SCOTLAND’S ADVOCATE
Tributes to former SNP leader who championed independence in 80s
A FORMER SNP leader credited with helping the party break through to the mainstream has died, aged 79.
Gordon Wilson was MP for Dundee East over 13 years from 1974 and took charge of the party in the turbulent 1980s.
In recent years, Wilson continued to provoke debate and frequently criticised the SNP’s direction.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and former leader Alex Salmond, praised his contribution.
Sturgeon said: “His loss will be keenly felt across our party. He was a fine and kind man, a loving husband, father and grandfather and a true patriot.
“From his early days promoting the case for independence on Radio Free Scotland to his 13 years of service as MP for Dundee East and 11 years as leader of the party, Gordon was a passionate advocate for Scotland at every level.
“Gordon was always forthright in his views and his commitment to seeing Scotland become an independent country was second to none.”
Wilson is survived by his wife Edith, his daughters Margaret and Kate, and five grandchildren.
The politician was born in Govan and joined the party in the 1950s. He was involved with pirate radio station Radio Free Scotland, who broadcast pro-independence messages until the mid 1960s.
He rose through SNP ranks and was part of the campaign group to coin the phrase “It’s Scotland’s Oil”. As leader, he managed to steer the party past difficult years marked by internal conflict.
The SNP lost heavily after the overturned 1979 devolution vote.
He had to deal with the emergence of ultra-nationalist group Siol nan Gaidheal.
And he faced dissent from the left-wing 79 Group – including Salmond, who took over from him as leader.
Salmond said: “Not only was Gordon one of the masterminds of the SNP parliamentary breakthrough of the 1970s but he led the party through tough times.
“The party, the national movement and Scotland owe him a great debt and my condolences go to Edith and the family.”
Wilson was at the helm for disappointing results in the 1983 and 1987 elections but fortunes turned with the victory of Jim Sillars in the 1988 Govan by-election. Sillars was in the Labour Party when they first met but they forged a lasting relationship.
Sillars said: “In bringing unity back to a party demoralised by the electoral disaster of 1979, and the aftermath of in-fighting, he displayed honesty, integrity, and revealed a moral compass that unerringly pointed in the direction of a fair and just society.
“I discovered that beneath that reserved personality, was a man who cared passionately about Scotland and its people, and was willing to work for them at personal sacrifice.”
Deputy First Minister and family friend John Swinney added: “Gordon Wilson was a giant of the Scottish National Party. He was critical to the transformation of the SNP from the fringe to the mainstream of Scottish politics.”
Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale said: “I would like to extend our condolences.”
Details of his funeral will be announced in the coming days.