Scottish nationalists glum after ‘devastating’ result

EDINBURGH: Supporters of Scottish independence reacted gloomily on Friday to the results of a referendum that dashed their hopes of leaving the United Kingdom, with some breaking down in tears.

"My feeling was just crushing, quite devastating," said 16-year-old Charlotte Darroch, who was watching the count in Edinburgh in her school uniform pinned with lots of "Yes" badges and with a Scottish flag wrapped around her shoulders.

"We all felt it was going to go the other way. I genuinely thought the feeling on the ground was different. I don´t think people realised quite how important this was," she said.

Darroch said she was "very attached" to the cause and had worked on the campaign for about a year but was not giving up hope, adding: "This isn´t the end of the ´Yes´ campaign."

At Haymarket station in Edinburgh, 23-year-old commuter Danny Trendh said he was "a little bit upset"."But things will be as they were, so my life is not going to change.

"I can´t see another referendum, you never know what will happen in 20 years, but I can´t see it now," he said.

At a coffee shop in the city centre, 38-year-old Brazilian Andreia Rodrigues said she had voted in favour of independence but understood why economic fears had swayed the vote.

"I don´t think that Scots want really to be in the union but they were afraid of things like the currency," she said.

"I don´t blame them. I´m Brazilian and when you change currencies it´s a pain in the neck," she said, referring to devaluations and currency changes in her homeland.

But "No" supporter Louise Fleming, 21, who was watching the count in Edinburgh, said she was "relieved" at the result and would head off for a fried breakfast before going to bed.

"It´s been such a divisive referendum, we have seen the outcome, we can´t expect everything to be great tomorrow but the right outcome has occurred," she said.