Let the People Decide: The Autobiography of Dennis Canavan

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By his own admission, Dewar had little time for girls before university. As he put it in a very Donald way, “we soon put that right”. The attention of his affections was Alison McNair and he would marry her in 1964, just at the conclusion of his studies. We need to up-date our policies on issues such as currency, the economy and our relations with Europe and the rest of the world," he said. His beliefs were classically social democratic with a value system rooted in equality, social justice and redistribution of wealth. To that should be added values from the Liberal tradition of personal freedom and constitutional change.

I live in the hope that I shall one day be reunited with my lost children. I respect those who do not share my belief but the sanctity of human life should surely be recognised by all human beings, whatever their theological or philosophical beliefs. He came into his own at Glasgow University, where friends included future Labour leader John Smith and Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell. Campbell remembers Donald having the use of his parents’ basement, which provided the venue for student parties. Dennis Canavan said he believed in the “sanctity of human life” and warned no one has the right to classify some people as “less valuable” than others. The report also suggests that the pardon could be granted on the same basis as the Armed Forces Act 2006. This pardon scheme recognised the exceptional circumstances under which World War One soldiers were convicted of offences such as cowardice. The scheme did not quash convictions, nor create rights, entitlements or liabilities. But it did offer restoration of dignity to deceased soldiers and indeed comfort to their families. Once the pandemic is over,the challenge for the Yes campaign will be to put forward a credible alternative vision of an independent Scotland , a caring, sharing society where people are encouraged to look after each other all the time and not just during a time of crisis."He chaired the Northern Ireland Committee of the Parliamentary Labour Party from 1989 to 1997, and led several parliamentary delegations to Ireland during The Troubles. He served on the British-Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body from 1992 to 2000. As a member of the European and External Relations Committee of the Scottish Parliament, he was author of a report on the potential for co-operation between Scotland and Ireland. He has frequently spoken out against sectarianism and racism. He told the Record: "Speaking in a personal capacity, I think there are very strong arguments for compensation, especially in cases of unfair dismissal. As this issue progresses through Parliament it is vital that we listen to what dying people are telling us they need to have the death that is right for them." I’ve said before that this would be a collective pardon, rather than one which requires an individual to make an application. This is because we recognise the difficulties there may be for some in sourcing the records to enable an individual to make a robust case. Therefore we must take the time to explore the issues associated with the granting of a collective pardon, and take a view on what would be reasonable and ethical. He returned to the law, working as a reporter to the Children’s Panel and presented a programme on the new Radio Clyde, founded by his university friend Jimmy Gordon. He sniffed around many nominations and lost them all, including to Dennis Canavan in West Stirlingshire just before the February 1974 general election.

His time, however, in government was not a happy one. The scandal of the cost overruns of the Holyrood building project bedevilled the parliament’s early days and he actively considered resigning when he discovered information he had given to parliament was not only hopelessly optimistic but was just plain wrong. It says something about his sense of propriety that trying to spin his way out of a problem never crossed his mind. But the victory did not come easily. He was forced to stand as an independent when he failed to be selected as an official Labour candidate.

I hope thought will be given also to a new potation in memory of her consort, the late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, never a man to waste time over a mere trifle. Begin with the liquor of your choice and boil the hell out of it.

Indeed, I will leave you with a couple of quotes from those involved in different aspects of the strike, firstly this quote from a police officer from a mining community himself: He is a strong supporter of the idea of a national holiday to celebrate St Andrew's Day, and his bill to achieve this was eventually passed as the St. Andrew's Day Bank Holiday (Scotland) Act 2007.He wants to make assisted dying a choice for adults who are both terminally ill and mentally competent, and insists there are strong safeguards built into his proposed Assisted Dying Scotland Bill.

The ex-Labour MP, 79, who later became an independent MSP, said he had “probably had more than my fair share of deaths in my family”. An intellectual giant who spoke in a distinct upper class voice, C A R Crosland should have been Dewar’s dream minister. But they did not get on. The Scottish MP found that Crosland “spoke in a sort of intellectual short hand and if you couldn’t keep up then too bad”. Dewar also found Crosland’s lionising working-class MPs who were useless to be annoying. Canavan said of one of his sons: “He spent his last few days on a life support machine but, when it became evident that he was not going to recover, the medical professionals consulted family members and we came to the unanimous decision to switch off the machine. His friends have offered different takes on him. In the only TV documentary ever made on his life (The Dewar Year, STV, 2001), Baroness Meta Ramsay said, as a student, he was sardonic.Having considered the matter very carefully, I can confirm today that the Scottish Government accepts the recommendation in principle, and that we intend on bringing forward legislation that will give a collective pardon to miners convicted for matters related to the strike. Instead of investing in life enhancing treatments and services, the focus of policy makers becomes on how to help people commit suicide.