Rochester area Scots are reacting to this morning's news that voters in Scotland have rejected independence in Thursday's historic referendum.
Andy Allan, past president of the Scottish Heritage Society of the Rochester area, said he was not surprised by the outcome of the vote, despite predictions by pollsters, who said it was too close to call.
"I firmly believe there were a lot of people saying 'yes' because they felt pressurized to say 'yes', but in their minds they were thinking 'It's not a good thing. The separation would be wrong,' Allan said. “I think a lot of those who said yes said yes just to appease people, and then when they went into the voting booth, they put down what they really thought."
Allan probably would have also voted "no" if he was still living in Scotland. His main objection to Scottish independence was connected to economic concerns and job opportunities.
"What would be the job opportunities up in Scotland, what industries do we have? I mean, everyone harps on about the oil (reserves). Yeah, we get revenue from the oil, but we don't actually own it,” Allan said. "There may be a lot of (whiskey) distilleries but they don't actually employ a lot of people in those areas. So, we don't have a lot of industry up there. Scotland, years and years ago, was a big textile industry. That's all now moved to the cheaper countries in the Far East."
But Allan believes it was good that the referendum took place so Scottish citizens can have more of their views heard by UK government leaders.
"Even with 45 percent saying no, that's a big chunk of the electorate saying 'Do something about this.' "
Nearly 85 percent of eligible voters participated in the decision.
The vote against independence keeps the United Kingdom from losing a substantial part of its territory and oil reserves and prevents it from having to find a new base for its nuclear arsenal, now housed in Scotland. It had also faced a possible loss of influence within international institutions including the 28-nation European Union, NATO and the United Nations.
The decision also means Britain can avoid a prolonged period of financial insecurity that had been predicted by some if Scotland broke away.
