Harry Ewing

A few newspapers today have news of Harry Ewing's death, including Scotland on Sunday and the Sunday Mail. Lord Ewing of Kirkford retired from politics quite a few years ago and rarely attended the House of Lords, but he played an active role in Scotland's constitutional history in two ways: as the first designated Minister for Devolution (within the Scottish Office) from 1974-79 and as co-chair of the Scottish Constitutional Convention in the late 1980s.

I interviewed him several years ago at his home in Leven for my book, The Scottish Secretaries, and he was a charming and lucid interviewee. You can read Brian Wilson's obituary of Lord Ewing in the Herald by clicking here. The Scotsman also carried an obituary by me, while the Daily Telegraph, The Times and the Independent (by Tam Dalyell) also carried obituaries.