Drummers Corner, Peterhead.

It's not far from the Wetherspoons on Queen Street. Just around the corner from the slightly-oversized fisher wifey statue. That's where I will be on Saturday morning, leaflets in hand, lapel proudly displaying my Aabudy Welcome badge, ready to convince the voters of Banffshire and Buchan Coast that #BothVotesSNP is the way to go this Thursday.

Every party in government repeats the mantra but it's always true: "There's no room for complacency."

In reality, of course, burnout is an occupational hazard for governments. It can happen to every political party, in every democratic society. It's the reason why in most democracies, there's a cycle at the top, with parties gaining power, exercising it, then falling as tiredness sets in. The SNP came to power on the back of a complacent Labour Party with a sense of entitlement, drained of talent and enthusiasm.

Within the British context, this complacency, tinged with arrogance, has traditionally been associated with the third term in government. In consequence, everyone with an interest in politics has been scanning the SNP for any sign of this. After nine years out of power, the unionist parties are looking for cracks, chinks in the armour to be exploited. The Greens are seeking votes from those on the left of the independence movement. Everyone is eyeing the prizes associated with a weakened or weakening SNP.

As a relatively new political activist, some of my more experienced friends often comment on the perils of a third term in government. In recent UK political history we can look back at the wearied third-term governments led by Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair. Whether you agree with them or not, Thatcher's first two terms were defined by her decisiveness - the Falklands War, or her battles against the trade union movement. At least you knew where she stood.

But when it comes to that Tory government's third-term, history showed the iron grip loosening: educational reforms faltered, internal squabbles over Europe heightened, and the decisive rejection of the poll tax in Scotland put the frighteners on ministers ahead of its UK-wide roll-out. It was the straw that broke the camel's back, and the Tories have paid for it in Scotland ever since.

Labour Party members will always note the positive reforms in Tony Blair's first term, including the national minimum wage, improved rights for LGBT people, and the Good Friday Agreement. In its second term, the Labour Party's commitment to the Iraq war undermined public confidence, and pushed major domestic reform onto the back burner. By the time Blair's third term rolled around, D-Ream's 'Things Can Only Get better' seemed both dated and ironic, and in Blair's rictus grin we could no longer see anything that looked like even a vague reflection of the society to which Labour claimed to aspire.

This was in my mind as I sat down at the SNP manifesto launch in Edinburgh last week. There was palpable enthusiasm in the air -- nobody can accuse the SNP's membership of lacking positive energy.

As Nicola approached the stage, the cheer went up, but what wasn't so readily audible was the number of members busy thumbing their copies of the manifesto. Folk had one eye on Nicola, the other on the policy areas of most interest to them. I was sitting on the end of a row with three women to my right.

Having been asked to take their photo holding the manifesto, I discovered they were a mother and daughter, with the mum's best friend from work. I guessed they were teachers as they immediately hunted for information on our new proposals for education. I recognised the younger woman from the disabled members' conference earlier this year, and we caught each other reading through the details of the Scottish Social Security Bill.

I'll be honest, I left the launch feeling a sense of relief. For two reasons.

Firstly, amidst the hype and carnival atmosphere, it was reassuring to see so many activists actually reading the manifesto, interested in the substance of new policy ideas. And secondly, I felt relief because in contrast to the third terms of Thatcher and Blair, I came away knowing that the SNP leadership is leaving no room for complacency -- and nor are the members. The enthusiasm is still there -- the joie de vivre of the independence movement is still alive and kicking, nine years into government.

Going into a prospective third term, the SNP remains a united party, with a popular, charismatic leader. The dynamic of the Union means that Scots constantly measure their government's performance against the one we didn't vote for down south. Even among those who aren't yet sold on independence, many look on with horror at what the Tories are doing south of the border, and are grateful that the SNP has helped protect us from the worst excesses of Tory austerity. And we're facing an opposition that remains incoherent, lacking in credible policies and caught in an unedifying race for second place.

The SNP's programme for a third term in government is meaty and ambitious. Nicola is seeking her own mandate as Scotland's First Minister, and the commitments in the manifesto will benefit every part of Scotland, and every section of our society. Investment in our NHS is to go up above the rate of inflation; £1.3bn extra is going into health and social care; parents will have access to 30 hours' early years education by 2021. There's a commitment to 50,000 new affordable homes; the protection of disability benefits; investment in infrastructure; and support for small businesses.

Sound good? You've got to turn out and vote. Members will be working hard knowing that no election is in the bag until the polls close, and I'm hoping for an SNP government that can keep building on what it has already achieved for all of us.

Comment by Jamie Szymkowiak, an SNP activist and adviser. He also heads One in Five, the campaign to increase the representation of disabled people in political life.