THERE were a fair few tears, on that morning of September 19. There was a dull ache. To lose, having invested so much in the fight? It hurt.

Some of us coped better than others. Some were disbelieving, some cried foul, others hid themselves away, in need of time to heal. When the result finally sunk in, most stuck up their chins and vowed to fight on. None of us, though, were ever the same again.

This anniversary pull-out, we decided, would consist of 12 pages. We quickly realised it was not possible – it now stands at 20. We asked for our readers’ stories and were overwhelmed as they flooded in.

Some were wistful, some uplifting, some were love stories and some plain daft – but all of them touched us. To those we have had to leave out, we apologise – because this newspaper, perhaps more than any other, is a product of its readers. We are here for one reason: because you wanted us. We’ve done our best.

It has been quite the year. Alex Salmond had already told us that Scotland had changed, changed utterly, and we suspected he was right. But in what way? How? On the face of it, as the nights of 2014 drew in, we stood no closer to our goal of independence. “Scotland has spoken,” declared David Cameron, insisting that it was time for Westminster’s spotlight to be shone elsewhere. Something was different, though. Maybe in the way we walked, certainly in the way we talked.

Those who did not notice, or those who tried to pretend as if nothing had changed, were in for an almighty shock.

If there were any doubts that the new Scotland had discovered unshakable faith in self-governance, then they were quickly swept away.

We elected 56 SNP MPs. An electorate that, once upon a time, had thought it pointless to send nationalists to Westminster suddenly decided that it was the only thing it should do. Labour, a once-great institution now inhabited by slackers who did not know how to campaign, had their seats pulled out from under them by the newly canny: informed voters who would no longer accept the edicts of a branch office. And, as the big beasts of headquarters slouched towards Nuneaton to fight for Middle England, we gave them a final kick. We had the nerve now, you see. You might even call it “aspiration”.

This newspaper will continue to fight Scotland’s corner and campaign for change and more powers. The Smith Commission’s proposals did not go far enough. The Scotland Bill, laughably, watered down even that. Of course, Mr Mundell and his Prime Minister know this: that they pretend otherwise is a mark of their failure to realise that we will no longer allow them to get away with it.

An EU referendum. The heartless dismantling, even further, of the welfare state. Ill-thought out plans for English Votes for English Laws forced down our throats, without even the courtesy of debate. A narrow, cruel response to the refugee crisis that fails to take responsibility for decades of always ill-judged, sometimes illegal, interference in the Middle East. A Labour Party now in the grip of panic, determined to consume itself and unable to to form coherent opposition. Britain is broken.

For all these reasons, and more, we believe the case for independence has been advanced in the last year. And it is heartening to see the polls have backed this up: public support is growing, steadily. There are, of course, still issues that are yet to be addressed: our currency, EU membership, how to cope as the North Sea slowly dries up.

But there will be a second referendum: the question is simply of timing and triggers, and we believe that when it comes we will win, and win convincingly.

Last time we did not, but the Better Together campaign has taken its toll on our opponents. The Alexanders, Danny and Douglas, may have saved the Union but they have lost their jobs. Alistair Carmichael, he of the leaked memo and the forked tongue, will not be trusted again. Gordon Brown’s “barnstorming” speeches have become so commonplace they now only inspire mild headaches. And Jim Murphy – this newspaper’s first, and still our dearest, bête noire – is free to write all the football books he wants, having blustered himself to what one might generously call a “doing”. Irn-Bru, it seems, doesn’t always get you through.

Will they be replaced? Perhaps, in time. But there is a new game in town. A whole generation has been politically awakened, but we are pretty sure of this: they have not been so inspired just to join Scottish Labour. No, rather than wrangle over the constitutional question, the youth of our nation now simply wonder: how will we shape our country when we get there?

We believe independence is the path to a fairer society. We believe the Scottish people should be governed by a Scottish Parliament. We want a welfare system that can help those in need, and we do not want to be complicit when British drones scatter bombs on distant shores. We do not want nuclear weapons, but we want to welcome refugees.

We believe Scotland can be a better nation – and this newspaper will fight for that dream, each and every step of the way. It is, after all, why we are here.