Sturgeon predicts independence and united Ireland in UK ‘shake-up’

Speaking to BBC Scotland News, Sturgeon described herself as a natural pessimist but said that was not the case come polling day, 18 September 2014.

“Unusually for me, in the final days, I was really optimistic,” she told BBC Scotland News.

“I definitely felt that victory was within grasp.”

The then deputy first minister had a leading role in the Yes campaign and spent the summer touring around Scotland.

She returned to her home constituency of Glasgow Southside in the days before the referendum.

“The mood on the streets of Glasgow gave me perhaps a bit of an overly optimistic view of how the campaign was going right across the country,” Ms Sturgeon said.

The No side ultimately won by 55.3% to 44.7%.

Sturgeon described the campaign as the “best of times and the worst of times”.

“What I remember most about the campaign was just the energy, the sense of political awakening and in engagement that seemed to grip Scotland,” she said.