cliche
Ryan Randall plays the bagpipes outside a polling station in Edinburgh REUTERS/Paul Hackett

Voters report pleasant atmosphere at polling stations - with Yes voters very confident.

Catalans out in force to support Yes cause.

● Pollster expects 95% of registered voters to cast their ballot.

Well, the booths are closed and the votes being counted, so all that remains is to thank everyone in Scotland who voted. Keep watching the IB Times live blog through the night to get the first results. Good night - and good luck!

22:44 More details on that YouGov poll (which is not quite an exit poll but coudl be an indicator of the result...)

22:34 YouGov poll predicts victory for "No" vote by 54% to 46%

22:00 That's it: the polling stations are closing, the ballot boxes locked, and soon the count will begin. So if you still haven't decided: too late...

21:15 Scots! You have just 45 minutes to go and write the future

20:31 Why does this video seem so apt?

6.30PM: The Rev. Campbell just can't stop at the moment. He's on a roll - and, frankly, who are we to hold him back?

Here's his latest submission to us:

If the Yes campaign could have distributed copies of the Times' opinion section to every voter today, the Yes vote would have neared 100%. It's a tour de force of everything independence advocates want to leave behind from the UK, from David Aaronovitch's sneering imperial arrogance and Tim Montgomerie's disingenuous, dishonest Anglocentric pouting to Jenni Russell's one-eyed and dubiously anecdotal tales of terrible violent Yes activists - even though the only recorded, documented examples of blood being spilt in the entire campaign has been of Yes supporters by No thugs.

Sadly, the Times sells so few copies in Scotland that almost nobody will see it.

Wow, take that Murdoch!

6.15PM: This just in from Rev. Stuart Campbell:

Disturbing news reaches me that Labour activist Yvonne Hama, who was recently publicly disowned by "Better Together" for her racist and sectarian views, which the official No campaign called "completely unacceptable", has been swiftly rehabilitated.

A reader in Airdrie took this shot of her campaigning outside a polling station in the town.

Yvonne Hamma

You can read more on Yvonne Hama by clicking on the Rev Campell's blog here.

6.10PM: Francois Hollande has given his deux euros on the referendum. Given France's traditional willingness to take Scotland's side against the Sassenach oppressors, we reckon he's secretly rooting for us.

6.05PM: Another update from IBT's business editor Lianna Brinded, who is covering the referendum live from Edinburgh:

Wandering around IBTimes UK's temporary HQ in Grassmarket, Edinburgh, the Yes campaign has stepped up canvassing for support.

There are people giving out leaflets on every corner and a sign saying 'Honk If You Vote Yes' is resulting in endless car horn blowing near the corner of Lauriston Place.

A rally, spread by word of mouth, is now set to start at 1900 BST from the library in Niddrie - one of Edinburgh's most impoverished estates to the local polling station - led by a bagpipe player.

5.50PM: Here's the full account of the Labour councillor arrest. The alleged incident happened in Shettleston and the councillor's name is Marie Rimmer.

5.40PM: Lallands Peat Worrier has sent a full account of his trip to the polling booths - and it makes great reading for Yes voters. Read it here.

5.20PM: News reaches us that a former Labour councillor has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a Yes campaigner. This could be big. We'll keep you posted.

5.15PM: Prolific pro-independence blogger Lallands Peat Worrier has given his story of polling day - and it's a very heart-warming one.

The atmosphere amongst the activists, Yes and No, is cheery, conversational. "I'm just off for a coffee. Can I get you anything?" It is the spirit of the day. Some of the conversations and reflections on the campaign between the small knot of No and Yes activists are not unpointed, but they're overwhelmingly civilised and good natured.

A full blog containing the Worrier's thoughts will be available soon - and you can read it here.

4.30PM: Our reporter Ewan Palmer has rounded up the best moments from the campaign trail. Read it all here. Sadly, there was no place for the patronising BT lady.

[Only kidding, of course that vile harridan is in there].

4.20PM: Rev Stuart Campbell brings us a tale from the polling booth. Seems the No mob are voicing their opinion with the subtlety and eloquence we all love them for:

The long wait continues. Here in Bathgate the early mist hasn't lifted, and it's a cold, grey, damp, dreich day. At the polling station earlier a Neanderthal in a boiler suit and Union Jack t-shirt, with a car festooned in more Union Jacks and No Thanks placards, screamed "A**EHOLE! F**king A**EHOLE!" at me. I hope mentioning that doesn't count as an exit poll.

