Today the people of Scotland (although not those living south of the border thanks to an active SNP policy of disenfranchisement) will be going off to vote. 

With polls narrowing and campaigns ever more acrimonious, it really is too close to call although my sense is that there will be a narrow ‘No’ victory, and that creates two problems.  

The first is that if the result is a narrow ‘No’, this will be a running sore in politics for years to come with demands from Holyrood every few years for another go at the question.  

The second is that there will be a whole raft of goodies on offer for Scotland that will be paid for by us south of the border to try and appease the ‘Yes’ voters.  

The funding formula for Scotland, the rather cobbled together Barnett formula, already delivers per capita funding north of the border well in excess of that spent per head in the other parts of the union, and if there is a proposal to allow devolution of local taxation, as well maintaining the current level of funding as a dollop from the UK parliament, then that can hardly be equitable for those of us  in the Devizes constituency and all other areas in the non-Scottish union.  

Cool, calm analysis, not promises of financial party bags to appease Mr Salmond, are what is needed from tomorrow and onwards, but either way I am expecting Parliament to be recalled next week to understand the result and any proposed settlement. 

Closer to home, a huge thank you to the almost 2,000 of you who have voted in my Shop Local Awards. The results are in and the winners will be  announced shortly.

This has been a great chance to show our support for those independent businesses that bring so much to our town and village high streets.

With many people in for the £100 prize draw for the winning nomination, there will be a bit of good news to spread around locally, although with the excitment of the Tour of Brtain racing down the local roads and the fantastic Pewsey Carnival to look forward to this Saturday there is already a lot to celebrate.

I wiill be on my own cycling jouney on Sunday when I join riders to raise money for Horatio’s Garden at the Spinal Injuries Centre in Salisbury. I had planned to do 50 miles but as I am letting the train take the strain at the moment, 25 miles might just be enough.