The Scottish Government's independence White Paper, Scotland's Future, contains far more detail than we have seen before about how the SNP would run a newly-forged state.

At the document's heart is the now-familiar democratic case for independence - the Yes campaign's argument that decisions about Scotland are best taken by those who live and work in Scotland.

But the hulking White Paper outlines the policies the SNP would pursue to grow the economy and tackle the inequalities they believe are holding the UK back.

Most eye-catching is the pledge to give all one- to four-year-olds over 1000 hours of free nursery care per year (the same time youngsters spend in primary school) by 2024.

The £600million-a-year move would be good for youngsters, enable more women to enter work, and create 35,000 child care jobs, Nicola Sturgeon said at today's launch at the Glasgow Science Centre.

Critics claimed the Scottish Government could implement the policy now, without independence, and are likely to challenge John Swinney to include it in his Budget.

Also on the economy, the White Paper included a new promise to slash air passenger duty by half and abolish it altogether in the long run in a bid to boost tourism. It also restated the SNP's commitment to cutting corporation tax, the main tax on business profits by 3p in the £1, undercutting the UK and encouraging firms to locate in Scotland.

Other new tax plans include scrapping the married couples tax allowance.

On defence, Trident would be gone from the Clyde by 2020, the White Paper claims, but it would take longer to convert the Faslane base into the HQ of the new Scottish Defence Force.

An independent Scotland would hope to the transfer of some UK troops to the new force, but the White Paper acknowledged they could not be forced to leave their current jobs.

The SNP would set up between 70 and 90 new embassies, at a cost of of £90million to £120million.

Scotland's share of existing embassies, First Minister Alex Salmond suggested, would be used to bargain down the level of national debt the country inherited after independence.

The Scottish Broadcasting Service - a name we've not heard before - would be created from BBC Scotland. However the SNP hope the new national broadcaster would become a "joint venture" with the BBC, allowing the full range of existing programming and services to continue.

Everyone "habitually resident" in Scotland would become a citizen of the newly independent country. Scots living elsewhere in the UK will also automatically become Scottish citizens, though they would not have the right to vote in Holyrood elections.

Holyrood itself would remain largely unchanged. The SNP see no need for a second chamber or even an increase in the number of MSPs (whose pay would remain the same, by the way).

The official name of the new country, in case you were wondering, would be "Scotland," the White Paper says.

Scottish Government lawyers believe they have discovered a legal basis for a post-Yes Scotland to remain within the EU while terms and conditions of membership are agreed, ensuring a "seamless" transition, Ms Sturgeon said.

Plenty of promises to consider, then, in a document she and Mr Salmond hope everyone in Scotland will read between now and September 18 next year.

It includes a Q&A section which gives answers to 650 questions. The big unanswerable questions, however, remain unanswered.

On currency, the White Paper restates the Scottish Government's position that sharing the pound in a formal currency union with the UK would make overwhelming sense for both countries. The White Paper states: "We will retain the pound in an independent Scotland," but it does not offer any guarantees on the terms and conditions.

The SNP believe the White Paper will be a "game changer" in the debate and expect a boost in the polls as a result.

It's not the end of the campaign, though, but the start of a new phase. Mr Salmond described it as "a mission statement and a prospectus for the kind of country we should be and which this government believes we can be".