 | 'The tribute that struck me most was from the charity, Breast Cancer Care. It acknowledged the immense amount of work that Margaret did on their behalf. That says so much. Margaret struggled with illness ever since her diagnosis with breast cancer in 2002. But she still did her very best to use even that dreadful experience to benefit others. That was the essence of Margaret Ewing.' SNP deputy leader, Nicola Sturgeon MSP, 22 nd March 2006. |  |
Members of the Scottish Parliament today paid tribute to colleague Margaret Ewing who died yesterday, aged 60. The veteran SNP MSP, who underwent treatment for breast cancer in 2002, had been ill for some time.
She was married to fellow MSP Fergus and was the daughter-in-law of leading Nationalist Winnie Ewing.
Politicians from all parties remembered her with affection yesterday, with SNP leader Alex Salmond describing her as an "outstanding Member of Parliament" and "a hugely supportive friend and colleague."
Proceedings began today with tributes from MSPs in which they offered sympathy to Mrs Ewing's family and acknowledged her contribution to Scottish politics and public life.
SNP Holyrood leader Nicola Sturgeon spoke movingly about one of the "warmest, kindest, friendliest people I have ever known" and said her life would leave its mark on Scotland.
Addressing the Scottish Parliament, Ms Sturgeon said: -
It is with immense sadness that I rise to move the motion in my name.
I and all of my colleagues were devastated yesterday to learn of Margaret's passing.
We will miss her terribly.
But as we mourn her death, we are determined also to celebrate a life lived to the full.
A life full of politics, of course, but also full of fun.
A life that will leave its mark on Scotland.
Margaret was an optimist; for her the glass was always half full. She chose to see the positive in everything and everybody.
She had razor sharp wit as we all remember from that famous occasion in the chamber when she helpfully filled in the blanks of the word that started with H and ended with Y.
But there was no rough edge to Margaret's humour - she laughed with people, never at them.
My colleagues and I were privileged to have Margaret as the convener of our group in the early years of the parliament.
She once said that she felt more like an agony aunt in that role than a politician.
I won't comment on what that might suggest about my colleaguesÉnot least because I think it says much more about Margaret.
She was someone you could talk to, confide in, trust and laugh with.
You would always feel better at the end of a conversation with Maggie than you had at the start.
She was one of the warmest, kindest, friendliest people I have ever known.
It was those qualities, above all others, that led the people of her beloved Moray to place their trust in her at five consecutive elections over a period of almost 20 years.
Margaret was devoted to her constituents.
She championed the causes that were dearest to them. The redevelopment of maternity services at Dr Gray's hospital in Elgin was possibly the biggest of her many local achievements.
Margaret was not a politician who would jump on bandwagons - rather she got them rolling in the first place.
She was a tireless campaigner for the elderly and one of the very first politicians to campaign - long before it was a popular cause - for a winter fuel allowance for pensioners.
Margaret was, of course, a Scottish nationalist to her core. She had a simple and unshakeable belief in Scotland and in the Scottish people.
But she was also an internationalist. It was the role she believed Scotland could play in the world that, more than anything I think, drove her deep commitment to Scottish independence.
Margaret cared passionately about the world around her.
The plight of Africa was a cause close to her heart and last February she was proud to lead a Scottish parliamentary delegation to Malawi.
But Margaret also believed that Scotland had a lot to learn from other countries. It was her desire to share experiences and to learn from others that made her an enthusiastic and active member of the UK-Irish and Commonwealth Parliamentary Assemblies.
When she came to tell me last year that she intended stepping down from parliament at the next election, it was clear that she wasn't planning a quiet retirement. She wanted to do more international work and I bitterly regret that she was not given that chance.
Because no matter where she travelled, Margaret was - and would have gone on being - a first class ambassador for Scotland and for this parliament.
Presiding Officer,
All of us lucky enough to have known Margaret will cherish our own special memories of her.
My colleagues who served with her in the House of Commons - where she won respect across the political spectrum - will remember the gutsy way she led that small but effective group for more than a decade.
I think what will stick most in my mind is something she told me many years ago.
It was at one of the many candidate training sessions that she devoted so much time to - because she wanted to help nurture the next generation.
To us - particularly the women amongst us - she was an inspiration.
On this particular occasion, she reflected that as a result of her life in politics she had experienced things that others could only dream of; but that she would never forget that all of those experiences were on behalf of others and that every one had to be put to use in better serving them.
I thought of that conversation yesterday when I read some of the tributes that were paid to her.
I want to sincerely thank all of the other party leaders for their kind words. I know they mean a great deal to Fergus.
But the tribute that struck me most was from the charity, Breast Cancer Care. It acknowledged the immense amount of work that Margaret did on their behalf.
That says so much.
Margaret struggled with illness ever since her diagnosis with breast cancer in 2002.
But she still did her very best to use even that dreadful experience to benefit others.
That was the essence of Margaret Ewing.
It is what we, the SNP, the people of Moray and Scotland as a whole will miss most about her every single day.
Of course, no-one will miss Margaret more than Fergus and our love and thoughts are with him, Winnie and all of Margaret's family at this sad time.
It is with a heavy heart, but considerable pride, that I move the motion in my name.
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