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It is not whether an independent Scotland could go it alone and develop its own defence forces - of course it could - but what sort of forces would they be?

Scotland forms a crucial part of our Armed Forces which should not be jeopardised by rushed cuts or a rush to the exit from the U.K. Defence jobs are vital to the Scottish economy and yet independence puts thousands of jobs at risk.

If the U.K. were threatening to withdraw from Europe, I would certainly want Scotland to be out of that.

Would I love to think that one day I would be First Minister of an independent Scotland? Of course.

If Scotland and America go to war, I'm afraid I've already sworn in.

I am wholeheartedly in favour of an independent Scotland.

Scotland is not a region of the U.K.; Scotland is a nation, and if we cannot protect our interests within a U.K. that is going to be changing fundamentally, then that right of Scotland to consider the options of independence has to be there.

An independent Scotland - like all countries - will face challenges, and we will have our ups and downs. But the decisions about how we use our wealth will be ours.

If the Scottish people decide to opt for independence, it would not be a good idea for Scotland to maintain a very rigid link to the pound.

I think Scotland could take a stand in a wonderful way, ecologically and morally and ethically.