Following a historic referendum last week in Scotland, the Scots have let the world know that no one can take their independence because they will willingly vote to give it up.

The “Better Together” campaign, aimed to keep Scotland as part of the United Kingdom, claimed victory in the wee hours Friday morning as it obtained 55 percent of the vote. Months of heavy campaigning, celebrity endorsements, debates and speculation finally ended with the almost anticlimactic announcement that Scotland would remain a part of the U.K.

The deep implications of the vote — simply a yes or no vote for should Scotland be an independent nation — and the historic nature of potentially breaking up a 307-year union was certainly not lost on the Scottish electorate. According to the BBC, an incredible 85 percent of eligible voters cast ballots, even with a special stipulation that expanded voting rights to any person over the age of 16. 

Scotland has long felt at odds with its powerful neighbor to the south, England, and the referendum was not the first step in building a more autonomous future. Scotland created its own parliament in the capital city of Edinburgh in 1997 following another referendum, showing the disconnect between the Scottish and the British Parliament in London. 

However, in the end, Scotland decided it would be better to stick with the rest of the U.K., likely for financial stability, much like its original and unhappy union in 1707. 

Even though Scotland’s status as a nation did not change through the referendum, things will never be the same for the country. There will likely be a lot of tension over the next few years between Scotland and the rest of the U.K. member countries as Scotland disturbed the union’s centuries-old balance by even having the referendum. 

Strong pockets of independence support in major cities such as Glasgow and Dundee show a clear dissatisfaction in how the government is being run and signal a call for change. 

Even the need to have an independence vote show the Scots feel both underrepresented and misrepresented. The referendum finally brought them the attention they deserved, as U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron was forced to try to make compromises to keep the union from disintegrating under his watch.

Scotland is not alone in its feelings of isolation from the central hub of its government. Another example of this discontent is the Spanish state of Catalonia, which shows a lot of similarities to the Scots in its aim to become more autonomous. Catalans think their tax dollars are being diverted too much to the rest of Spain, and much like Scotland, Catalonia has a very distinct culture from the rest of the country. 

Over the past century as the globe has shifted dramatically numerous times, people have time and time again shown the desire to have their governments reflect the cultural values and identity of the people they govern. 

Thankfully, the Scots chose the best and most peaceful option of having a vote instead of waging a war like so many other places. But even the vote raises the question of representation and the rights of the central government, essentially ignoring an entire sect of its domain in the name of what it perceives as the greatest good.

Scotland is a very liberal entity in a very conservative country, and when severely outnumbered in Parliament, of course the preferred conservative English measures will pass and affect the Scottish people. When a part of a country has such a distinct identity as the Scots from the English, autonomy almost becomes a necessity in order to please that group of people. 

Even though Scotland recognized it was not prepared to become a sovereign nation, it also showed it was not ready to accept the government as it was and highlighted the need for changes and compromise. The more people and larger the area, the harder it becomes to govern, and the U.K. has a long way to go before all the tensions from the independence referendum are finally smoothed out. 

Scotland took a chance in its domestic relations by voting for independence, but hopefully they will have shown the world a peaceful and mindful way to call for change and highlight the need for proper representation for all.