 | 'The curtains round Brown's bed parted and he beheld a strange figure. 'Who and what are you?' Brown demanded. 'I am the Ghost of Socialism Past.' 'Long past?' inquired Brown. 'No, your past. I am James Maxwell. You wrote my biography in your youth.' From God bless the Chancellor, a seasonal tale by George Kerevan, in the Scotsman, 20 th December 1999. |  |
Ian Welsh, who became MSP for Ayr with a majority of just 25 over the Tories in May in the first elections for the parliament, said he was quitting because he had found it 'difficult to adjust to a back-bench role'.
The former South Ayrshire council leader, who has a handicapped son, also cited the burden that parliamentary work was placing on his family.
Donald Dewar, the First Minister, said of Mr Welsh's decision, 'He notified us a couple of weeks ago that he was considering this move. It is a personal matter involving his family, and we of course respect his decision.'
The departure of Mr Welsh offers the Conservatives a fighting chance of getting their first directly-elected MSP in Scotland in the parliament's first by-election. They have 18 MSPs, all elected indirectly by proportional representation.
In May, MR Welsh beat Phil Gallie, the former Ayr MP, who had the consolation of becoming a Tory list MSP for the South of Scotland region. M Gallie said yesterday: 'There is nothing I would like better than to be a constituency member for Ayr again. My heart and soul is here.' To do so, however, he would have to resign as a list MSP, and then fight the by-election next year with no guarantee of being successful.
A spokesman for the Scottish Tories said: 'We will be selecting a candidate early in the new year, with the determination to return Ayr to the Tory fold.'
Under the devolution legislation, it is for the Presiding Officer, Sir David Steel, to set the by-election date, which must be within three months. He is likely to consult the political parties.
21 st December 1999
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