John MacDougall (Scottish politician)
Encyclopedia
John William MacDougall (8 December 1947 – 13 August 2008) was a Scottish
Labour
politician, who was the Member of Parliament
for Glenrothes
from the 2005 general election
until his death; he was first elected to the House of Commons for Central Fife
in the 2001 general election
.
He was a low-profile MP who was loyal to the Labour government. From 2007 he was diagnosed with mesothelioma
, and due to his illness, his participation in Parliament became fleeting, although he remained as an MP until his death in August the following year.
, Fife
. He later obtained a diploma in industrial management and a certificate in naval architecture studies. He began work as an apprentice caulker
riveter at Rosyth Dockyard
, but his main working life was spent as a boilermaker from 1964 at the oil rig construction yard in Methil
. He became a shop steward
for the GMB trade union, later full-time Shop Steward Convenor.
member of Fife Regional Council for Burntisland
the following year. He became leader of the regional council in 1987, formally as Chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee, leaving work to be a full-time councillor, and serving until the Regional Council was abolished in the reform of local government.
MacDougall was elected to the new Fife unitary council in 1995 and became Convenor
of the council when it assumed its powers in April 1996. MacDougall's position as leader led him to accept several other appointments, including as Chair of the Rosyth Dockyard
and Naval Base Coordinating Committee, a director of Fife Enterprise, and Chair and director of Community Business Fife Ltd. In the mid-1990s he led the council's efforts to keep the Rosyth base open, including writing to every Conservative MP to ask them to support a defence review not led by the Treasury. He was a member of the Scottish Constitutional Convention
which established the framework for the Scottish Parliament
.
announced that he would stand down from his UK Parliament
seat in Central Fife
on moving to the Scottish Parliament
, MacDougall was thought to be likely to be beaten to the selection as his successor by the former Labour Party general secretary Alex Rowley. However MacDougall was announced as the winner of the ballot. MacDougall was slightly embarrassed during the election campaign when his son Scott played a kilt
ed Scottish National Party
candidate in a party broadcast (the broadcast depicted the other party's candidates as wearing underwear under their kilts, said to be the sign of a fake Scotsman, while the presenter checks and confirms the SNP candidate is a true Scotsman
).
MacDougall won with a majority of 10,075. Within months he was facing criticism for lack of activity, being named by a Daily Mail
survey as the third least active Scottish backbench MP.
; it was rumoured that Kirkcaldy MP Lewis Moonie intended to challenge MacDougall. MacDougall was said to be "absolutely distraught" and intended to defend himself. He was mentioned as a potential candidate for the Central Fife constituency in the Scottish Parliament
when Henry McLeish announced his retirement; however the selection went to his successor as council leader, Christine May
. MacDougall won the selection for the new Glenrothes
constituency when Lewis Moonie opted to retire instead.
in 2003, MacDougall had some of Robert Burns
' most famous poems translated out of the Scots language
into contemporary English
to make them comprehensible for English guests. When Labour MPs were reported to be plotting to get Tony Blair
to resign the leadership in favour of Gordon Brown
, MacDougall was quoted as a supporter of Brown in opposing the plotting as not in his interests.
, which he blamed on his work in shipyards, but said that his doctor expected him to return to full health "in a couple of weeks". In October it was said that he was likely to stand down in the event of a snap general election; however no election was called.
MacDougall was not recorded as having participated in any Parliamentary votes from early December 2007, and by June 2008 it was clear that his health problems were serious and there was a rumour that he would have to resign. However another rumour said that he was recovering and likely to return to work. MacDougall attended the House of Commons on 11 June 2008 to support the government on a knife-edge vote on pre-charge detention periods, giving an interview in which he admitted to having had an operation for mesothelioma
; he declared his intention to stand for re-election. However, MacDougall died of mesothelioma at 6 AM on 13 August 2008 at the Victoria Hospital
in Kirkcaldy
.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
Labour
Scottish Labour Party
The Scottish Labour Party is the section of the British Labour Party which operates in Scotland....
politician, who was the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Glenrothes
Glenrothes (UK Parliament constituency)
Glenrothes is a British Parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons. It was created for the 2005 general election.The seat is currently held by Lindsay Roy, of the Scottish Labour party...
from the 2005 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
until his death; he was first elected to the House of Commons for Central Fife
Central Fife (UK Parliament constituency)
Central Fife was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from February 1974 until 2005, when it was largely replaced by the new Glenrothes constituency, with a small portion joining the expanded North East Fife.It elected one Member...
in the 2001 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2001
The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...
