Eck of a task

And now it’s up to you, Alex Salmond. By the time this is read we will be in a whole new world, a world whose success rests heavily on one man.

Smugness in victory is an almost irresistible temptation, yet today, one “I told you so” from an iconic and charismatic leader could alienate very almost half of the ­people 
from the greatest project that modern Scotland has ever faced.

On the other hand, ingracious defeat and populist rhetoric will fester a vulnerable people into a fundamentally divided society.

Whatever the electorate has decided, now is the time for Alex Salmond the statesman to step up.

Hamish Matheson

Edinburgh