The Sad Home Of A Sad Campaign To Keep The UK Together

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So here it is, the Edinburgh HQ of the dynamic Better Together campaign charged with convincing Scotland that it's better off staying part of one of the longest lasting and most successful political marriages of all time.

A shared history that lasted over three centuries which saw (and oversaw) the building of an empire and its collapse, the industrial revolution and two world wars. Shared values that forged beloved national institutions like the National Health Service and welfare to ensure that those who need it most were looked after.

All this, and yet to describe the Better Together campaign as a damp squid would be to do a disservice to squibs everywhere. In truth its headquaters is eerily fitting - somewhere between a job center and a disused laundrette. As financial journalist Frances Coppola put it on Twitter, it's a sad office for a sad campaign.

And yet this sad camp of the disheartened and the frightened might just limp over the line. The bonds that bind might well be stronger than the grating negativity of a campaign that promised not greater prosperity and equality, but less severe budget cuts and the odd Labour government.

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Such has been the ineptitude of the campaign that the leaders of all three major Westminster parties have had to sign up to further devolution of powers to the Scottish Parliament in the 11th hour to prevent a rout. These same powers that Prime Minister David Cameron himself said would be "inconsistent" with Scotland remaining part of the union only two short years ago.

Politics may have short memories but this night is going to last long in the collective consciousness of Scotland.

While the No camp has been notable mostly for its absence in recent days, Yes supporters have taken to the street in large numbers and loud voice. It has been a political earthquake that has left a usually comfortable Westminster establishment shaking.

In a few short hours we shall know whether the independence campaign has succeeding in toppling them over.