Motion of Condolence
The flags at Holyrood today fly at half-mast in memory and in honour of our friend and colleague, Margaret Ewing. The whole Parliament will wish to express to Fergus and to her family its sadness and shock at her death.
Margaret was well liked and widely respected across the parties both at Holyrood and at Westminster. In both chambers, she argued her case with vigour but did not make enemies. Margaret was a lassie o pairts who was raised in a ploughman's cottage in Lanarkshire. She could ride a horse, birth a lamb and shoot a fox. That cottar upbringing gave her a lifelong love of the land and the conviction that in Scotland a man is as good as his master.
After the University of Glasgow and Jordanhill College, she could have chosen a certain career, but she said that Scotland was somewhere special, so she chose the uncertainty of giving back to this country the chance that she had been given to move on.
In the 1970s, I shared an office with Margaret in the House of Commons. She was fair, she was feisty and she was fun. She campaigned on fuel poverty, decent housing, health issues and the plight of poor African farmers who tried to scratch a living from the soil. She said that being a nationalist meant that she was an internationalist as well. She was always present during the interminable, through-the-night debates on the first devolution bill. After an hour or so of zizz in an office chair, she would be back on the benches at 2, 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning. In the despair that followed the defeat of 1979, she was the first to say that Scotland would just have to start again.
Margaret had courage and tenacity. By chance, I met her early one morning when she still had a dual mandate at Holyrood and Westminster. She had just come up from London, having endured a truly dreadful night of sickness and pain on the sleeper. She could have retired at that point, on health grounds, but she had the courage to fight her fears and her cancer and to go on right to the end of the road. She served her country and her constituents to her very last day.
Margaret now has her place in a long line of formidable women who have helped to shape Scotland and to bring this Parliament into being. The place is poorer without her. We shall miss you, Maggie.
It is with immense sadness that I speak to the motion in my name. Yesterday, I and all my colleagues were devastated to learn of Margaret's passing. We will miss her terribly, but as we mourn her death, we are determined to celebrate a life that was lived to the full. It was a life that was full not only of politics, but of fun; it was a life that will leave its mark on Scotland.
Margaret was an optimist. For her, the glass was always half full. She chose to see the positive in everything and—most of the time—everyone. She had razor-sharp wit, as we all remember from the famous occasion during a parliamentary debate on which she helpfully filled in the blanks in the word that started with H and ended with Y. However, there was no rough edge to Margaret's humour—she laughed with people rather than at them.
My colleagues and I were privileged to have Margaret as the convener of our group in the early years of the Parliament. She once told me that performing that role made her feel more like an agony aunt than a politician. I will not comment on what that might suggest about my colleagues, not least because I think that it says much more about Margaret herself. She was someone whom one could talk to, confide in, trust and have a laugh with. You would always, always feel better at the end of a conversation with Maggie than you did at the start of it. She was one of the warmest, kindest, friendliest people I have ever known.
Those qualities, above all others, led the people of her beloved Moray to place their trust in her at five consecutive elections over a period of almost 20 years. Margaret was devoted to her constituents. She championed the causes that were dearest to them. The redevelopment of maternity services at Dr Gray's hospital in Elgin was possibly the biggest of her many local achievements. Margaret was not a politician who jumped on bandwagons; she was the one who got the bandwagons rolling in the first place. She was a tireless campaigner for the elderly. Long before it was a popular cause, Margaret was one of the first politicians to campaign for a winter fuel allowance for pensioners in Scotland.
Margaret was, of course, a Scottish nationalist to her core; she had a simple and unshakeable belief in Scotland and in the Scottish people. As the Presiding Officer said, she was also an internationalist. More than anything, the role that she believed Scotland could play in the world drove her deep commitment to Scottish independence. Margaret cared passionately about the world around her. The plight of Africa was a cause that was close to her heart. Last February, she was proud to lead a Scottish parliamentary delegation to Malawi. Margaret also believed that Scotland had a lot to learn from other countries. Her desire to share experiences and to learn from others made her an enthusiastic and active member of the British-Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.
When Margaret told me last year that she intended to step down from the Parliament at the next election, it was clear that she was not planning a quiet retirement. In particular, she wanted to do much more international work. I bitterly regret that she was not given the chance to do that. No matter where she travelled, Margaret was—and would have continued to be—a first-class ambassador for Scotland and the Scottish Parliament.
All of us who were lucky enough to know Margaret will cherish our special memories of her. My colleagues who served with her in the House of Commons, where she won respect right across the political spectrum, will remember the gutsy and feisty way in which she led that small but effective group for more than a decade.
The memory that sticks in my mind most of all is of something that Margaret told me many years ago. We were at one of the many candidate training sessions to which she devoted so much of her time, because she wanted to help to nurture the next generation. She was an inspiration to us as candidates, particularly to the women among us. On that day, Margaret reflected that she had experienced many things that others could only dream about as a result of her life in politics. She went on to say that she would never forget that, as all those things were experienced on behalf of others, every single one of them had to be put to use in better serving her constituents.
