What we'll do ... by SNP deputy candidates

Brown and Constance also want more influence for the party's massive new membership, which has tripled since the referendum.

Hosie, 51, the MP for Dundee East and SNP Treasury spokesman, suggests campaigning with other pro-independence forces at the 2015 General Election, or even selecting candidates from Yes groups, to "sweep aside the vested interests of the Westminster old guard".

Constance, 44, the MSP for Almond Valley and Cabinet Secretary for Training, Youth and Women's Employment, declares: "As long as I have breath I will continue to make the case for independence; no ifs, no buts."

Brown, 52, the MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane and Minister for Transport and Veterans, says he wants to engage with the 55% of people in Scotland who voted No. "We must engage the entire nation," he says.

Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is the sole candidate to replace Alex Salmond as SNP leader, and hence as First Minister, next month.

Nominations for all posts closed at 4pm on Wednesday, October 15.

Keith Brown, MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane and Minister for Transport and Veterans

THE independence referendum was a milestone and the debate is on to new territory; the Smith Commission on devolution will attempt to map out the next steps but politics and life continue.

The SNP face challenges and opportunities. As the Government we have to continue to govern under a new First Minister; as a party we have to formulate policy to take Scotland forward; as part of the Yes movement we have to renew our engagement with Scotland. We have to reach beyond the 45% who voted Yes to the 55% who voted No. We have to govern for the entire country and be part of a movement that engages the entire nation.

Scotland's referendum was incredible - a massive debate conducted largely with good manners and restraint, and a massive turnout by engaged and interested people. The new depute leader must reach out, engage, enthuse and encourage.

He or she has to engage the entire expanded and growing membership of the SNP and that, for me, means regional policy forums, meetings around the country, members taking control. That's why I want our candidate selection rules for next year's elections to be changed so new members can vote. It's why I'm planning a Youth Academy so young adults continue to have a voice in the debate, and it's why I'm planning to give members control over policy development.

Scotland's citizens are building a new nation piece by piece, building new hope and a better future, and we need all of Scotland to come with us. We need to speak to the 55%; renew our discussion and make it about the future.

We debated the biggest question of nationhood and did it well; now we have to keep that enthusiasm running and debate with good grace and good humour. The depute leader has to speak to those who don't agree with us, find common ground, help take Scotland forward. We need common purpose on our nation's future.

That's the job I want; providing support for the new party leader and new first minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon; helping lead the SNP, develop policy, and reach out to Scotland. It's a challenge for anyone but a challenge I relish. I believe my enthusiasm, energy and, in particular, my experience mean I am the best candidate.

I've been a minister in challenging portfolios, laying the groundwork for the biggest council house building programme in a generation, initiating the huge increase in modern apprenticeships, overseeing the Transport Scotland bad weather response and delivering the transport infrastructure programme - projects worth billions of pounds, including the on-time and under budget Queensferry Crossing, which support thousands of jobs. Getting the decisions right is vital. That's made easier by being in the right team.

On leaving the marines I became politically active in the SNP during the Thatcher years; I understand the damage austerity does. That helps drive me towards independence and to work for a better, fairer and more prosperous Scotland where opportunity opens instead of narrowing.

Independence is my goal and will always be the aim of the SNP, but for now we have to govern and inspire, and we have to fight and campaign for the extra powers Scotland was promised. I commit myself to that as depute leader of the SNP.

Angela Constance, MSP for Almond Valley and Cabinet Secretary for Training, Youth and Women's Employment

I JOINED the SNP over 25 years ago because it was the party of independence. Over the past few weeks, tens of thousands of new members have joined the SNP to continue the campaign for independence.

We lost the referendum, more narrowly than many forecast, and, being democrats, we accept it. But living in a democracy also means that we have the right to continue to campaign for Independence.

We cannot know when or under what circumstances the opportunity to create an Independent Scotland will next arise but that opportunity will surely come, sooner or later, and we must be ready. Therefore, if I have the privilege of being elected the next deputy leader of the SNP I will ensure that we continue to build the case for independence - head, heart and soul.

