LET me start this, my first column since the General Election, by saying a heartfelt thank you to everyone in Glasgow - and, of course, everyone across Scotland - who voted SNP on May 7.

The SNP had never before won a Glasgow constituency in a UK General Election, so to win all seven this time was beyond our wildest expectations.

Of course, our success means that seven Labour MPs lost their seats and I want to take this opportunity to wish each of them them the very best of luck for the future.

The SNP knows from past experience what it feels like to lose elections - so while we celebrate our success, we take no pleasure in the personal loss defeated candidates will be feeling.

The scale of the SNP victory across Scotland places a very big responsibility on our shoulders.

As our 56 MPs prepare to be sworn in to the House of Commons this week, they know that they have a big job of work to do.

First and foremost, they have constituents to represent and work hard on behalf of.

In my view, one of the many reasons for Labour's defeat in Scotland was a sense of complacency, developed over many years, as they assumed that simply pinning a red rosette on a candidate would always be enough.

I am determined that the SNP will never make that mistake.

The trust of the people has to be earned and re-earned - it should never, ever, be taken for granted.

So, for the new SNP MPs, community work will always be the priority.

But they have a big task ahead at Westminster too.

In the election campaign, we promised to make Scotland's voice heard at Westminster and that's exactly what we now intend to do.

We wish the Tories hadn't managed to win a majority in England - but the fact that they did makes it all the more important that strong, progressive voices are heard.

We've already had a taste this week of what the Tories have planned - from repeal of the Human Rights Act to an emergency budget that will no doubt pile even more pain onto the shoulders of the most vulnerable in our society.

Our job in the House of Commons will be to provide a strong voice against the Tories - not just for Scottish people but for the majority across the UK who didn't vote Tory - and also to build, where we can, alliances to block damaging policies.

The election result has another positive for Scotland, in addition to giving us a stronger voice at Westminster.

It also strengthens the hand of the Scottish Government in seeking a better deal for Scotland.

Running the NHS, education and our other public services is the responsibility of my government and we will, rightly, be judged on our performance.

But we will be better able to protect and improve these services if our budget is not being cut, year on year, by Westminster.

That's why, when I met the Prime Minister on Friday, the first substantive item on the agenda was our opposition to continued austerity.

The Tories see cutting public spending as a good thing in itself - they use the need to cut the deficit as the excuse for what they want to do anyway.

I take a different view - we want to reduce the deficit, but in a measured, responsible way that still allows us to invest in the things that really matter, like growing the economy and protecting the NHS.

The issue of more powers for the Scottish Parliament was also on the agenda for my meeting with David Cameron.

The Smith Commission proposals put forward last year were a good start but the election result indicates that people want to go further - that's why we will put forward proposals to devolve employment law, including the minimum wage, business taxes and more powers over welfare.

David Cameron says he will listen and I hope he means it.

He has a choice to make in how he responds to the election result in Scotland.

He can act as if nothing has changed and it's just business as usual.

If he does that, he will simply confirm what many people already think - that Westminster is incapable of serving Scotland well.

Or he can do the opposite and show that Westminster does listen and respond. I hope he does the latter and, in many ways, the ball is in his court.

The Scottish people will draw their own conclusions from how he chooses to play it.