Britain stands on the edge of breakdown. Tomorrow, the people of Scotland will vote on whether or not to support independence, with all opinion polls showing the result stands on a knife-edge. The fact that 97% of the adult population has registered to vote is just one indication of the intensity of the debate and discussion that has gripped the nation, from the big cities to the smallest island.

When one poll gave the pro-independence Yes side a slender lead two weeks before the vote, the reaction in ruling circles was one of panic. There were demands that the queen come out in favor of maintaining the Union (earlier this week, she broke her silence and said she hopes voters will “think very carefully about the future”) and that the leaders of the Britain’s three major parties rush to Scotland to plead the case for the Union.

The London-based media, which is virulently anti-independence in the main, told us they were there to “love bomb” Scotland. Yet immediately after they set off for home, the “love bombing” gave way to something more like “shock and awe.”