I have made clear that I have no ambition to become deputy first minister; that appointment is purely a matter for the new first minister. My interest is to defend the democracy of our party and ensure that every voice is listened to and every vote is equal. There should be no special privileges for parliamentarians within the SNP - all members should have the same speaking and voting rights at conference. Local branches are the grassroots of the SNP and must be given the place they deserve. And we must not become like the Labour Party, where members are ejected from conference for challenging the leadership.

The referendum changed Scottish politics irreversibly and the SNP cannot slip back into the inward-looking world of old-style party politics; this is no longer about politicians or parliaments - it is about people. The SNP does have a duty to lead the independence campaign but we must recognise we do not have a monopoly on the wider independence movement. I will work hand in glove with the wider Yes movement to ensure a close working relationship and to embrace both collaboration and challenge from those quarters.

In quickly learning the lessons of all aspects of the referendum campaign we must continue to reach out to all Yes voters and, crucially, to No voters too. We need to recognise that, on this occasion, we did not convince enough women, allay the fears of older voters sufficiently or do enough to reach out to many who are not Scots born. If we are to win our independence we have to find an effective way to counter messages designed to stir the anxieties of certain sections of the electorate. No one person had the answer to this conundrum but together we must find it and find it quickly.

Because all across Scotland it was those with least who voted Yes hand over fist. Many voted for the first time because they saw that independence offered opportunity and hope where they had none. I'm standing shoulder to shoulder with the disenfranchised who had the courage to become voters for the first time and for as long as I have breath I will continue to make the case for independence, no ifs, no buts.

It is right and proper that we work with others, hold Westminster to account for their "vows" and make a positive contribution to the next stage of Scotland's home rule journey. But this election for the next deputy leader of the SNP is about how we best tap into the talents of members old and new, how we work with the wider Yes movement, and continue to make and build the case for independence, head, heart and soul.

It's about how we get ready to win.

Stewart Hosie, MP for Dundee East and SNP Treasury spokesman

ON September 18, thousands of Yes activists were knocking on the doors of hundreds of thousands of independence supporters. It was the culmination of the biggest political campaign Scotland has ever seen, and the 45% Yes vote achieved was delivered in spite of the entire might of the UK establishment being deployed for a No vote.

But the result was clear and no-one can deny that. Nor can anyone deny the incredible enthusiasm which the Yes campaign brought, re-energising politics in every corner of our country and leading to a surge in membership of independence-supporting parties.

I am certain if we are to ensure new powers are delivered for Scotland then the wider independence movement must be maintained. Indeed, it will be vital to keep the energy of that movement alive as we continue to campaign for more powers.

The next opportunity we have to do that is the 2015 General Election. But I do not believe that election should be a re-run of the referendum. It is Scotland's chance to hold Westminster to account - to hold their "feet to the fire" - ensuring that they keep their promise to deliver devo max and that means devolving everything apart from defence and foreign affairs.

And it was that promise of devo max which encouraged large numbers of Scots to vote No in the referendum. The SNP must reach out, not just to those who voted Yes, but those people who voted No expecting substantial new powers. The best way to do that - to make sure Westminster delivers - will be to return the largest ever number of independence-supporting MPs to Westminster.

The SNP will be the engine of this campaign and with more than 75,000 members, it will be a turbo-charged one. But we must find ways of working beyond party interests to maximise the participation of those who campaigned for independence by offering the electorate an opportunity to vote for change at next year's General Election.

Whether we campaign on a joint platform of maximum powers for Scotland or select candidates from the range of hugely talented people who emerged through the referendum campaign, the SNP should show the same willing to encourage the widest range of support from individuals and organisations to make sure the largest number of independence-supporting MPs is delivered to Westminster next year.

By turning that strong desire for change into votes for change next year, the Scottish people can sweep aside the vested interests of the Westminster old guard, which will deliver the best chance of substantial new powers for Scotland. It is for agreement as to how formal or informal such co-operation would be, but what a powerful alliance we could deliver to stand up for Scotland.

Of course any broad campaign will require approval from not just the SNP but many of the other parties and organisations involved in Yes, but it is important that we begin to seek agreement now.

If the referendum told us anything, it is that people are scunnered with the Westminster-style politics of the past. So if we maintain the campaigning efforts we have seen over the last two years and reach out to Yes and No voters alike who want that real change for Scotland, then I believe we will have a winning ticket with appeal right across the whole of Scotland.