I remember sitting as a guest at the launch of Yes Scotland and listening to the scale of the campaign they aimed to become – the biggest community campaign Scotland has ever seen, working not only across the political spectrum but attracting those who had never before been involved in campaigning. Good luck to the folk putting that together, I thought.

Fast forward a year – today is the first anniversary - and I'm writing this sitting below a map which has tracked the growth of the Yes Scotland local groups. Add to that the multi-interest groups which have been set up from Trade Unionists for Yes to Business for Scotland and the launch of a national volunteer training programme, and I am proud of what we have achieved. Not just the staff, mind you - it’s the volunteers who have turned our grand plans, produced in caffeine-fuelled meetings by folk like me, into reality.

Yes Scotland marks its first anniversary today with the announcement that more than 372,000 people have signed the Independence Declaration. 

A total of 372,103 people have declared for Yes almost 16 months ahead of the referendum.

Yes Scotland’s chief executive, Blair Jenkins, said: "This is a remarkable achievement in just 12 months. It was announced at the launch of the campaign on May 25 last year that the goal was to have one million signatories by Referendum Day, and today’s figure is a significant milestone. At this stage of the campaign, these figures show that we are on course to reach our target.

"We know there is a long way to go before the vote and there's a lot of hard work to do and hours to put in, streets to pound and doors to knock before we are satisfied that we have reached our aim – which is to contact every voter in Scotland."

Leading business figures and experts today welcomed a Scottish Government paper highlighting the key economic strengths of Scotland and the opportunities for growth under independence.

The jobs creators and entrepreneurs represent a broad spectrum of business throughout the country, from property development to the fitness industry, a restaurateur to the IT and digital sector, a care homes provider to a producer of Hollywood blockbusters. 

They were commenting on the publication of Scotland's Economy: the case for independence which highlights six principal areas where Westminster control has held Scotland back.  

Their message is clear:

Westminster isn't working. Scotland has got what it takes to be a more prosperous, fairer and successful country. The best way forward for all is independence.

Today the Scottish Government has published a new economic analysis showing the depth and breadth of Scotland’s economy, which confirms that Scotland’s got what it takes to be a successful, independent country. And, as the paper points out, despite this wealth and potential, “despite our significant array of human, financial and natural resources we are not as prosperous a country as we should be”.

Scotland’s long term growth rate has lagged behind the UK as a whole and our economic performance has also trailed other countries of a similar size to Scotland. This is despite the fact that these other similar nations have no greater pool of talent and no more resources. The advantage they have is that they are independent and able to take decisions suited to the needs of their own economy – delivering better results over the short, medium and long term.

Some of Scotland's many economic strengths are listed below. And they tell us two important things. First, they confirm that we've got what it takes to prosper as an independent country. And, second, they raise the crucial question: given all this wealth, why aren't families across Scotland better off?

Scotland’s Global Reputation

Scotland has an international reputation for producing quality goods and services. Our food and drink sector has a turnover of more than £12 billion.

We have a tourism industry which employs almost 200,000 people and our country is famed across the world for its beauty and hospitality.

We are world-class at attracting inward investment and have a growing network of business ambassadors.

But, there is little doubt we could be making even more of our international reputation to create jobs and generate new economic opportunities.