NOT everyone gets to say they lived through historic times, even fewer get to say they saw history being made in their country not once but twice.

 

However, as Scotland's story continues to be written we have witnessed an incredible change in our country's political landscape, first the referendum and most recently this year's General Election which took place last week.

The scale of the SNP's victory is difficult to exaggerate, the numbers are simply staggering.

The SNP now has 56 out of 59 seats in Scotland - 95 per cent.

We took 50 per cent of the entire vote in Scotland, that equates to almost 1.4 million votes - the most for any party in Scotland ever, in the history of our nation.

This was an endorsement of the SNP's vision on an epic scale.

We witnessed a night where so called big beasts fell by the wayside one by one; Jim Murphy, Margaret Curran, Ian Davidson, Charles Kennedy, and Douglas Alexander who was beaten by the energetic 20-year-old Mhairi Black.

In Glasgow, we saw swings of more than 30 per cent to the SNP in what were once known as solid Labour heartlands, where we were often told that Labour would weigh the votes not count them.

So big was the 39 per cent swing to the SNP in Glasgow North East it literally broke the BBC's swing-o-meter.

The question many people will be asking is why did this take place?

I think the answer is a simple one.

The SNP is trusted to stand up and fight Scotland's corner.

People may not always agree 100 per cent with every policy we have ever put forward, in fact some who voted or the SNP last Thursday undoubtedly voted No in last year's referendum.

However, despite that, people in Scotland don't doubt that we are the best alternative and opposition to Tory led austerity.

The other story of the night was the utter collapse of the Labour Party, not just in Scotland but also England.

Even if Labour had won every seat in Scotland there would still have been a majority Tory Government - the Tories only held their one seat in Scotland but took seats off Labour across England.

The SNP made no apologies for standing on a platform of opposing Tory cuts and demanding more powers for Scotland to grow our economy.

That manifesto has been overwhelmingly backed by the Scottish people.

The Prime Minister David Cameron said, in the early hours of Friday morning, that he would seek to govern for the whole of the UK.

If he is true to his word then he must listen to the loud and emphatic voice of the Scottish people.

For our part, the newly elected SNP MPs will be a positive force for change, not just nationally but will be community champions for the constituencies they now represent.

The tectonic plates of Scottish politics have shifted forever.

The trust the people of Scotland have put in the SNP has been overwhelming. My promise to them is a simple one; we will not let you down.