Independence Diary: ‘Vote Yes or Else!’ - Vandals Put Police on Standby

Scottish police are "geared up to respond to a period of increased activity” across the country as Scots go to the polls to vote on independence today.

A spokesperson for Scottish police told Newsweek the force had laid out “detailed plans” for any violence over the referendum but refused to confirm whether this entailed the deployment of riot police.

Incidences of vandalism were reported from around the country as polls opened this morning. One Dundee voter told me that she had seen a row of No posters that had been set on fire whilst on the way to the polling station.

Eight No signs were smashed in around the Stirling area over the last two days, while one shop with a No sign in Edinburgh became the subject of graffiti, with the word ‘Nazis’ emblazoned in yellow spray paint across the shop doors last week. A polling station in Dunbartonshire was photographed with ‘Vote Yes or else!’ spray painted on the wall outside this morning.

“There will always be someone in the country who will kick off about anything, so people are nervous,” one Edinburgh newsagent told Newsweek, although he did not think his city-centre business was at risk.

“Independence is something that stirs people up,” he added.

Keely, a Yes voter from Edinburgh, admits the race is too close not to add extra frustration to whoever loses. “Look at how close the Yes [campaign] have come,” she says. “If they lose now, they’ll run riot.”

The atmosphere in the Scottish capital is tense ahead of tomorrow’s announcement of the referendum results. Polls close at 10 o’clock tonight and all results should be announced officially by 7am BST tomorrow morning.

The final Referendum opinion poll, conducted by Survation in the last 24 hours found the No campaign leading the Yes side by 53% to 47%. Yet it also found that 9% of respondents remain ‘undecided’ - a proportion which could swing the result.

Scotsman Englishman: Two Friends, One Thorny Argument, an in-depth ebook on the Scottish independence debate, is available now from Newsweek Insights.