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Scotland was tricked, 'yes' backers say

Where are our new powers, Scottish leaders ask.

By Daniel J. Graeber
Tourists walk down the Royal Mile in Edinburgh the day after Scotland voted to remain part of the United Kingdom with a No vote winning the Referendum fifty-five percent to forty-five percent, on September 19, 2014. UPI/Hugo Philpott
Tourists walk down the Royal Mile in Edinburgh the day after Scotland voted to remain part of the United Kingdom with a No vote winning the Referendum fifty-five percent to forty-five percent, on September 19, 2014. UPI/Hugo Philpott | License Photo

EDINBURGH, Scotland, Sept. 22 (UPI) -- The Scottish National Party said it's already frustrated that pledges behind a no vote for independence have been broken.

More than half of the voters taking part in a Scottish referendum for independence said no. The ruling Scottish National Party said those behind the "no" campaign failed to keep their promise to offer more power to the government in Edinburgh.

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"Neither the 55 percent who voted [No], or the 45 percent who voted Yes, will let this go," Scottish Member of Parliament Bruce Crawford said in a statement Saturday.

The Scottish government said it could draw on oil and gas revenue from the North Sea to support an independent economy powered by renewable energy resources.

Howard Archer, chief economist for the United Kingdom at IHS Global Insight, told UPI last week an independent Scotland would face near-term economic risks.

"However well Scotland would have fared in the long-term -- and that was a matter of major debate and would have been significant influenced by factors such as what currency regime was adopted, how U.K. debt was divided up and how much oil there is left in Scotland's oil fields -- a vote for independence would have likely resulted in a substantial near-term hit to the Scottish economy," he said.

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Outgoing Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond said the independence bid isn't over.

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