Difference between revisions of "Donald Dewar"
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'''Donald Dewar''' (21 August 1937 – 11 October 2000) was a Scottish [[Labour Party]] politician, anti-monarchist, and statesman, best known for serving as the inaugural [[First Minister of Scotland]].<ref>[https://www.gov.scot/about/who-runs-government/first-minister/history/ History of the office of the First Minister]</ref> | '''Donald Dewar''' (21 August 1937 – 11 October 2000) was a Scottish [[Labour Party]] politician, anti-monarchist, and statesman, best known for serving as the inaugural [[First Minister of Scotland]].<ref>[https://www.gov.scot/about/who-runs-government/first-minister/history/ History of the office of the First Minister]</ref> | ||
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| + | Dewar has acquired the epithet "the Father of Devolution" and even "the Father of the Nation", owing to his role in securing devolution for Scotland in 1997. However, Dewar's conduct as a politician, which has been described as "petty", have led to some colleagues repudiating the appropriateness such titles.<ref name="Canavan" /> | ||
== Career == | == Career == | ||
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Donald Dewar died in office aged 63 on 11 October 2000.<ref name="obituary" /> | Donald Dewar died in office aged 63 on 11 October 2000.<ref name="obituary" /> | ||
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| + | == Criticism == | ||
| + | Dewar's actions attracted criticism from former colleagues. Ex-Labour politician Dennis Canavan described Dewar as a "petty, hypocritical man" in his 2009 book ''Let The People Decide''. Dewar prevented Canavan from standing for Labour in the Scottish Parliament vote in 1999 (Canavan would win the seat of Falkirk West as an Independent), and made insensitive comments about Canavan's son dying from cancer in 1989, reportedly saying "Oh no! That’s all we need. He was mad enough before, I shudder to think what he’ll be like now."<ref name="Canavan">[https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/117913/Canavan-dishes-dirt-on-petty-hypocrite-Dewar Canavan dishes dirt on ‘petty hypocrite’ Dewar]</ref> | ||
== References== | == References== | ||
| + | {{reflist}} | ||
[[Category:Abortion Advocates]] | [[Category:Abortion Advocates]] | ||
[[Category:Liberals]] | [[Category:Liberals]] | ||
[[Category:Scotland]] | [[Category:Scotland]] | ||
Revision as of 23:03, May 22, 2023
| Donald Dewar | |
|---|---|
| Former First Minister of Scotland From: 13 May 1999 - 11 October 2000 | |
| Predecessor | Office created |
| Successor | Jim Wallace (acting) Henry McLeish |
| Information | |
| Party | Labour |
Donald Dewar (21 August 1937 – 11 October 2000) was a Scottish Labour Party politician, anti-monarchist, and statesman, best known for serving as the inaugural First Minister of Scotland.[1]
Dewar has acquired the epithet "the Father of Devolution" and even "the Father of the Nation", owing to his role in securing devolution for Scotland in 1997. However, Dewar's conduct as a politician, which has been described as "petty", have led to some colleagues repudiating the appropriateness such titles.[2]
Career
On 21 June 1990, Dewar voted in favor of Human Fertilisation and Embryology bill (now Act), which amended the Abortion Act 1967 to provide legal framework for destructive and anti-life embryo research.[3]
Following the UK Labour Party's landslide election victory on 1 May 1997, Dewar settled the outlines for the plans for a Scottish Parliament in which all powers, except those specifically reserved for Westminster, would be subject to a Scottish Parliament.
On 11 September 1997, Dewar won a mandate for his plans for a Scottish Parliament through a referendum, with 74% of those voting supporting a Scottish Parliament, and 64% voting for the new parliament to have tax-raising powers.[4]
At the first Scottish Parliament election, which was held on 6 May 1999, Dewar won the seat of Glasgow Anniesland with 58.8% of the vote, with the SNP's Kaukab Stewart coming in a distant second with 20.2%. This gave Dewar the unusual distinction of representing the same seat in both the British and Scottish Parliaments. Labour overall won 38.8% of the vote with 56 seats, the largest party in the newly created body. He was elected by the Scottish Parliament as the nominee for First Minister of Scotland, receiving 71 votes by MSPs. He formed the first Scottish Executive with Jim Wallace's Liberal Democrats,[4] as Labour didn't have an absolute majority to form an executive.
Donald Dewar died in office aged 63 on 11 October 2000.[4]
Criticism
Dewar's actions attracted criticism from former colleagues. Ex-Labour politician Dennis Canavan described Dewar as a "petty, hypocritical man" in his 2009 book Let The People Decide. Dewar prevented Canavan from standing for Labour in the Scottish Parliament vote in 1999 (Canavan would win the seat of Falkirk West as an Independent), and made insensitive comments about Canavan's son dying from cancer in 1989, reportedly saying "Oh no! That’s all we need. He was mad enough before, I shudder to think what he’ll be like now."[2]