IT HAS been a long campaign but the moment of decision is now just over a week away.

Soon we will know how the people of Scotland have voted. We will know whether we have decided as a country to take our future into our own hands or, instead, leave power in the hands of Westminster.

I hope with all my heart that we vote Yes.

What has happened in Scotland over the past few months has been truly wonderful and has set an unrivalled benchmark for how the democratic process should work.

Scotland has been re-energised and people all over the country have become involved in - and informed about - politics and government in a way that I have never known before. In short, we have put ourselves firmly in control of our country.

If we vote No next Thursday, we will hand that control straight back to the Westminster establishment.

Only by voting Yes will we keep Scotland's future in Scotland's hands.

Independence will not be a magic wand.

An independent Scotland - like all countries - will face challenges and we will have our ups and downs. But the decisions about how we use our wealth will be ours.

We are one of the richest countries in the world and our wealth comes from much more than oil.

We are not subsidised - on the contrary, we have generated more tax per head than the UK has in each and every one of the past 30 years.

Our pensions and public services will be safe and secure because we pay for them already - in an independent Scotland new pensioners will be better off to the tune of an extra £5 per week, or £260 year.

Instead of sending our taxes to Westminster so that politicians there can decide how much of our own money finds its way back to Scotland, we will keep our taxes here and ensure they are spent on our priorities.

That means we can improve childcare and the NHS, rather than spend billions on nuclear weapons.

Independence will also mean that we no longer have to put up with governments we don't vote for.

Not once in my life has the Tory Party come anywhere close to winning an election in Scotland and yet, for more than half my life, we have had a Tory government. That is wrong and undemocratic.

Parties that win elections should form the government, not parties that lose elections. With independence, we will get the governments we vote for - not some of the time, but all of the time.

I understand that many will feel nervous about voting Yes - just as we all do before taking any big decision in our life, like starting a new job, buying your first house or getting married.

But if, in your heart, you agree with me that the best people to take decisions about Scotland are those of us who live here, then please vote Yes.

Vote Yes to build a better country - for yourself, for your children and for your grandchildren.