Scotland: The People's Voice Panorama

The United Kingdom has held itself together, for the moment. But the

union will never be the same again. So the result of the vote will

certainly have a big impact right across the UK... Leaders are

grappling with the timing and extent constitutional changes promised.

Westminster had to promise unprecedented powers to Edinburgh.

-- Edinburgh, to stop Scotland breaking away. This is a remarkable

moment, a moment that has unknown consequences for not only Scotland's

future, but that for the UK as a whole. Now, a constitutional crisis

looms, as people across the UK question the very future of our

union. We've heard the voice of Scotland and now the millions of

voices of England must also be heard. So, how did it happen? This

result, which has had such profound consequences for us all.

Panorama teamed up with BBC Scotland to follow the lives of several

voters in the run up to the poll. I'm British. I was born British. You

were born in Scotland. I was born British. You were born in Scotland,

so you're Scottish. Through indecision, anxiety and the big

night itself. Let's get voting. It's through these momentous months that

the people of Scotland changed the face of Britain.

BBC cameras spent four months in the homes of voters. From castles to

council flats, from the Northern Isles to inner-city Glasgow, I

travelled around Scotland to meet them, the people who would help

decide their country's fate and with it, unexpectedly, the future shape

of all the UK. There were farmers, the Shetland boatmen, the

hairdresser, the modern-day laird, and a 16-year-old who gets to vote

for the first time. There's nae much oil left, how come there's record

investment in the industry? From the start, the voters were bombarded

with media messages. I will not be gambling with my children's future.

Both sides try to claim ownership of the national identity. Not long

after my family emigrated to America in the mid-70s, we were invited to

be the special guests of a Burns' supper... When the 'No' campaign

broadcast this in January, they were riding high in the polls. Oh, dear.

Where' ere you be, let's link arms... That doesn't make me want to

vote yes or not, it's just nice words. Exactly. You can still link

arms with people, is it like saying, oh, if we're independent we can't

embrace anybody else. Well, that's just nonsense. That's embarrassing.

There's no way that anybody would change their vote because of that.

You're just upset because you used to like him in Doctor Who and now

you can't. The 'Yes' campaign swiftly took ownership of the

Saltire, making No voters look potentially unpatriotic, belatedly,

Gordon Brown tried to seize it back. Let us tell the Nationalists this is

not their flag, their country, their culture, their streets. This is

everyone's flag, everyone's country, everyone's streets. Danny and

Allison Milne run a farm in Fife. It's more a way of life than a job.

In the spring, with the referendum campaign yet to ignite, their views

on independence were still taking shape. I'm definitely undecided. In

the next few months I'm really going to have to make a determined effort

to read and listen a wee bit better. I want to be clear on what's the

aspiration? Where do we want Scotland to be in 10, 20, 30 years'

time both from Better Together and the 'Yes' campaign. That's going to

sell it to me. Rather than an answer to every single detail. I want a

vision. Others were looking for something less grand than a vision.

Shawn is 29 and has never bothered voting before, along with around a

million other people in Scotland. He was disengaged and disinterested,

but the notion this vote could have changed his future inflamed his cure

yosity. We've got 300 years to make up for having English rule. You

think it will be good for a change? You never know really. No, you

don't. We've never done it, so we don't know. It's got to be a better

option. So independence all the way for you? For me, all the way.

Fabulous. For others, their whole family

history is intertwined with the conflicts between the Scots and the

English. This is the home of Simon Craufurd, a country estate that's

been in the family nearly 800 years. But time has eroded much of that

fortune. Simon needs to work for a living, albeit, on his own 600-acre

estate. I think people expect a lot more

tweed and they get a lot more ripped jeans. The stereotypical stuff of a

toff I don't do and all the other stuff I do. Simon runs several small

businesses from his estate, part of which he's converted into a

self-catering retreat. He sells a piece of Scotland's heritage to

visitors from around the world, fishing, rambling and banquets.

