the electorate. As long as Westminster insists on maintaining the first-past-the-post system whereby a party with only 35% of the vote (but not the total electorate) can win a 120-seat majority in Parliament, the people will continue to be disengaged from the political process. To guarantee the future increased participation of the people of the UK, proportional representation must be introduced for all elections.
There has to be a complete change in the way we think. What is of paramount importance throughout the UK is the "common weal" and we must get away from the "them and us" mentality. Earnest and serious debate is healthy but power at any cost is abhorrent. The capital of any country is its people - ignore them at your peril.
Just as in the case of the failed banks, where no-one has been brought to book, we are now awaiting an acceptable solution from the failed political leadership which got this country into this mess. I only hope events have been such that they have been finally brought to their senses. What is certain is that given the solid and large base of those supporting Scottish independence, the UK Government is on probation only and is not out of the woods yet.
Hugh McLean
Newton Mearns
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