.
He was a low-profile MP who was loyal to the Labour government. From 2007 he was diagnosed with mesothelioma
Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma, more precisely malignant mesothelioma, is a rare form of cancer that develops from the protective lining that covers many of the body's internal organs, the mesothelium...
, and due to his illness, his participation in Parliament became fleeting, although he remained as an MP until his death in August the following year.
Early life
MacDougall was educated at Templehall Secondary Modern School in KirkcaldyKirkcaldy
Kirkcaldy is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. The town lies on a shallow bay on the northern shore of the Firth of Forth; SSE of Glenrothes, ENE of Dunfermline, WSW of Dundee and NNE of Edinburgh...
, Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
. He later obtained a diploma in industrial management and a certificate in naval architecture studies. He began work as an apprentice caulker
Caulking
Caulking is one of several different processes to seal joints or seams in various structures and certain types of piping. The oldest form of caulking is used to make the seams in wooden boats or ships watertight, by driving fibrous materials into the wedge-shaped seams between planks...
riveter at Rosyth Dockyard
Rosyth Dockyard
Rosyth Dockyard is a large naval dockyard on the Firth of Forth at Rosyth, Fife, Scotland, owned by Babcock Marine, which primarily undertakes refitting of Royal Navy surface vessels.-History:...
, but his main working life was spent as a boilermaker from 1964 at the oil rig construction yard in Methil
Methil
Methil is an eastern coastal town in Scotland. It was part of the former Burgh of Buckhaven and Methil. It lies within a continuous urban area described as Levenmouth.Methil lies geographically between Largo bay to the east and Wemyss Bay to the west....
. He became a shop steward
Union steward
A union representative, union steward, or shop steward is an employee of an organization or company, who represents and defends the interests of her/his fellow employees but who is also a labor union official...
for the GMB trade union, later full-time Shop Steward Convenor.
Fife councillor
After joining the Labour Party in 1981, MacDougall was elected as a Labour PartyLabour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
member of Fife Regional Council for Burntisland
Burntisland
Burntisland is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland on the Firth of Forth. According to an estimate taken in 2008, the town has a population of 5,940....
the following year. He became leader of the regional council in 1987, formally as Chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee, leaving work to be a full-time councillor, and serving until the Regional Council was abolished in the reform of local government.
MacDougall was elected to the new Fife unitary council in 1995 and became Convenor
Provost (civil)
A provost is the ceremonial head of many Scottish local authorities, and under the name prévôt was a governmental position of varying importance in Ancien Regime France.-History:...
of the council when it assumed its powers in April 1996. MacDougall's position as leader led him to accept several other appointments, including as Chair of the Rosyth Dockyard
Rosyth Dockyard
Rosyth Dockyard is a large naval dockyard on the Firth of Forth at Rosyth, Fife, Scotland, owned by Babcock Marine, which primarily undertakes refitting of Royal Navy surface vessels.-History:...
and Naval Base Coordinating Committee, a director of Fife Enterprise, and Chair and director of Community Business Fife Ltd. In the mid-1990s he led the council's efforts to keep the Rosyth base open, including writing to every Conservative MP to ask them to support a defence review not led by the Treasury. He was a member of the Scottish Constitutional Convention
Scottish Constitutional Convention
The Scottish Constitutional Convention was an association of Scottish political parties, churches and other civic groups, that developed a framework for a Scottish devolution. It is credited as having paved the way for the establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1999.The Convention was...
which established the framework for the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
.
Parliament
When Henry McLeishHenry McLeish
Henry Baird McLeish is a Scottish Labour Party politician, author and academic. Formerly a professional association football player, McLeish was the Member of Parliament for Central Fife from 1987 to 2001 and the Member of the Scottish Parliament for Central Fife from 1999 to 2003, during which...
announced that he would stand down from his UK Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
seat in Central Fife
Central Fife (UK Parliament constituency)
Central Fife was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from February 1974 until 2005, when it was largely replaced by the new Glenrothes constituency, with a small portion joining the expanded North East Fife.It elected one Member...
