LAST week marked the first anniversary of the independence referendum.

The result last year wasn't what I wanted it to be - even though Glasgow did vote Yes - but there's no doubt that, as a result of the referendum, the country has changed.

In my view, it has changed for the better - and I believe that it has changed for good.

It seems to me that we are a more confident country now and there is a determination - as we saw at the general election - to make our voice heard.

The referendum campaign was the most exciting and exhilarating that I have ever been involved in.

It energised and enthused us and it also educated and empowered us.

It invited us to imagine the kind of country we wanted to live in.

It reminded us that the future isn't set in stone - it is up to us to shape it.

As a nation, we discovered our voice and found that we could make the world listen to us.

We asked questions that the Westminster establishment found very difficult to answer.

Like why is it so necessary to make brutal cuts that impoverish our children when money for new nuclear weapons never seems to be any object?

And we realised that the answers to these questions are not inevitable.

They are the result of political choices.

The question we all faced exactly one year ago today is who gets to make those choices?

And now that we have a Tory government, with just one MP in Scotland, imposing deep cuts on working people, jeopardising our place in Europe and threatening to rip up long valued trade union rights, that question remains just as important today as it was a year ago.

Now, as we mark the anniversary of the referendum and look forward to the Scottish Parliament election next May, people ask me often about the possibility of another referendum at some point in the future.

As I have made clear, the SNP manifesto will set out our position on a second independence referendum.

It will consider the circumstances in which it might be appropriate, at some time in the future, to propose such a referendum.

It is a judgment that we will make carefully.

And it is a one that will always be driven by the interests of the people of Scotland as a whole - not by the interests of the SNP.

In my view, it would be wrong to propose another referendum without a fundamental change of circumstances or a strong indication that a significant number of those who voted No last year had changed their minds.

But the reverse also holds true.

It would be wrong - in the face of a clear and material shift in circumstances or strong evidence of a change in public opinion - for any one politician or party to rule out another referendum indefinitely.

And that is because the key principle is democracy.

Politicians can propose and campaign.

But only the people can decide.

Only the people can decide if we will have another referendum and when that will be.

And only the people can decide if Scotland will become independent.

For those of us who want Scotland to be independent, there is no doubt that presents a clear challenge.

If we are ever to become independent, we must convince a majority of Scots that it represents the best future for Scotland.

That was true last year, and it remains true now and for all times in the future.

So that's my view on a possible second referendum.

Of much more immediate priority is to ensure that Scotland continues to be well governed and that we continue to use our existing powers to the very best of our ability.

That's is why my day to day focus as First Minister is on health, education and keeping our communities safe.

I will also make sure that when it comes to the election next year, the SNP will put before the Scottish people an ambitious and progressive manifesto - a policy programme designed to make our economy more competitive, our society fairer and our public services even stronger.

I intend to persuade the people of Scotland that the SNP has the best team, with the best policies and the best vision to lead the country forward.

We will work hard - as we have always done - to earn the trust of the people and seek their support to keep doing our best for Scotland and for everyone who lives here.