As damaging austerity policies were rolled out I started to think that perhaps we'd be better going it alone

I'm not now or ever have been an SNP voter - well, apart from that very first vote in the southwest of Scotland shortly after my higher modern studies, as I'd just learned about tactical voting and we had a Tory MP in those parts.

My natural affinity is with the Labour Party, having grown up with a father who supported the underdog in all things, no matter which country they came from.

The principles of social justice and equality sit at the heart of our family. Indeed, during the last referendum which saw our Scottish parliament re-established, I campaigned with the late Sam Galbraith's team in the belief that the deal of Yes/Yes would be sufficient to transform Scotland into the fairer place I wanted to live in.

In more recent times I've given due consideration to how Scotland can better achieve the aspirations of a society where all are treated with a sense of equality and worth and I've cast my vote in local, Scottish and UK elections for whoever I thought might make a difference.

So how does a person move from this position to where I am now? No one act changed my mind; along the way a range of actions brought me to a point where the week before the referendum I continue to do all I can to secure a Yes vote for our country.

I admit the beginning of the end was the result of the last General Election. The let-down of a return to being ruled by Tory MPs who have no concept of what it is like for people to live in poverty and who have made it clear they have a dislike for the public sector which has seen year-on-year cuts which have decimated services throughout the UK.

And to have had this forced on us by a group of Liberal Democrat MPs who sold their soul for power is unforgiveable.

As damaging austerity policies were rolled out I started to think that perhaps we'd be better going it alone. Then Scotland would at least get the government we voted for.

The second issue for me relates clearly to the impact of austerity. As a trade unionist and teacher I see the impact of these measures on a daily basis.

Children who come to school having had no breakfast or who can't afford to pay for the school trip becomes ever-more common in our schools. Teachers having conversations with parents about being sanctioned or losing out because of the bedroom tax is an all-too-frequent occurrence.

United campaigns go on and I believe will continue to go on across the trade union movement after the referendum. People will always stand together but the people of Scotland have an opportunity to do things differently with a Yes vote and can, as all good teachers do, ''model good practice''.

As an active trade unionist, the impact of the current Government's contempt for the public sector became ever-more apparent to me during the "review" of pensions. This, for me, was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back.

For here was a point where Westminster didn't listen to the people of Scotland; they told us often it was for Scotland to decide what our pension scheme looked like but whenever there was a proposal to create a scheme which could be seen as better than that of the rest of the UK, then the UK Treasury blocked it.

Here was a situation where the Scottish people were being told we could do our own thing but, in fact, no way were we ever going to be allowed to do it our own way.

What I want is the chance to properly hold to account the politicians who make the decisions which affect the way our country moves forward.

Having decided I would be a Yes at that point last year, I didn't immediately throw myself into campaigning. This came as I saw the tone of the campaigns for both sides.

The Yes side has grown from the ground up; clearly it would be the aspiration of a future independent Scotland to harness this engagement and keep it going.

The Better Together campaign never sat very comfortably with me. With my socialist leanings it doesn't strike me as being a good idea for Labour to share a platform with the members of the UK Coalition Government who are doing everything they can to undermine the public sector and are daily widening the gap between rich and poor.

Having made the decision to do so, however, I am even more disappointed that they couldn't come up with a more positive approach. In common with many people, one of my favourite quotes of the campaign is, ''If we're Better Together how come it's no better now?".

This should have been how a positive No campaign was set out. They should have told the people of Scotland how things could improve, not simply tried to scare us with threats of not being able to use the pound (although Alistair Darling contradicted that claim in his second TV debate with Alex Salmond) or of job losses (and the hundreds of businesses signing up for Yes put those claims in perspective) .

Campaigning for me goes on this week. Whether with my Radical pals at Shawlands Cross, Teachers for Yes or Women for Independence, it has been one of the most exhilarating and fun times of my political life.

Leafleting, talking to people, hearing their stories of coming to a Yes decision, seeing the growing displays of Yes signs in homes and speaking at events have given me great hope.

I have been particularly inspired by the young people I've heard speak who see a future they want to engage with, and the more senior of our citizens who are passionate about delivering a better future for the country they live in.

The Women for Independence group has helped hundreds of women who hadn't previously been involved in politics find their voice and is doing more than most to ensure the much-commented upon gender gap disappears.

It will undoubtedly not be easy when we go it alone but I believe it's worth it, to finally see the people of Scotland take a chance and use the responsibility of independence to move forward to create a fairer society which takes better care of everyone who lives here.