WHAT a difference a day made. Glasgow’s historic George Square felt quiet yesterday with a few shoppers passing through and some workers eating sandwiches on their lunch breaks.

A saltire was draped at the foot of Sir Walter Scott’s column and a gaggle of broadcasters did their last to-camera pieces in front of the city chambers — the only remaining signs of Thursday’s referendum.

Just hours before several thousand Yes campaigners had been partying in the square through the night with songs and banners and fireworks in anticipation of the referendum results.

They felt they’d won. And they had — at least in their own city.

Glasgow voted Yes in the independence referendum, and so too did former Labour heartlands North Lanarkshire, West Dunbartonshire and Dundee.

Yes campaigner and Dundees Trades Union Council secretary Mike Arnott told the Morning Star: “A lot of people registered for the first time to come out and vote because they saw the possibility for real change.

“They wanted to shatter (Westminster’s) complacent conspiracy.”

“Sadly it wasn’t to be.”

He warned Scottish Labour that it “must now start to represent ordinary working-class people, to fight austerity and benefits sanctions and champion social justice.”

The hope of working-class Yes voters in Scotland’s cities must be that Labour will listen.

Their fear is that they won’t.

malcolmburns@peoples-press.com