“David Cameron’s speech was such a bad move: a toff Tory politician telling us all what to do. I know people who are voting yes because of that speech.” Photograph: Robert Ormerod for the Guardian
“My father came to Glasgow from Pakistan in 1974 and was the first non-white member of the SNP. For me, getting into politics was all about 9/11 and guys in class asking why Muslims were blowing up the world. I became anti-war. In London, on the march against the Iraq war, I thought: why am I protesting down here?” Photograph: Robert Ormerod for the Guardian
“I did work experience for my local MSP when the smoking ban came in: it made me see what we could achieve if we had devolution. We’ve seen a huge change of mood lately. People are getting over the fear the no campaign put out there. Two friends had to move to London to work: a yes vote would bring industry and jobs here.” Photograph: Robert Ormerod for the Guardian
“I’m British, but Scotland feels like home to me. I’m campaigning because this is so important, and part of a bigger picture. I don’t want to feel as if I’m crossing a border when I go back down to London.” Photograph: Robert Ormerod for the Guardian
“We’ve got 300 years of shared history, and I don’t accept that a yes vote would be good for Scotland. It would be such a short-term decision about something that’s such a long-term issue. I don’t think we should chuck away those three centuries for the sake of a few extra MPs.” Photograph: Robert Ormerod for the Guardian
“I grew up in Clydebank, in a low-income, single-parent household, and it was tough. My family aren’t political, but there is a lot of deprivation where I’m from, and that inspired me to try to change things. The SNP say poverty would be redundant in an independent Scotland, but I don’t see how.” Photograph: Robert Ormerod for the Guardian
"I joined the party when I was 14 and now I’m a candidate in the European elections. The country feels very divided on the referendum: the mood is my way or the highway. If it’s a no vote, I hope a lot more powers will be devolved from Westminster. If it’s yes, I’ll move to England. The opportunities for graduates will dry up.” Photograph: Robert Ormerod for the Guardian
“The referendum is a non-issue – which flag do we fly over a system that’s fundamentally flawed. We should be fighting austerity, but people say when we’re independent we won’t have to deal with the cuts.” Photograph: Robert Ormerod for the Guardian
“I was born in Italy and we moved to Scotland when I was eight. Since I’ve always felt a bit of a migrant, the SNP was the party that spoke most to me. There’s no nationalism in this debate at all. It’s not about extremes. There may be inappropriate behaviour on Twitter, but that comes from both sides. It’s normal.” Photograph: Robert Ormerod for the Guardian
"I’ve just finished my degree and am looking for work. My parents got me involved in politics and I joined Labour after the last general election. What’s inspiring is the concern for people south of the border, in Newcastle, not just in Glasgow. The debate should be around what will bring equality for a wider number of people." Photograph: Robert Ormerod for the Guardian
“The mood of the campaign is generally quite bad-natured. People up here are always saying that political debate takes its cue from the adversarial set-up at Westminster, but it’s just as intense and tribal at Holyrood. I think the campaign is beginning to put a lot of people off.” Photograph: Robert Ormerod for the Guardian
“I was born into politics, and the first year I could vote was the first year of the Scottish parliament. People are excited about the referendum – they know it will have a real impact on their lives and they want to be involved. We think there might be up to an 80% turnout. There’s a split between the genders: more women are undecided.” Photograph: Robert Ormerod/Robert Ormerod for the Guardian