I thought again of that conversation yesterday, as I was reading some of the moving tributes that have been paid to Margaret. I sincerely thank all the other party leaders for their kind words; they mean a great deal to Fergus. I was struck most of all by the tribute from the charity, Breast Cancer Care, in which it acknowledged the immense amount of work that Margaret did on its behalf. That tribute says so much. Ever since her breast cancer diagnosis in 2002, Margaret struggled with illness. Notwithstanding her suffering, she continued to do her very best to use even that dreadful experience to benefit others. That was the essence of Margaret Ewing. It is what we—the Scottish National Party, the people of Moray and, I believe, Scotland as a whole—will miss most about her, every single day.
Of course, no one will miss Margaret more than Fergus. At this dreadfully sad time, our love and thoughts are with him, Winnie and all Margaret's family. It is with a heavy heart but a great deal of pride that I move the motion in my name.
I move,
That the Parliament expresses its deep regret and sadness at the death of Margaret Ewing MSP; offers its sympathy and condolences to her family and friends, and recognises her widely appreciated contribution to Scottish politics and public life.
Presiding Officer, thank you for giving me the opportunity to support the motion of condolence.
There are those who deride the profession of politics for clichés and words spoken without sincerity, but I am certain that in the short time that we have today every word of praise, expression of condolence and fond remembrance will be from the heart.
For a Scot of my generation, who is passionate about our nation and its place in the world, the debates of the 1970s about our country's government were an inspiration that still abides. Although our opinions on that core question were different, the passion and consistency with which the young Margaret Bain MP put forward Scotland's cause made an impression on the young Jack McConnell that has lasted a long time. There is no doubt that when the history of devolution—and of her party—comes to be written, Margaret Ewing's place in that history will be assured. She loved and fought for her constituency of Moray, she was consistent in her advocacy of a separate Scotland and she brought experience and insight into the new Scottish Parliament. I am glad that she was elected to this Parliament and I think that we will all miss her very much indeed.
I think that most of us will choose to remember Margaret Ewing the person. It is true that she had no enemies. I can think of time after time when a member of my party would preface a critique of Margaret's politics with, "She's a lovely person." She was indeed lovely, but she was also feisty, committed, principled and determined—the positive way to be strong in politics.
I have a particular memory of Margaret that will stay with me for a long time. Before my visit to Malawi last year, she spoke with me more than once about Malawi, Scotland's historic links with the country and the bonds that she herself had forged. She recognised the debt of honour that we owed and the particular place that Scotland held in Malawian history and culture. I know that she was proud to have nurtured my interest in renewing a partnership between our two nations and I know that she was proud to see that partnership begin to flourish again.
Talk of agreement across parties is easy at times such as these. The essence of democratic politics is about choices, the battle of ideas, the partisanship of alternatives and the contest about who is most fit to lead, but what matters is the manner in which politics is conducted, and Margaret Ewing MSP provided us all with a model of how to conduct ourselves. She was tenacious on behalf of the people she represented; tireless for the cause that she supported; witty when faced with bombast or pretension; and without rancour or malice. Above all, she was committed to Scotland and its people.
Despite our divergent politics and our deeply held ideological differences, I am certain that every member of the Parliament will offer condolences to Fergus and to the wider family and friends of Margaret Ewing. We all honour her memory today.
I still remember the effervescent political force that burst on the Scottish political scene in 1974, when Margaret Bain won Dunbartonshire East. It is interesting that on the day that Margaret Bain made her debut, she was joined by another promising Scottish political talent: a dashing young blade—he is still pretty well recognisable as such—called James Douglas-Hamilton. James tells me that he remembers Margaret with particular warmth, affection and respect.
There was a vibrancy and purpose about Margaret that characterised her political career at Westminster. Despite party-political differences, it is always possible to like and admire politicians across the political boundaries. Margaret Ewing—as she became in 1983—was one such politician. There is much to commend gutsy, straight-talking women in politics and Margaret was the honorary president of that club. When, as a member of the Scottish Parliament, I came to know her personally, two things became obvious to me. First, when she spoke in the Parliament, other members listened. Secondly, her contributions were articulate, coherent, well argued and robustly presented. Her speeches were enriched by that great Scottish attribute: a wry and pawky sense of humour.
The Scottish Parliament is a small political family and there is a sense of loss here that is made real by what we will miss and by what the world of Scottish politics has lost by Margaret Ewing's passing. Margaret made an indelible mark on that world, for which she will be remembered in a very positive way. On behalf of my party, I extend my sympathy to her husband, Fergus, and to the wider family.
I first got to know Margaret Ewing when I was elected to the House of Commons back in 1991. As we have heard, she was already a senior figure by then, not just in her own party but in Scottish politics. It is hard to believe that that was 15 years ago. It is still harder to believe that we will see her no more.
