Emotions mount on final day of Scottish campaign

EDINBURGH, Scotland - For Scots, Wednesday was a day of excitement, apprehension, and a flood of final appeals before a big decision. In a matter of hours, they will determine whether Scotland leaves the United Kingdom and becomes an independent state.

A full 97 percent of those eligible have registered to vote - including, for the first time, 16- and 17-year-olds - in a referendum that polls suggest is too close to call, with opponents of independence slightly ahead.

A phone poll of 1,373 people by Ipsos MORI, released Wednesday, put opposition to independence at 51 percent and support at 49 percent, with 5 percent of voters undecided.

Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, himself a Scot, told a "No" campaign rally that the quiet majority of pro-union Scots "will be silent no more," while pro-independence leader Alex Salmond urged voters to seize a democratic opportunity 307 years in the making.

In its final hours, the battle for Scotland had all the trappings of a normal election campaign: "Yes Scotland" and "No, Thanks" posters in windows, buttons on jackets, and megaphone-topped campaign cars cruising the streets blasting out Scottish songs and T. Rex's "Children of the Revolution."

But it is, both sides acknowledge, a once-in-a-generation - maybe once-in-a-lifetime - choice that could redraw the map of the United Kingdom.

The gravity of the decision was hitting home for many as political leaders made passionate, final pleas for their sides. Four million people are registered to vote in the country of 5.3 million people.

Cathy Chance, who works for Britain's National Health Service in Edinburgh, said she would leave Scotland if it became independent. "I don't want to live under a nation that's nationalistic," she said.

On the other side, Yes campaigner Roisin McLaren said she was finally letting herself believe independence might be possible.

"Just in the last few days it's seemed possible, within reach. I can almost taste it," the Edinburgh University student said as she knocked on doors to convert wavering electors.

Politicians on both sides expressed confidence in the Scottish public, but uncertainty rippled below the surface.

Polls fail to put either side decisively ahead. Bookmakers tell a different story - predicting a No victory. A winning 1 pound bet on Yes would pay out 5 pounds from many bookies; the same pound would return just 1.20 pounds from a winning wager on No.

What's happening Thursday?

Four million eligible voters in Scotland 16 or older are expected to participate in a referendum on one simple question: "Should Scotland be an independent country?" They have two choices: "Yes" and "No." If a majority say yes, Scotland severs its union with Britain. There should be be a definitive answer by Friday morning.

What would an independent Scotland look like?

It's a matter of great debate. Critics of the "Yes" camp fear an economic basket case. Its backers see something far more ideal: a departure from the austerity and inequities of Tory-run Britain and a shift toward a more Scandinavian- style social democracy. With

a modest population and considerable oil wealth, an independent Scotland, say "Yes" campaigners, would still remain in the EU and NATO.

What would happen to the rest of the United Kingdom

if Scotland leaves?

It's hard to see it as anything other than a blow. The U.K. would lose more than 8 percent of its population. It would lose the vast majority of North Sea oil revenue and probably a big chunk of its military power. Critics wonder what, exactly, the rest of the U.K. could be called if Scots depart: It will no longer be a kingdom that is united, nor will "Great Britain" encompass all of Britain. "Former United Kingdom" has been suggested, though it's hard to imagine that catching on.

- Washington PostEndText