Despite his patriotism and anness trigoing -- ancestry going back to

robber the Bruce, he wanted Scotland to remain in the UK. A Yes vote for

him could have meant an extra cost for his business, which, he thought,

could have been terminal. If the interest rates go up, won't have the

money to spend. If interest rates go up, for us, we will struggle. We

have borrowing in the estate and in the What's the worst house. That

could happen? We could potentially lose the house itself, which would

be, for me, devastating, because it would be 28 generations and that's

too big a gamble to take. For others too, the economy and the pound in

particular were to play a big part in deciding which way to vote. A

pound is a pound, whether it's got a picture of the Queen, Rabbie Burns

or even me. How can we be sure we can keep the

Scottish pound even if we vote yes in the referendum? It was the

Chancellor, George Osborne, who first set the currency debate

alight. If Scotland walks away from the UK, it walks away from the UK

pound. But some saw that as English bullying and it was the Yes vote, in

favour of independence, which made ground. It was left to Alistair

Darling, from the 'No' campaign, to win it back.

What the hell is this castle speaking about? There's no way they

can stop Scotland from using the pound. It doesn't belong to you.

It's been built up over a period of time. What.experts think. Three

academics followed the debate for Panorama.

Telling people in Scotland that they can't have something because England

doesn't want them to, doesn't necessarily go down as a

particularly popular idea. It's a currency that has been shared for

several hundred years. That really does make a difference, actually.

Because it's one thing to object to another country adopting your

currency. It's another saying that we're going to stop another country

using it. Shetland can feel as remote from Edinburgh as it does

from London. Some here are equally dismissive of both. It has an oil

business making it financially buoyant. It was to vote strongly to

stay in the union. But Frank is an incomer, a Shetlander since he was

eight. He wanted a Scotland without the rest of the UK, but he was

struggling to persuade his old friend, Stuart.

I can understand Frank's point of view. I think he's got a valid

point. He argues a good argument. But I'm not right sure. The thing

is, though, every Tory Government that we've had has been against what

Scottish, the people of Scotland has voted for. We've never voted for a

Tory Government, yet that's what we've had, all the Thatcher years.

Yes, even Tony Blair was a bloody That's right, New Tory. Labour.

At a comprehensive school in Glasgow, Holly Webber represented a

new generation of voters, 16 and 17-year-olds had been enfranchised

for the first time, more than 100,000 of them. Early on, polls

showed the internet generation would vote against independence. But the

gap between yes and no was to be narrow. Holly lives in a

middle-class area of Glasgow with her parents. Hello. Hello. Whilst

they plan to vote no, she became a defiant yes, following the pattern

of her age group. I used to be a really strong no. But

that was maybe more than a couple of months ago, when I feel like there

was less hype, less information about the referendum then and a lot

of it was like, "Oh, the referendum again." I thought maybe it was too

risky. Now I've looked into it and realised what actually needs to

change in Britain, I'm a yes now. No, no, no, no, no. I'm voting no.

LAUGHTER That's great fun actually. Both campaigns went viral and it

became hard to distinguish what was official and what wasn't. Do you

think she's part of the official SNP campaign? She could be.

# I want a country run by Tory MPs, I'm voting no... When you listen to

some of her words, she was like, although why make your own choice,

when we can let, like, the Parliament do it for us. I was like

yeah, that's reverse psychology. In Fife despite working on her busy

farm, Allison had found time to study the issues around independence

and had come down as a firm Yes vote. She believed it would bring

about a fairer, more equitable society and that Scotland would be

more likely to keep her in the EU, rather than staying with the UK,

where some are pushing for a referendum to get out. Hi. She

wasn't spooked by warnings that an independent Scotland could find

itself in the wilderness. In case there is a new state, coming

out of our comurnt member state, it will have to apply and it is very

important, the application and accession to the European Union will

have to be approved by all the other member states of the European

Union... REPORTER: Does that worry you? I

think I would be foolish to say it doesn't worry me. The negotiation

process will be very difficult, not least because that negotiation

process has to take part with Scotland, the UK, and Europe, so,

yes, it will be very challenging. The fear of being evicted from

Europe was played on repeatedly by the No campaign. And was never

satisfactorily resolved. I find it very difficult to see how the

European Union could expel the territory and the people of

Scotland. Scotland is in the European Union, not as an

independent state, but we have been there for 40 years. As a matter of

democratic principle, to say you will be excluded because you

exercise your democratic right in agreement with the rest of the

United Kingdom would give a terrible example to Nationalist movements

elsewhere. At the salon in Glasgow, Shaun's

political awakening had exposed him to some fresh and uncomfortable

truths. I seen something and it is a threat

and that is quite scary as well! The removal of nuclear subs was an

issue, but not for voters like Shaun.