4.05PM: Without doubt the most bonkers story of the day: a group of Palestinian bagpipers have come together to show their support for the Yes campaign. Well we're certainly not complaining chaps, keep it up!

3.55PM: More pics of the Catalan invasion, courtesy of Spanish journo Begona Perez. Costa Del Scotland is buzzing!

3.50PM: Apparently another group of Catalans have arrived - a bunch of firemen have travelled from Barcelona in Glasgow to show their support (which could be useful if it all kicks off later on).

Catalan firemen

At this rate the entire population of Catalonia will have pitched up in Scotland by the time the polling stations shut. Hopefully they bring Messi and Neymar with them... and take Kevin McDonald on their way back.

3.35PM: Our business editor Lianna Brinded brings an interview with BizScotland, who say they 'aren't prepared to accept Westminster's crumbs' anymore. Powerful stuff. Read it here.

3.30PM: The great Brian Cox is now getting involved...

3PM: If you want to get plastered while watching the Union crumble, there's now a drinking game for you:

2.25PM: I've never been to one of the Rev Stuart Campbell's sermons but, if they're anything like his blog posts, the congregation must be pinned to the edge of their seats. Here's his latest:

Regardless of the actual merits of either side, I've never seen, and hope never again to see, a more pathetic, dismal, snivelling excuse for an appeal to a cause than this in my life.

Snivelling appeal

2.20PM: James Kelly chimes in with some news which is very encouraging, if true:

I've been hearing quite a few anecdotal reports of people who were firmly planning to vote No, but who looked at the ballot paper, thought to themselves "I can't do this", and voted Yes instead.

Not too much should be read into that, as we don't know how representative those stories are, but any encouragement at this stage is certainly welcome!

2.10PM: Our reporter Ewan Palmer reports that a Yes supporter has been arrested over an alleged assault in Faifley. If true (and it's only allegations at this stage) this is despicable - we're all passionate about today's referendum but let's keep it civil, hey?

1.55PM: Sales of Braveheart have soared, according to The Independent - once again an English media title is patronising our cause by hiding behind tired Scottish stereotypes. Surprised they haven't wheeled out the Proclaimers for an interview.

1.45PM: Nice...

1.15PM: The very Rev. Stuart Campbell tweets us again - it's comforting to know we've got God on our side:

I think this says more about the so-called "nationalism" of the Yes movement than I could.

Love letter to Scotland

12:43PM: James Kelly, IBTimes UK's Nationalist blogger, cry's freedom. Read: 'This is It - We Musn't Get Cold Feet Now'

Three Amigos
Three Catalans who have travelled to Scotland to support the Yes vote. Lianna Brinded / IBTimes UK

12:24PM: Guardian columnist Suzanne Moore declares:

Ignore the strange dry-eyed weeping from the English – it's nothing more than British imperialism. Now is the time to take a leap toward self-rule.

12:11PM: Dunblane-born Andy Murray, Wimbledon tennis champion, often described as Scottish when he lost and British when he won by Fleet Street, tweets: "Let's Do This!!!" in support of the Yes vote.

11.50AM: The Rev. Campbell back in - he reckons it's too close to call:

I still have no idea what way the vote's going to go. Spend any time in Glasgow over the last few days and you'd be certain a Yes landslide was on the way. Spend time in Edinburgh and you wouldn't even know there was a referendum on.

The whole thing might basically come down to how the Glasgow-vs-Edinburgh vote stacks up. Edinburgh is my favourite city in the world, but it's never felt less Scottish to me than it has this week.

11.35AM: Scottish flag seen at the Nou Camp last night!

Scottish flag Nou Camp

11.25AM: More God-like wisdom from the Rev. Campbell.

Polling days are weird. There's a huge build-up, and then very little to do for a very long time. Voting takes two minutes, and then unless you're at work you've got nothing much to do with yourself until the results start coming in in the wee small hours of the morning.

