YESTERDAY I had the great privilege of speaking at the All Under One Banner rally. To see tens of thousands of people march peacefully through Scotland’s capital city was heart-warming. We are lucky to have such strong democratic roots at the heart of our movement.

And while I am, to my core, a proud SNP member, these occasions when people come together from different organisations – of various parties and no party – have a special atmosphere.

But marches and speeches in support of independence are not enough.

Just like having our own Parliament and a Scottish Government is not enough. Its powers are limited and the UK Government is hellbent on stealing its powers .

To get the change we seek we have to work hard every day to convince our country and its people to take its place among the nations of the world. For my part, and for my party, that means action — Days of Action like last week’s, when we talked to tens of thousands of our fellow citizens about independence.

What a brilliant day that was with door knocking and conversations in towns, villages and cities right across the country.

For the wider Yes family that means the activists in our communities talking to health workers about how independence can help grow our NHS, explaining to EU citizens that independence will mean they are in a country where they are welcome rather than a hostile environment created, deliberately, by the Tories. And it also means hearing what people have to say; listening to their hopes and fears. Listening to their questions – and offering helpful solutions.

We have to change the minds of those who voted no. We have to be patient and we have to accept that some people will take longer to join our great journey than others. We have to conduct ourselves properly, to encourage reasonably and respectfully. We must use the process of convincing our country to support independence for the very purpose of demonstrating what a democratic, inclusive, engaged country Scotland can be.

Today SNP members will gather at the SEC in Glasgow for our 84th Annual Conference, our first since we became the second biggest party in the UK. Our message will be one of hope in the face of the uncertainty and chaos of Brexit.

We will be discussing how we continue to grow our achievements in government, working harder than ever to boost skills and prosperity, to protect the most vulnerable in our society and deliver the very best public services.

And we will offer hope for the next generation by getting Scotland ready to join other small independent European nations in the ranks of the fairest, wealthiest, healthiest and happiest countries in the world.

If you are unable to join us in Glasgow then I hope you’ll be able to follow the debates live on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.