Count is calm before storm
Ayr, Prestwick and Troon heavily back Remain but UK opts out
The atmosphere was as flat as a pancake as everyone trooped out before 2.30am.
Not the slightest hint of applause, a cheer or a boo, as South Ayrshire’s referendum result was declared.
The only polite clapping was when the returning officer, council chief executive Eileen Howatt, thanked the counters and told them they could leave.
At that stage it seemed we were heading for status quo and Farage had thrown in the towel.
Voting without candidates was never going to fire up the excitement scale.
And Thursday night into Friday morning at The Citadel in Ayr was all a bit of a bore.
Working hard to stifle the yawns were a surprising number of local politicians who had made the effort to be there.
Luckily the free tea, Nescafe and rolls and square sausage kept everyone awake.
There was a strange non- rivalry in the air and two of the “big beasts” of Ayrshire politics chewed the cud amiably.
As the rain battered down outside, SNP MP Philippa Whitford and Tory MSP John Scott sat together in an area rather fittingly known as The Ark.
Corri Wilson MP and former SNP MSP Chic Brodie were also there, trying to seek some form of political fix from the dreary entrails of a sports hall.
Beaten Labour Holyrood candidate Brian McGinley also put in an appearance.
And a clutch of worthy councillors including Phil Saxton, Margaret Toner, Ian Cavana, Ian Douglas, Bill Grant and John Wallace also turned up to keep an eye on democracy.
At 12.40am South Ayrshire’s turnout was announced, a healthy 69.8 per cent.
This, by far, eclipsed East Ayrshire’s 62.9 per cent and 64.6 per cent in the North.
It was not until 2.17am that the good work of the 128 counting staff could be declared from the podium.
Total votes cast in South Ayrshire was 61,542 with 36,265 for Remain and 25,241 to Leave.
In East the figure was a 57,859 total with 33,891 to Remain and 23,942 to Leave.
The northern outpost was a total of 67,548 with 38,394 to Remain and 29,110 to Leave.
South Ayrshire’s result was the highest to Remain at 58.9 per cent, 58.6 per cent in East and 56.8 per cent in North Ayrshire.
It was also revealed that 14 shrewd voters in the South had hedged their bets by voting in and out on the same ballot paper.
These were among 36 that adjudicators kicked out.
A total of 100 ballot boxes were driven to Ayr from 52 different polling stations.
And happily no child’s education was marred as community centres, church halls, village halls and even two Portakabins were used.
Where polling places were at schools, they were housed in community wings and lessons continued as normal.
Anecdotal evidence from counting tables showed Ayr, Prestwick and Troon were much more solidly to Remain than the 58.9 per cent total.
Villages, in particular Barr and Lendalfoot, were reckoned to be desperate to get out. But with a total electorate of 252 that was never going to keep Cameron in a job.
Ayr conducted its job with dignity and alacrity.
Had counting taken an hour or so longer, as shock change began to take shape, then the atmosphere might just have been a little more exciting.