Walking around both the housing estate where I am and the main centre of Bathgate (a decent-sized town of around 20,000 people) there's barely a soul to be seen. It's like the whole country is holding its breath.

11.20AM: IBT's reporter in Edinburgh, Lianna Brinded, has tweeted this amazing pic of a Catalan guy who travelled all the way to Scotland just to vote. Gracies per venir, visca Catalunya!

11AM: More from Rev. Campbell on the media bias:

Has there ever been a movement in history backed by half of the population of a country and not a single one of its newspapers? What an abject failure the fourth estate has been from start to finish.

Scottish newspapers

10.35AM: The Rev. Stuart Campbell, author of the popular blog Wings over Scotland, writes to us. he says:

I was out drinking with three of my oldest friends last night, all No voters. One of them, a wealthy property developer, was outraged at the sheer weight of media bias, even though it was on his side. Called the BBC's coverage a "disgrace".

The referendum has kept sales of Scottish papers afloat. Whatever the outcome, I suspect their sales will go off a cliff afterwards. They've shattered the people's trust.

10.30AM: Disgusting image, amazing sentiment.

10.20AM: Read James Kelly's latest post for IBT here. If you're convinced now, you'll be even more convinced after reading this call to arms. Stirring stuff.

9.50AM: Richard Branson, whose West Coast Mainline trains have been making English-dwelling Scots suffer for years, weighs in with a typically opportunistic and ill-considered comment.

9.30AM: As IBT reminds us here, Scotland already has the lowest unemployment rate in the UK. The economy here IS working.

9.20AM: Apparently Obama has tweeted his support for the 'No' campaign. No matter how often America meddles in foreign countries' affairs and thwarts genuine democracy, it's clearly never enough.

9.15AM: Great tweet from James McEnaney. Sums up how we all feel (well the ones that are voting Yes anyway).

9.05AM: James Kelly, regular IBT contributor and a man so staunchly nationalist he probably bleeds tartan, writes in his latest blog for us:

It's only when you ponder the "little" things that you truly appreciate just how big this is. Will the House of Lords be abolished in Scotland? On the ballot today. Will the God-awful first-past-the-post voting system be consigned to the dustbin of history? On the ballot today. Will Andy Murray, who has apparently just come out for a Yes vote (assuming his Twitter account hasn't been hacked!), ever represent Scotland at the Olympics? On the ballot today.

9AM: Today is the most important day for the people of Scotland since the Battle of Culloden in 1746. The people of Scotland, have the chance to reclaim their independence, using the ballot box to win back what was brutally taken with bullets and bayonets 300 years ago.

After two years of exhaustive campaigning, we will see whether Scotland is ready to trust Alex Salmond's bold, creative vision for a new country, or continue to endure the stultifying influence of David Cameron and Westminster. After years of unfair taxes, social decay and governments we never voted for, Scottish people finally have the chance to say 'enough is enough.'

Over recent weeks the Yes vote has steadily crept up, to the point where no-one is prepared to predict the result of today's plebiscite. Disastrous TV performances by Alistair Darling, the main cheerleader of the Better Together mob, have only helped the nationalists' cause, and the world has slowly woken up to the biased, terrified coverage of the BBC and the English print media.

Now, we stand on the brink of a result that will resonate through the ages. A result that will end the years of English oppression and enable all Scots to live better, together.

Keep following this unashamedly one-eyed, occasionally vituperative blog throughout the day to get the nationalist perspective in real-time.

Want a more neutral, dispassionate view of today's events? Well IBT has a blog for that too - and you can read it by clicking here.

Scottish Independence Quick Guide: What Will Happen If Scotland Ends the Union?

Scottish Independence Quick Guide: Will Anything Change on a No Vote?

Scottish Independence Latest Poll: No Vote in the Lead by Four Points

Scottish Independence: Polls say No but Glaswegians Say Yes

Scottish Independence: Why I Switched from a No Vote to Yes

Scottish Independence: What Impact Will a Yes Vote Have on Scotland's Exports?

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha Says 'Only Ugly Girls are Safe in Bikinis'

This is It - and We Mustn't Get Cold Feet Now

Regardless of the actual merits of either side, I've never seen, and hope never again to see, a more pathetic, dismal, snivelling excuse for an appeal to a cause than this in my life.