 | 'She struck me that night as a kind, warm, determined and courageous person and at no stage in the intervening 23 years of our friendship did my opinion of Margaret change.' John Swinney MSP, former SNP leader, 25 th March 2006. |  |
| 'She struck me that night as a kind, warm, determined and courageous person and at no stage in the intervening 23 years of our friendship did my opinion of Margaret change.' John Swinney MSP, former SNP leader, 25 th March 2006. | |
HUNDREDS of mourners bade an emotional farewell yesterday to Margaret Ewing, the Scottish Nationalist MSP who died on Tuesday.
The politician was described as a true 'flower of Scotland' as 500 people packed into St Gerardines high church in her home town of Lossiemouth to pay tribute.
Ewing, 60, was treated for breast cancer in 2002 and had been ill for some time.
Politicians from all parties, including Peter Peacock, the Labour education minister, joined her husband Fergus, who is also an SNP MSP, and SNP veteran Winnie Ewing, her mother-in-law.
George Reid, the Scottish parliamentÕs presiding officer, was also among the mourners, as were Alex Salmond, the SNP leader, and Nicola Sturgeon, his deputy.
Hundreds of constituents turned out from the Moray area she had served for almost 20 years as an MP and MSP.
Ewing was a ploughmanÕs daughter, became a teacher and went on to become the parliamentary leader of the SNP in Westminster. She unsuccessfully challenged for the leadership of the party in 1990 after Gordon Wilson stepped down.
John Swinney, the former SNP leader, delivered a moving eulogy to the woman he first met 23 years ago. 'She struck me that night as a kind, warm, determined and courageous person and at no stage in the intervening 23 years of our friendship did my opinion of Margaret change,' he said. 'Those values of kindness, warmth, determination and courage shone through the bright, fulfilling life Margaret lived.'
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