on moving to the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
, MacDougall was thought to be likely to be beaten to the selection as his successor by the former Labour Party general secretary Alex Rowley. However MacDougall was announced as the winner of the ballot. MacDougall was slightly embarrassed during the election campaign when his son Scott played a kilt
Kilt
The kilt is a knee-length garment with pleats at the rear, originating in the traditional dress of men and boys in the Scottish Highlands of the 16th century. Since the 19th century it has become associated with the wider culture of Scotland in general, or with Celtic heritage even more broadly...
ed Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
candidate in a party broadcast (the broadcast depicted the other party's candidates as wearing underwear under their kilts, said to be the sign of a fake Scotsman, while the presenter checks and confirms the SNP candidate is a true Scotsman
True Scotsman
True Scotsman is a humorous term used in Scotland for a man wearing a kilt without undergarments. Though the tradition originated in the military, it has entered Scottish lore as a rite, an expression of light-hearted curiosity about the custom, even as a subversive gesture.-Background:Kilts have...
).
MacDougall won with a majority of 10,075. Within months he was facing criticism for lack of activity, being named by a Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
survey as the third least active Scottish backbench MP.
Boundary changes
A boundary review cutting the number of United Kingdom Parliamentary seats in Scotland put MacDougall's seat in danger by enlarging it with parts taken from KirkcaldyKirkcaldy (UK Parliament constituency)
Kirkcaldy was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom in Fife, returning one Member of Parliament . It existed from the February 1974 election until its abolition in 2005.-Boundaries:...
; it was rumoured that Kirkcaldy MP Lewis Moonie intended to challenge MacDougall. MacDougall was said to be "absolutely distraught" and intended to defend himself. He was mentioned as a potential candidate for the Central Fife constituency in the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
when Henry McLeish announced his retirement; however the selection went to his successor as council leader, Christine May
Christine May
Christine May is a Labour Co-operative politician, and was Member of the Scottish Parliament for Fife Central constituency from 2003 to 2007...
. MacDougall won the selection for the new Glenrothes
Glenrothes (UK Parliament constituency)
Glenrothes is a British Parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons. It was created for the 2005 general election.The seat is currently held by Lindsay Roy, of the Scottish Labour party...
constituency when Lewis Moonie opted to retire instead.
Burns translation
To celebrate Burns NightBurns supper
A Burns supper is a celebration of the life and poetry of the poet Robert Burns, author of many Scots poems. The suppers are normally held on or near the poet's birthday, 25 January, sometimes also known as Robert Burns Day or Burns Night , although they may in principle be held at any time of the...
in 2003, MacDougall had some of Robert Burns
Robert Burns
Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide...
' most famous poems translated out of the Scots language
Scots language
Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
into contemporary English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
to make them comprehensible for English guests. When Labour MPs were reported to be plotting to get Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
to resign the leadership in favour of Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
, MacDougall was quoted as a supporter of Brown in opposing the plotting as not in his interests.
Illness and death
In May 2007 MacDougall revealed that he had serious health problems. He had had a lung removed after being diagnosed with asbestosisAsbestosis
Asbestosis is a chronic inflammatory and fibrotic medical condition affecting the parenchymal tissue of the lungs caused by the inhalation and retention of asbestos fibers...
, which he blamed on his work in shipyards, but said that his doctor expected him to return to full health "in a couple of weeks". In October it was said that he was likely to stand down in the event of a snap general election; however no election was called.
MacDougall was not recorded as having participated in any Parliamentary votes from early December 2007, and by June 2008 it was clear that his health problems were serious and there was a rumour that he would have to resign. However another rumour said that he was recovering and likely to return to work. MacDougall attended the House of Commons on 11 June 2008 to support the government on a knife-edge vote on pre-charge detention periods, giving an interview in which he admitted to having had an operation for mesothelioma
Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma, more precisely malignant mesothelioma, is a rare form of cancer that develops from the protective lining that covers many of the body's internal organs, the mesothelium...
; he declared his intention to stand for re-election. However, MacDougall died of mesothelioma at 6 AM on 13 August 2008 at the Victoria Hospital
Victoria Hospital (Kirkcaldy)
Victoria Hospital is a large hospital situated to the north of the town centre in Kirkcaldy. As one of two main hospitals in Fife, this serves both the town and surrounding Mid-Fife area...
in Kirkcaldy
Kirkcaldy
Kirkcaldy is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. The town lies on a shallow bay on the northern shore of the Firth of Forth; SSE of Glenrothes, ENE of Dunfermline, WSW of Dundee and NNE of Edinburgh...
.