Midlothian votes NO
Midlothian has voted 'No' to Scottish independence 56.3 per cent, to 43.7 per cent. The ballots of 60,396 voters have been counted overnight after a turnout of 86.8 per cent...
By Bryan Rutherford in Bonnyrigg
Midlothian has voted 'No' to Scottish independence 56.3 per cent, to 43.7 per cent. The ballots of 60,396 voters have been counted overnight after a turnout of 86.8 per cent. It's understood that a majority of voters in all six wards backed a No vote, according to Midlothian's Labour MP David Hamilton. He told Referendum Live: "With 50 odd per-cent of the population that work in Edinburgh, and most of them work in Standard Life, The Royal Bank of Scotland, Scottish Widows - it would be unexplainable to me how people in Midlothian would vote the other way.
" After this result there will be a lot of disappointed people, but what we need to do as politicians is start to calm things down. Families have fallen out; husbands and wives have fallen out; mothers, daughters, and sons have fallen out. What we've got to do is to try to make sure that life goes on."
But the MSP for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale - Christine Grahame from the SNP - says even if Better Together wins the referendum overall, change should be inevitable: "Something has to change from West Minister and it's got to be pretty big. If we have nearly 50-per-cent voting for Yes, then even if it isn't enough to take us to independence, it will never be the same again."
LISTEN: Reporter Bryan Rutherford was at the ballot count in Bonnyrigg as Midlothian Council declared the result...
Yes 26,370 (43.70%) No 33,972 (56.30%) No maj 7,602 (12.60%) Electorate 69,617; Turnout 60,342 (86.68%)