IN just a few days Scotland will know if it is to become an independent country or remain part of the UK.

It is an indication of how seriously the city's 79 councillors are taking the loooming referendum that they took a highly unusual vote last week.

A meeting of the full council is the only time our elected representatives all get together to discuss the burning issues which keep them awake at night.

Last week, they were due to discuss seven motions put forward by representatives from Labour, the SNP and the Greens.

Topics were due to vary widely from the Commonwealth Games, to devolving more power to local councils and from the city's new bike hire scheme to a call to condemn the government of Israel.

Councillors love to hear themselves speak and the full council is a chance for them to let off steam and score points against their political opponents.

However, last week there was a problem because of their web cameras.

Legislation means councils are banned from saying or doing anything which might influence the outcome of the independence vote. Meetings of the full council are shown live online and there was little or no chance of getting through it without one side or the other promoting their views on independence.

That could have left council bosses up the proverbial without a paddle and facing the long arm of the law.

As a result, bums had only just hit seats when council leader Gordon Matheson was on his feet calling for the meeting to be postponed.

His reasoning was that councillors were banned from airing their views on the only topic of discussion elsewhere in the country.

As a result, he suggested the meeting should be adjourned immediately so they could get out on the streets canvassing voters.

Under council standing orders, there can be no further discussion and the matter has to go straight to a vote.

Opposition forces ganged up against the administration but did not have the strength of numbers to win the vote and the meeting in the dramatic council chamber was brought to an immediate halt.

That allowed members of the ruling Labour group to race off and join Ed Miliband, who was making a flying visit to the city.

Although the independence vote is on Thursday, it is unlikely the city council will return to normal business for some time.

Whatever the result, there are certain to be jibes about the outcome in the weeks and months to come as one side licks its wounds and the other celebrates.

Lets hope councillors return to business as quickly as possible and get on with the job of steering Glasgow through whatever happens in Scotland after next Thursday.