Obviously, I didn't know they were in Scotland before until now.

Up at the farm, in Fife, Alison's Yes vote hasn't waivered. Danny

remained undecided. But Alison didn't really want to vote Yes, or

No. She wanted a third choice, on more devolved powers for Scotland,

so-called devo max. Ready? Ready for you. When the

referendum deal was signed, the Scottish Government was open to the

idea of devo max on the ballot paper, but Westminster ruled it out.

Back then, polls showed just 30% of Scots supported independence. David

Cameron's decision wouldn't have seemed much of a gamble, but it

would come back to haunt him. Yes, I would have gone for devo max,

definitely. Are you saying that was a mistake by the British Government

not to make sure that was an option on the ballot paper? I think it was

an incredibly poor decision not to include devo max. I think even for

those people that support independence, they could have

recognised that it might have provided a gradual transition

towards that. Then, the bombshell. A YouGov poll

put the Yes vote ahead for the first time. England awoke. The three

Westminster parties panicked and went further than they had ever

intended. Vowing to give extensive new powers to Scotland if voters

rejected independence. A revitalised Gordon Brown would

fast-track it. I'm proud that we are leading the way today in saying a

timetable has got to be developed for the Scottish Parliament, so let

nobody say that this referendum is a choice between doing nothing and

independence. Was it David Cameron's mistake that

that wasn't on the ballot paper? Towards the end of the campaign,

when the two sides were neck-and-neck, he probably regretted

that. The Nationalists wanted a second question because if they lost

the first question, they could probably win the second one. So, it

was a win-win situation for them. The three party leaders dashed to

Scotland to shore up the No vote. I think they should have done it

earlier and then again, but the problem is... Cameron got slagged

off for it. I know. David Cameron is not being genuine. I would be

heartbroken... He will be heartbroken that we break up when,

really, he realised that it is a reality. If this family of nations

was torn apart... I have more respect for David Cameron but I

don't rate him much as a politician after his speech and the fact that

he actually was nearly in tears and clearly feels passionate about it.

On the one hand, it did show that people at Westminster were taking

the issue seriously. On the other hand, there was a lack of

realisation that, in a sense, Westminster is part of the problem

rather than the solution. And it was a bit of a reminder that all three

party leaders looked rather alien figures.

But the most high-profile boost for the No vote was to come from outside

party politics. There are more questions about the

future of Scottish financial institutions in the event of a Yes

vote... With seven days to go to the poll, it came out that The Royal

Bank of Scotland and Lloyds were making contingency plans to move

their HQs out of Scotland in the event of independence.

In London, the Treasury said that was understandable. The Yes camp

accused it of trying to orchestrate a campaign to save the Union, but

the fear that jobs and money were escaping over the border whilst they

still could had already stopped the momentum of the Yes campaign.

In the frantic final week, Glasgow hosted Scotland's biggest youth

debate. Nearly 7,500 teenagers took part. Holly was amongst them. The

fear of money and jobs migrating south had reached these first-time

voters. Two large Scottish banks have vowed to move their

headquarters south of the border if we go independent. How can Nicola

say that this will attract more jobs for young people, whereas it has

pushed jobs out at the thought of an independent Scotland? RBS said it's

moving headquarters... No, it didn't. No, it didn't. Tesco Bank

before we came out today said they are moving their headquarters... The

banks say they don't involve moving any jobs. If the banks say that,

let's not have scaremongering from the No party. What is striking here

is the level of political engagement. These youngsters, they

are interested, they are really passionate. That is not going to go

away whatever the result of the referendum. Their sharpened

political awareness is going to shape the future of Scotland.

