be I believe we will independent and sooner than might seem likely

Ten years on from the referendum on independence, former first minister NICOLA STURGEON recalls the highs and lows of a battle ultimately lost and insists the prize of Scottish sovereignty is yet to be won

TEN years. It is hard to believe. So much has changed since those heady days of 2014 when Scotland came so close – but not close enough – to choosing an independent future.

As I look back now, it feels – to borrow from Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities – that it was both the best of times and the worst of times.

The country was alive with democratic debate. In every home, workplace and street corner, people were discussing how to build a better, fairer Scotland.

The air buzzed with a palpable sense of possibility and optimism. Of course, the optimism was felt most strongly by those on the Yes side of the debate – but I encountered plenty of No voters along the way who also relished the opportunity to think afresh about the prospects of the place we all call home.

I have so many happy memories of the campaign. I travelled the length and breadth of the country for months in the run-up to polling day, speaking to tens of thousands of people in community centres and town halls.

I even hosted a public meeting on board the ferry to Shetland – battling sea sickness as I did so.