A blue do as party pays tribute to Jamie McGrigor
‘I’ll certainly keep an eye on politics and will look out for interesting jobs in the future’
THEY were singing the blues in Inveraray last Saturday as Scottish Conservatives gathered to pay tribute to Jamie McGrigor.
Well, perhaps not quite singing - and nor was the mood particularly blue in truth, but party members from all parts of the Argyll and Bute constituency converged on the Loch Fyne Hotel to mark the retirement from frontline politics of the popular politician and former Highlands and Islands MSP.
Deputy chairman of the Argyll and Bute Scottish Conservatives Sandy MacPherson said: ‘This is a lunch in honour of Sir Jamie to thank him for his years of service and to mark his retirement.
‘We have got the most tremendous respect for him, and he has an excellent reputation across all the parties in the Scottish Parliament. He has been an assiduous MSP and has developed very effective working relationships with groups such as the crofting and fishing communities, so he will be badly missed.’
Arriving as guest of honour, Sir Jamie joked that he was standing aside ‘to make way for youth and beauty’. He added: ‘I have done 17 years and four parliaments, and it has been a great privilege and joy for me.’
Asked what he felt his most memorable achievement had been over his 17 years as an MSP, he replied: ‘It has to be having four children with my wife during that time. Each was a memorable occasion.
‘Otherwise, I was very happy to see my Tartan Bill go through, creating a register of tartan in Scotland. I also remember the constituency cases - the ones where I managed to make a difference to individual people, from the Western Isles to Argyll. I think that is really what an MSP is meant to do.’
He paid tribute to Emma, his wife, and went on: ‘My family has been amazing. In many ways I’m amazed I’m still married, with all the pressures of balancing family and political life. I take my hat off to my wife, Emma.’
In all, Sir Jamie has six children: Daisy, 9, Rosie, 13, Violet, 14, Alexander, 17, Sarah, 27, Sybilla, 28. ‘I’m very proud of all of them,’ remarked their father.
Looking ahead, he revealed that he has his eye on potential new jobs - eventually.
‘At the moment I’m relaxing. I’ll certainly keep an eye on politics and will look out for interesting jobs in the future. I’ve been asked to join an international board in Paris looking into cyber bullying, and that may be of great interest.’
Mr MacPherson would certainly like to see the former MSP carry on in public life.
‘We fervently hope the party will find an outlet to allow him to continue to contribute politically,’ he said, ‘because he has huge experience and knowledge. Sir Jamie has done a great job; he’ll be sadly missed but we are looking forward to working with his successor.’
Sir Jamie concluded: ‘It’s marvellous that we now have Donald Cameron of Lochiel, who got in as a list MSP and will obviously be spending a lot of time in Argyll.
‘I hope Lochiel will continue to raise the standards, so to speak.’