The counting of votes is over in Scotland’s referendum on independence - now the country will have to calculate the costs.
According to the Scottish government, organising the poll cost some £13.7mn, with millions more being spent by campaigners.
But the political and personal costs have been much higher and could take far longer to assess.
“The debate has created some deep divisions in our country. It has been a campaign that has energised and divided,” Alistair Darling, former British chancellor and leader of the pro-union Better Together campaign, said after the result was confirmed.
It is a comment that many on the streets have echoed.
It’s made people interested in politics again. That is for sure. As Yes campaigner Gary Galbraith pointed out people have “suddenly got the feeling that their vote can make a difference”.
The figures reflect that too. According to official statistics, 97% of the electorate registered to vote. Turnout was 84.5%. That number was 63.8% in the general election of 2010.
In the country of 5mn, thousands of electoral workers in more than 2,600 polling stations tallied some 3.5mn ballots after elections that ran from 7am to 10pm, in a grand show of democracy.
In the days before the vote, it was the major topic of conversation across the country, and across a wide spectrum of age groups.
The referendum was “a triumph for the democratic process and for participation in politics”, said Alex Salmond, leader of the Yes campaign, as he conceded defeat.
He announced that he would now step down as Scotland’s First Minister and as leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP).
The campaign was deeply divisive. Canvassers on both sides spoke of occasional intimidation and threats, although police said that very few incidents had been reported.
People on both sides said that the issue had exposed divisions between Scots and English, rich and poor, town and country. It’s divided families and friends.
It is impossible to predict how long that polarisation will last, but it is unlikely to be a swift process.
The political cost, too, is high.
In the heat of the campaign, Prime Minister David Cameron pledged new control over tax, spending and welfare to the Edinburgh parliament if Scots voted to stay in the UK.
But the proposals have sparked concern among many English lawmakers who warned of the implications for their constituents, who they say feel increasingly marginalised.
Cameron confirmed yesterday that proposals for “devo-max” in Scotland would be laid in legislation by January, although not likely implemented until after May’s general election. And addressing his English supporters, he said it was only fair that other UK nations had the same powers delivered in the same time frame - paving the way for a rapid and potentially radical decentralisation of power.
After this referendum, things will never be the same again, for Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole.