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Politicians, media analysing 'Yes' vote outcome in Scotland

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Press Trust of India London
Last Updated : Sep 17 2014 | 8:50 PM IST
British politicians and media today began analysing the scenario if Scotland voted "Yes" to end its over 300-year-old union with the UK in the to independence referendum tomorrow that has aroused excitement and anxiety across the country.
Political leaders on both the sides have expressed confidence in the Scottish people, but uncertainty ripples below the surface.
In the short-term, British Prime Minister David Cameron would have most to lose if Scotland votes to leave the UK.
Some Conservative MPs believe he could even lose his job, according to The Independent.
Yet in the medium-term, a "Yes" verdict could have a much more dramatic impact on Labour than the Tories.
It currently holds 41 of Scotland's 59 constituencies -- which would no longer send MPs to Westminster after "independence day", which is due to happen in March 2016 on Alex Salmond's timetable.

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Even a "No" vote would pose problems for Labour.
If Scottish MPs were excluded from voting on "English laws", as Tory MPs are already demanding, some Labour folk worry whether a Labour government would ever get a Budget approved by the House of Commons.
Whatever the result, British politics will change dramatically after the referendum.
Independence supporters today attended an event in the centre of Glasgow, where they were urged to "vote 'Yes' for a prosperous Scotland".
Alongside, the campaigners in favour of Scotland as part of the UK gathered nearby to insist the case for independence had not been made.
Opinion polls have failed to put either side decisively ahead. The latest polls indicated that the result remains too close to call and that the last-minute efforts were geared towards wooing undecided voters.
They all seem to suggest a lead for "No" at 52 per cent to 48 per cent for "Yes" to independence.
The turnout is expected to reach record levels tomorrow. More than 4.2 million people are registered to vote, 97 per cent of the eligible electorate.
Chief counting officer for the referendum Mary Pitcaithly says she will announce the result at "breakfast time" on Friday.
The result is most likely to be between 06:30 BST and 07:30 BST, according to Elections Scotland.
Scotland is remote and sparsely populated in places, so some areas have to factor in geography and the weather.
Helicopters will be used to fly ballot boxes from islands in Argyll and Bute - where a third of its population live in settlements of fewer than 1,000 people - to the counting centre at Lochgilphead.

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First Published: Sep 17 2014 | 8:50 PM IST

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