Davidson is crowned Politician of the Year for reviving Tory fortunes
Conservative chief beats Sturgeon for title after her MSP numbers double and she achieves party’s best poll result at Holyrood
MENZIES Campbell, the former Liberal Democrat leader, was handed the Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of decades of public service.
Now 75 and a member of the House of Lords, he carved out three successful careers, first as a sprinter, holding the British record for the 100 metres between 1967 and 1974 and competing in the Olympic Games. He then became a successful barrister before entering politics in his 40s.
After standing unsuccessfully as a Liberal candidate in the Labour dominated Greenock and Port Glasgow seat in the 1974 elections, his focus shifted to Fife. Reducing the Tory majority in 1979 and 1983, he took the North East Fife seat in 1987.
Gradually rising to prominence, he is
He beat the Scottish Labour MP Ian Murray and the SNP’s Alison Thewliss in the award, which was supported by Virgin Trains.
The popular former Tory MSP Mary Scanlon won the Best Committee MSP, sponsored by SELECT, for her fearless pursuit of the truth and scrutiny of public expenditure on Holyrood’s Public Audit Committee, where the Scottish Police Authority and overspending Coatbridge College bosses were among those to experience the “Scanlon treatment”. seen as a key figure in transforming the LibDems into a professional political outfit.
He served as the party’s foreign affairs spokesman, and has pinpointed leading opposition to the 2003 Iraq War alongside Charles Kennedy as one of his proudest achievements.
At 65, he won the party leadership in 2006 but stood down after less than two years amid questions over his leadership.
He has admitted that persistent sniping over his age was “bruising”, although at that stage he was younger than Jeremy Corbyn, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are today.
He was knighted in 2004 for his services to Parliament and was appointed a Companion of Honour in 2013.
Ms Davidson also joined Mr Swinney and Ms Sturgeon in that select band of politicians who have won both the main award and the Debater of the Year category on the same night.
The latter award was sponsored by Aiir Networks, an NVT Group company.
With one-third of MSPs new to Holyrood this year, the largest field was in the One to Watch category, sponsored by ScottishPower Renewables, with the judges impressed by the breadth and depth of talent being attracted to the Parliament as its powers increased.
An MP for his Fife constituency since the General Election of 1987, he admitted that beginning the process of leaving the Commons was difficult.
At the time of his decision, he said: “It is always a regret to begin the process of retiring from the House of Commons but I believe now is the time to start”.
Nick Clegg, the then Liberal Democrat leader, said he was someone who had “served this country and our party with unparalleled distinction”.
After leaving Parliament, he was ennobled as Lord Campbell of Pittenweem in October 2015. Lord Campbell then led the European Movement in Scotland campaign and promoted a Remain vote ahead of the EU referendum.
Previous winners include Alex Salmond, Robin Cook and David Steel.
The winner was the LibDem health spokesman Alex Cole-Hamilton, who gained the Edinburgh Western seat from the SNP and is already tipped as his party’s next leader. The Community MSP of the Year Award went to Labour’s Jackie Baillie, who defied the SNP gains by holding on to her Dumbarton seat after doggedly defending local jobs at Faslane, despite her party’s opposition to Trident, and fighting cuts at the Vale of Leven hospital.
Graeme Smith, Acting Editor-in-Chief of The Herald and Times Group, said 2016 had been an extraordinary political year, with an unprecedented third SNP term at Holyrood, the Brexit vote, and the loss of one prime minister and installation of another amid high political intrigue.
He also paid tribute to the former Herald columnists Ian Bell and William McIlvanney, who died last December.
He said: “The last year has truly been a seismic one for both Scottish and UK politics, with the Tories claiming second place at Holyrood and then the vote for Brexit.
“The choice of Ruth Davidson as The Herald Scottish Politician of the Year 2016 may be controversial to some but hers was the outstanding performance of the year.
“In managing to restore the fortunes of a party regarded for so long in Scotland as toxic, she achieved something several of her predecessors had failed to do.”
The Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing won the Politics in Business Award, sponsored by The Royal Bank of Scotland, for his work helping to save the former Tata Steelworks.
Mr Ewing, who was Business Secretary, helped broker a deal that saw the Scottish Government buy the plants in Dalzell and Clydebridge then immediately resell them to new owners Liberty.
Former Labour leader Johann Lamont was named E-Politician of the Year.
The Public Campaign of the Year Award went to No to Named Persons (NO2NP), which forced the Scottish Government to rewrite its “state guardian” plan by taking the fight to the UK Supreme Court, which agreed it would have broken the law on data sharing.
Renfrewshire Council’s Labour leader, Mark Macmillan, was named Scottish Local Politician of the Year for his efforts to secure a rail link to Glasgow Airport and for promoting Paisley’s bid to be UK City of Culture 2021. It was sponsored by Improvement Service.
Please visit www.herald-events.com/ politicianawards for footage and information on how to attend the 2017 event.