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TWELVE years, eh. How time flies.
It is 12 years to the day since Scotland went to the polls to decide whether it wanted to become an independent country – and got closer than many had predicted.
I don't remember specifically where I was that day. That is perhaps unsurprising. I was 18 years old, but had been living in Luxembourg since I was five, and wasn't eligible to vote.
Had I been, I would almost certainly have put an X in the No box.
At the time, my overriding political concern was Europe. I really believed in the European Union and, perhaps naively, believed the warnings from the No campaign about the dangers of Scotland leaving it by becoming independent.
But while my own memories of September 18, 2014 are quite hazy, those of some of my colleagues at The National are not.
Twelve years on, the question of Scotland's constitutional future remains unresolved. So, where were some of those now working at The National when Scots cast their historic ballots in 2014?
Laura Webster – Editor
I was 16 years old, studying journalism at Fife College, and excited for what the future had to hold. I remember sitting on the bus on the way to vote, listening to songs on my iPod nano (!) and feeling like they were all about this momentous occasion. The result was gutting.
12 years on, I believe independence support is in a strong place, but we need to be better at communicating what an independent Scotland could do, rather than repeating debates about process and alienating folk in the process. The movement needs more collaborative working and focus - this Celtic Alliance is a great place to start. I'm also thrilled that 12 years on The National is a thriving newspaper with more readers and subscribers than ever before.
Lucy Jackson – Multimedia Journalist
I was 13 years old and living in the north-east of England. We're so close to the border that people from my region often joke that they'd much rather be part of Scotland than England. I didn't know much about Scottish politics at that age, but my school decided to hold a mock independence referendum. The result was 96% Yes. I remember thinking it was absolutely absurd when I learned that people in Scotland couldn't just hold a referendum, but they had to get permission from the Parliament in England.
I genuinely do think that was the spark that got me interested in politics and that opened my eyes to the possibility of one day living in Scotland. And 12 years later, I'm proud to be working for Scotland's only pro-independent newspaper.
Franky Bonfanti – Sub-editor
I was 26 and living in British Columbia (a bad omen, perhaps?) during the year I spent in Canada. Luckily, I was able to vote by proxy, and I always remember the boost of excitement I got when my mum sent me a text message telling me that my Yes vote was in.
The following day, I sat down to watch the results with my three English flatmates, who hadn't really registered that their own country was potentially on the edge of a seismic change.
Of course, we know how it all turned out. When the first result came in (Clackmannanshire?) for No, one of my flatmates, a Yorkshireman, bellowed "ONE-NIL TO THE ENGLAND!" It was admittedly quite funny.
Though as the day wore on and it became clear No would win, I felt myself getting more depressed.
The next day, I remember heading into work, utterly dejected, and hearing two Canadians chuckling about how Scotland had voted No. It is the one time in my life when I felt embarrassed to be Scottish. It was utterly mortifying.
Yet it did eventually propel me towards working at The National, which I am proud of (for among other things, our stance on Gaza ), even if independence does seem further away than ever at this particular moment.
But the Celtic Alliance seems to have begun to move the dial again, and I'm here for it.
Laura Pollock – Digital Editor
I was 15 years old, so close and yet so far from the legal age to vote. If I could've, I would've been putting an X in the No box.
I was proudly wearing my No Thanks badge on my school blazer and speaking on behalf of the Better Together side during school debates. Project Fear had done a number on me and I trusted Scotland was going to get more of a voice coming out of this debate.
On Tuesday, September 16, I – like millions of others – read the Vow printed in the Daily Record. I very clearly remember thinking, 'is this it?'.
It was only in those last few days of the campaign that I realised I may have made a mistake in choosing my side, but the confusion I also felt meant I was fraught with caution and stuck to my guns.
In the night, I checked the news and had a sigh of relief, before turning over to go back to sleep.
Twelve years on, I've spent more than four working for Scotland's only pro-independence daily newspaper knowing that Scots can't afford to not be independent – and from our engagement on social media and across our website, it's clear others have switched sides like me. I count my lucky stars I was too young to vote and save my independence referendum X in Yes for next time.
The Celtic Alliance will be key in ensuring international attention remains on the breakup of the Union, and will assist in showing our grassroot groups how scrutiny and collaboration is necessary to go forward after a fractured decade.
Hamish Morrison – Political Reporter
On this day 12 years ago, I cast my vote for Yes at Bargarran Primary School in a building that no longer exists. Much has changed since besides and not, I think, for the better. I was always a slightly hesitant Yesser, having been brought up in the good, old-fashioned tradition of working-class solidarity and I've no truck with flag-waving.
I posted to Facebook the day of the result, reflecting on the No vote: "It's a victory for the wealthy and the comfortable, so enough of the shite about healing wounds and all that and let's start talking about how we can make the UK a fairer and more democratic country. That's the most important thing." I admire 17-year-old me's resolve but I can't say I share his optimism for Britain's future.
We can, however, draw hope from the fact that support for independence is stronger now than 12 years ago. How that translates into the creation of a new nation, I don't know. But it can't be ignored forever.
