The independence referendum in Scotland ended Friday, with 55 percent people voting No to save the United Kingdom from breaking apart.

The first reactions of many of the British people after learning the result was a sense of rejoice that the UK had "survived."

But more worries followed soon, as many believe the crisis will not end there. Some local media claimed that the UK is still on a life support system.

Alex Salmond, leader of the independence campaign, said Friday in a speech that he accepted the result, while urging Westminster to meet its promises to give Scotland greater devolved power in "rapid course."

For Scots, this is the real meaning behind the not so promising independence campaign.

British Prime Minister David Cameron Friday said he would keep his promises. It means Scotland will get more control over tax, spending and welfare.

The other areas of the UK will feel unfair, and will be encouraged to maximize their interests in a bolder and tougher manner.

The referendum has weakened the UK. Although the government takes pride in dealing with a life-and-death matter in a democratic way, the episode of the independence campaign will result in a more dissolved country in which any region can bully the central government at will.

The UK's international competitiveness will also suffer, which will hurt British people's welfare in the long term.

In fact, few countries which are sober enough would applaud for the Scotland referendum. Those who did applaud were mainly populists and separatists. However, unless the world sees another major turmoil like the disintegration of the Soviet Union, there are no convenient chances for the separatists.

Some of the Western countries support split-up of some developing countries. But that support is often based on the Western countries' own strategic interests.

Some people are comparing the size of China with European countries, trying to prove that smaller countries have an advantage in providing better welfare for their people. This is a wrong conclusion. It is meaningless to compare the size of a country with its development level.

The separation of a country often results in conflicts over core interests. Such severance is often painful and risky. The peaceful separation of the Czech Republic and Slovakia happened under too many conditions that can hardly be copied by other countries.

The aftershock of the Scotland referendum is likely to continue. So far, few people envision any positive impact from the referendum. Time will see whether this pessimism is correct.