 | 'I think he was a disappointment. Ian was a strong local candidate and I expected him to go to the Scottish parliament and fight for his constituents. But the reality was he was practically invisible. He never put down one oral question and he never tabled a motion. He made a maiden speech and not much else. I don't see how his circumstances have changed since the elections in May - he certainly made enough of them during the campaign.' Phil Gallie MSP on Ian Welsh MSP, 20 th December 1999. |  |
Ian Welsh stood down after only seven months as MSP for Ayr, claiming he had found it 'difficult to adjust to a back-bench role' in parliament.
He had defeated Phil Gallie, the right-wing Conservative, by only 25 votes in May and last night Mr Gallie, a list MSP, indicated he may take a political gamble and stand down to contest the vacant seat.
A win by the Tories in Ayr would give them their first directly-elected MSP in Scotland - their 18 MSPs were all elected through the proportional representation list mechanism.
It would also be a huge blow for the morale of Labour, whose coalition with the Liberal Democrats is set to be put to its sternest test today when the Cubie committee of inquiry on student finance gives its verdict on tuition fees.
Mr Welsh, who has a severely handicapped son, said the pressures of daily travelling to Edinburgh were harder than he had hoped or expected.
The 46-year-old former teacher added: 'Although the family-friendly nature of the Scottish parliament is very welcome, it is still putting burdens on my family. After so many years of active politics, I need to devote time to my family.'
Mr Gallie was last night reluctant to state his intentions, but gave several broad hints that he may be prepared to contest the by-election, which will be held within three months.
He said: 'There are several options open to me, but what makes life easier is I think we can win this seat from Labour. I haven't decided what I will do, I plan to think about it over the Christmas and New Year period. What I will say is that I don't want to close any options whatsoever.'
Mr Gallie said he was not sure how much advantage he could win by standing down as a regional list MSP to try to become the Ayr constituency member. However, he added: 'My heart and soul is in Ayr and I would be privileged to represent the constituency.'
Mr Gallie, who represented Ayr at Westminster until the 1997 general election, was openly critical of Mr Welsh's contribution to the parliament.
He said 'I think he was a disappointment. Ian was a strong local candidate and I expected him to go to the Scottish parliament and fight for his constituents.
'But the reality was he was practically invisible. He never put down one oral question and he never tabled a motion. He made a maiden speech and not much else. I don't see how his circumstances have changed since the elections in May - he certainly made enough of them during the campaign.
'I think his real beef is probably at not being included in the executive. But if he had just buckled down and got on with the job he must have stood a good chance because Donald Dewar will have to shake things up in his first executive reshuffle.'
Mr Welsh was leader of South Ayrshire Council until taking his seat in parliament in May. He is also chief executive of the Premier League club Kilmarnock.
A spokesman for Mr Dewar defended Mr Welsh's decision. He said: 'He has decided to resign for personal reasons. It is in the interests of his family that he has taken this decision.'
'As far as we are concerned, he has made a big contribution to the Labour Party and while we understand the reasons, we are disappointed he has had to make this decision.'
The spokesman denied that Mr Welsh's decision belied the parliament's attempts to provide a 'family-friendly' environment, pointing out that the parliament and the committees did not sit at night, and Mondays and Fridays were reserved for MSPs to spend in their constituencies.
Mr Welsh was yesterday said to be 'out of the country on business' for some days.
In a statement, he said he had reached his decision after 'considerable' heart-searching and family debate'.
ahardie@scotsman.com
21 st December 1999
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