The big day last Thursday. Most of Britain had only appreciated the

importance of the referendum in the final days of the campaign. But in

Scotland, after unprecedented levels of political engagement, polling

stations were going to be busy. Fine. Not particularly complicated.

Make sure the cross is very obvious, where it should be. Morning.

It's the future that is going to be affecting me for the rest of my

life. It is good that I get do have a say in it. Almost 85% of voters

went to the polls, the highest turnout in UK history.

I'm not that fussed which way it goes. I was swaying more towards

Yes. If it is not Yes, no hard feelings. I was surprised how

nervous I felt. I suppose a bit emotional, really, with the eyes of

the world watching Scotland. I hope we can do ourselves proud and show

how we can deal with opposing views respectfully. That is really, you

know, my biggest hope. I will be delighted if it is the Yes

vote, obviously. If it is a No, then we will have to start all over

again. When the polling stations closed,

Yes supporters in Glasgow were still in party mood. A majority of the

city did vote for independence. I'm not voting Yes, I'm voting aye! But

by early morning, it had become clear which way Scotland had voted.

The people of Scotland in response to the referendum question - should

Scotland be an independent country - were in favour of No. It was a No

vote. I'm disappointed, but I'm not shocked. I kind of expected it.

There was always that hope that you might get it. Ah! Relieved. I would

say that is the biggest feeling I have, relief. It continues. As

Union. Thank you. After months and years of emotional

campaigning, in the end it was the economic arguments which prevailed.

It was long clear from all the polling evidence that if people were

going to vote Yes, they had to be convinced of the economic case for

independence. That's probably the principle reason why independence

did not manage to win the day. With the world's media watching, the

United Kingdom has faced its greatest constitutional challenge in

300 years and survived, but the Union and the UK's relations with

its nation states will never be the same again.

Although the Scots had voted against independence, the appetite for

change could not be ignored. We are looking at a remarkable

moment in the sense that 45% of people in Scotland voted to leave

the United Kingdom. The UK does need to be aware that it is a fragile

Union. The people of Scotland have spoken. It is a clear result. So,

now it is time for our United Kingdom to come together and to move

forward. A vital part of that will be a balanced settlement, fair to

people in Scotland because now the debate has been settled for a

generation. No, it's not. No. 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. Standing

outside the steps of Downing Street and saying that - it is another

thing when he goes into the House of Commons and tries to pull three

parties together. They didn't want the same as what he wants. What

David Cameron had done was to tie the question of Scottish devolution

to much wider, constitutional reform for the whole United Kingdom. A huge

project that could make delivering the promise of new powers to

Scotland problematic. I think the advice to Westminster is that if it

wishes to cement its victory in Scotland, and is concerned to ensure

that Scotland becomes a relatively contentive member of the Union, it

should avoid adding Mr Cameron's rider. Many voters in Scotland,

their interest in democratic politics at an all-time high, remain

optimistic. They now expect the politicians to deliver real change.

I really hope the result here in Scotland is one that creates change

in the rest of the UK as well because I think the democratic

process is here and the way that people have engaged in politics has

undoubtedly been fantastic. It is an exciting time for Scotland

and probably for the rest of the UK. There will be change in Scotland.

There will be more powers in the Scottish Parliament. It is an

exciting time. I hope that it will all work. But not everyone is

convinced. Some think the Prime Minister's commitment to wider

reform is designed to serve his own political ends and it seems bound to

be opposed at Westminster. He's offered the break-up of the UK, not

just in Scotland, but he's offering more power for Wales, Northern

Ireland and England. He's gone one step further. If that is, which I

think will be the case, undeliverable, then where do we go

from here? The Scottish referendum has raised millions of voters above

political cynicism. People of all ages have shown a hunger to take

part. And a new-found belief they can bring about change. The

consequences of disappointing them would be enormous. For me, as

leader, my time is nearly over. But for Scotland, the campaign continues

and the dream shall never die. I put my arms over my son

and I put my leg over my daughter, then the footsteps got closer

and closer A year on, those that survived

the Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi for curious people like us.

They just keep on coming.