SCOTLAND has made its democratic choice and after months of fervent national debate on both sides of the border the country decided to say no to independence. Perhaps the most important national referendum in the UK since 1975 on whether the UK should stay in the European Community. If the Scots had voted Yes to independence it would have meant the end of the Union that was established in 1707, when the Acts of Union, passed by the English and Scottish Parliaments, led to the creation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain. The 4.2-million electorate entitled north of the English border were asked to register a 'Yes' or 'No' to the question 'should Scotland be an independent country? With 84.5 per cent of the electorate turning out to vote 2,001,926 put a No vote in the ballot box compared to 1,617, 989 for Yes or 55.3 per cent compared to 44.7. The decision will have enormous political and economic implications not just for Scotland but the rest of the United Kingdom (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) politically and also for the UK in Europe and worldwide. The outcome was greeted immediately after the results were named with the pound hitting highs against the euro and US dollar and shares in the London Stock Exchange going up. The decision for Scotland to remain in the UK was welcomed by the two MPs in West and Central Devon. Geoffrey Cox, MP for West Devon and Torridge, told the Times: 'I am delighted that the Scottish people have chosen to remain within the United Kingdom. It would have been a tragedy if 300 years of shared history and culture had been cast aside.' Mel Stride, MP?for Central Devon, said: 'I am pleased and delighted that the UK is going to stay intact. This is very important for jobs and future prosperity of both our nations. 'We do now need to urgently address the question of Scottish MPs being able to vote on issues in the Westminster Parliament that only affect England — ie the West Lothian question. I am looking forward to playing an active part in that debate and discussions that will now follow.' What the decision will mean to the Westcountry in terms of economic development is yet to be seen, but the three major party leaders at Westminster have already promised that Scotland will retain nearly £2,000 per head more public funding than the South West. Calculations using the Government's 'Barnett' formula, which distributes public spending between the UK nations, already sees £8,219 spent per head for those in the South West compared to £10,152 for those in Scotland. There are many Scots in West Devon who followed the debate and the results in their home country with great interest. Brian Doel, the owner of Westcountry newspaper the Sunday Independent and who lives in Yelverton, was relieved that the No vote came out on top. Mr Doel, who was the former managing director of the Tavistock and Okehampton Times, was born in Dundee and left his home town for work in England at the age of 17. He told the Times: 'The only surprise about the result was that so many Scots voted Yes. Most people I know want to keep Scotland as part of the United Kingdom. I am glad that the union has remained. If the Yes vote had won it would have been like the breaking up of the family.' Whitchurch resident Jamie Turpin, aged 28, was born and raised in the Highlands, leaving Scotland at the age of 10 and has lived in Devon ever since. As a proud Scot Jamie believed it was unfair that only people living in Scotland could vote and that many Scots who have relocated had no say in the matter. The former Royal Marine said: 'I think that the idea to separate Scotland from the UK was foolish. There is very little that Scotland could gain from such a move and it seemed that a lot was overlooked by the Scottish Parliament in their eagerness for independence. 'As an ex-serviceman there is a lot within the military that would be affected by Scotland separating. There are units over the border that would have to be relocated and as the defence cuts are ever looming, they may even be disbanded. The nuclear capability in Faslane would also have to be relocated to the south coast. 'Overall I am happy that Scotland remains as part of the UK. Let's see what the future holds.' Another Scot who is proud of her roots is Mhairi McCall, chairman of Tavistock Athletic Club, cricket development officer at Whitchurch Wayfarers and committee member of Tavistock Rugby Club. She said: 'I have had mixed feelings about the referendum. My heart was telling me yes but my head was saying no. I am a Scottish Labour supporter who voted SNP after Margaret Thatcher alienated Scotland during her 'reign'. As soon as we got devolution I returned to my Labour roots. I will always be Scottish. 'I never think of myself as British but I would have voted no because of the enormous upheaval independence would have caused. Perhaps I am a coward or perhaps I am being selfish because, living in England, I hate the thought of losing the Scottish Labour MPs and ending up with a permanent Conservative Government!' But not all expatriate Scots were delighted the Union was retained. Tavistock resident Graham Kirkpartrick told the Times: 'I am disappointed because every people, every nation wants to be governed by their own people. I would certainly have voted yes.' Mr Kirkpartrick, who has lived in England for more than 70 years but retains his pride in his Scottish roots, does not believe there will be another chance of a referendum in the 'foreseeable future'. He added: 'You look at Canada, New Zealand, Australia, India, even the Channel Islands — they were granted their independence — they have their own government, their own currency, why not Scotland?'