To me, Margaret was always friendly and kind. We were both north-east politicians and we shared a similar respect for the Government of the day. I saw at first hand her passion for her work, her constituents and the issues that faced her Moray constituency. Despite that hard work, she always took time to speak, and she was smiling and supportive. That never changed in all the time I knew her. In this Parliament, our friendship was renewed. From my time as Deputy Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs, I particularly remember discovering the strength, depth and experience that Margaret brought to the issues of young people, especially the problems facing those with special needs and disabilities.
She was passionate about all that she did: she was passionate about people and passionate about Scotland.
There is one word that sums up all that is best about this new Parliament, and which will bring many happy memories of an outstanding, kind, courageous person and a great Scottish parliamentarian. That word begins with an M and ends in a T—Margaret, you will be very sadly missed by us all.
Thank you, Presiding Officer, for this opportunity to add my voice to the voices that we have already heard. I speak on behalf of all my colleagues in the Green group of MSPs. We offer our sincere and heartfelt condolences to Fergus and to all Margaret's family, to Winnie and to Margaret's friends within and without the Parliament.
I did not have the privilege of working with Margaret on a committee or on a cross-party group but, whenever I met her, there was always a ready smile and a few words. Margaret had a lovely dry sense of humour and a lively interest in everything that happened in the Parliament. I know that she was always quick to offer sympathy and a kind word to staff in the Parliament, as well as to colleagues, when the need and opportunity arose.
I welcome the opportunity that this motion of condolence affords us all to respond in kind to Margaret's family and friends, with a public tribute to her huge contribution to Scottish life and Scottish politics during what now seems all too short a life. It is a privilege to add our voices to those of all the other parties on this sad occasion and to remember—with admiration for her work and with affection for a kindly, friendly person—Margaret Ewing.
On behalf of the Scottish Socialist Party, I offer our sincere condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Margaret Ewing. Margaret was someone whom we six MSPs got to know only briefly—we shared a corridor with her—but we recognised in her someone well known and well liked, a woman who was generous and kind of spirit. Her loss is genuinely felt throughout the Parliament by politicians, party workers and staff alike.
It has been written that Margaret was that rare thing in Scottish politics: a politician who was admired, respected and liked across the broad political spectrum, despite all political differences. She gave politics a good name. She spoke in this Parliament with authority, passion and intelligence, reflecting her decades of experience inside and outside Parliament, in this Parliament and at Westminster.
As we know, she was a hard-working and committed MSP who served her constituents in Moray selflessly and with great humility. No problem was too small for her—she was a true public servant. We all know that over the past few years she struggled with failing health, yet throughout she maintained a cheerful outlook while continuing her work. That alone was testament to her courage and her commitment to the Scottish people.
The SNP, the wider independence movement, the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish people will be the poorer for her loss, but she leaves a legacy of generosity of spirit, political insight, ready wit and humour. Today our thoughts are with Fergus and all her loved ones.
I, too, express my sympathy and convey the condolences of my independent colleagues to Fergus and all Margaret's family and friends.
I first met Margaret more than a third of a century ago, when we were both teaching at St Modan's high school in Stirling. Indeed, for part of that period, I was her boss. To her credit, she survived the experience and never held it against me. As a teacher, Margaret was an absolute star. She was very meticulous in preparing her lessons and she taught with great patience and understanding. She had a particular gift for educating children with learning difficulties, at a time when many of them were in danger of being rejected by the Scottish education system. Some of them came from deprived home backgrounds, but Margaret took them under her wing and they all benefited greatly from having her as their teacher. From my frequent contact with St Modan's former pupils of that era, I know that, after all these years, they still hold Margaret in very high regard.
Margaret and I were simultaneously relegated from teaching to a less honourable profession, when we were elected to the House of Commons for neighbouring constituencies on the same day in October 1974. As the member of Parliament for East Dunbartonshire, she soon made her name at Westminster, where she was greatly respected for her thoughtful contributions to debate. She was an articulate supporter of the cause of Scottish independence, but she was certainly not a narrow-minded nationalist or a single-issue politician. She spoke with experience, knowledge and passion on a wide range of subjects, including education, health, social justice and international affairs.
She continued that practice when she was elected to the Scottish Parliament. As well as making speeches in plenary session, she did excellent work as a member of the European and External Relations Committee and of the British-Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body. Margaret also demonstrated a great concern for underprivileged people in some of the poorest countries in the world. That was very evident last year, when she was leader of the first-ever Commonwealth Parliamentary Association delegation from Scotland to South Africa and Malawi. Margaret led our delegation with great wisdom, diplomacy and courage, given that her health was obviously failing and that that part of Africa can be a tough place to travel, even for the physically strong.
Margaret had many qualities but, in my view, one in particular shone through everything that she did—her tenacity. She fought hard and persevered courageously in everything that she did, whether it was in education, in politics, in serving her constituents or in her final battle with cancer. She was a bonnie fechter, and the Parliament is greatly diminished by her departure. May she rest in peace.
That concludes tributes to Margaret Ewing.