The big guns on both sides of the Scottish independence divide have marked their ballot papers on a historic day for the United Kingdom.<br /><br />Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond, leader of the ‘Yes’ campaign, voted in his village in Aberdeenshire after a frenzied final two weeks of campaigning.<br /><br />Former British Prime Minster Gordon Brown turned out, still basking in the reaction to his barnstorming ‘No’ speech on the eve of the poll.<br /><br />Turnout is high with the vote forcing many to question their their identity.<br /><br />One woman in Edinburgh was asked why it was such an ‘emotional day’ she replied through the tears: “Because I am British, because I have an English father and Scottish mother, I was born in England, I live here. I am British, I can be nothing else.”<br /><br />For other regions across Europe seeking independence the Scottish vote is hugely significant and many travelled to Scotland to back the ‘Yes’ campaign. <br /><br />The reverberations of the referendum will go well beyond Scottish borders.
