News for Thursday: October 12th, 2000
Queen's tribute to Dewar (Electronic Telegraph)
By Nick Britten, Scotland Political Correspondent
THE QUEEN and Tony Blair led tributes to Donald Dewar yesterday after
Scotland's First Minister died following a brain haemorrhage.
Mr Dewar, 63, fell outside his official
residence in Edinburgh on Tuesday and
suffered severe internal bleeding. A decision
was taken by his family to switch off his life
support machine shortly after noon yesterday.
Tributes poured in for a man described as one
of the last gentlemen in politics and who was
dubbed the "Father of the Nation" for his
tireless work in helping to secure devolution.
Buckingham Palace said that the Queen was "shocked and deeply saddened"
by Mr Dewar's sudden death, which came less than two months after he
returned to work following open heart surgery. "His passion for Scotland and
all things Scottish was renowned and his contribution to the historic process of
devolution in recent years has been immense. Her Majesty has greatly valued
his wise counsel and knows how much he will be missed." The Prince of
Wales also paid a personal tribute.
A distressed Mr Blair said he was shocked by the loss of an "irreplaceable"
friend. He said the Cabinet, on which Mr Dewar had previously served as
Scottish Secretary, was "in a state of shock and dismay". He said: "I will
remember him simply as a really good friend; funny, irreverent, warm, loyal,
he was a great debunker of persons and situations. I can imagine him even
now standing here saying 'Why are they making all this fuss?' To say that we
will miss him I think is inadequate."
Dr Charles Swainson, medical director of the Western General Hospital,
Edinburgh, said that medicine Mr Dewar was taking after his heart surgery
meant that surgery was impossible. The drug warfarin thins the blood and
prevents clotting and although doctors can administer a drug that reverses the
effects it was considered that Mr Dewar was too brain-damaged to attempt
surgery.
He was placed on a life support machine overnight until his son Ian and
daughter Marion reached his bedside yesterday morning. Life was
pronounced extinct at 12.18pm although the machine was kept on to allow his
family to spend a final few hours with him.
Flags were flown at half mast across Scotland and at Westminster. A minute's
silence was held before Scotland's World Cup qualifier with Croatia and the
Scottish Parliament will be recalled from its recess tomorrow to pay its
respects.
William Hague said that Mr Dewar had "sacrificed his health and given his life
to the people of Scotland and the Scottish Parliament". Charles Kennedy, the
Liberal Democrat leader, said he was one of the last remaining gentlemen of
politics.
Jim Wallace, the deputy First Minister, said the Scottish Parliament would
remain a legacy of Mr Dewar for generations to come. As when Mr Dewar
was in hospital earlier this year, Mr Wallace, the Liberal Democrat leader, will
act as First Minister and Henry McLeish, the enterprise minister who is
considered a frontrunner to succeed Mr Dewar, will act as spokesman for the
Scottish Labour Party.
Mr McLeish said: "Jim chaired the cabinet meeting. There is unity of purpose
around the work we are doing now and that is what Donald would have
wanted." The parliament, which started a two-week recess last Thursday, is
now likely to reconvene tomorrow. A successor to Mr Dewar must be found
within 28 days, according to the parliament's rules.
The only advice that Downing Street or John Reid, the Secretary of State for
Scotland, were giving Scottish politicians yesterday was that they must behave
"with dignity" - a coded way of telling them not to begin visibly fighting for
position at this early stage.
Mr Blair had his fingers burnt in Wales and London when trying to interfere in
decisions that nominally should have been left to the local party members.
However, Labour cannot afford to delay too long. In addition to choosing a
First Secretary, there are three by-elections. Dennis Canavan, the dissident
former Labour for West Falkirk MP, has decided to give up his Westminster
seat and now Mr Dewar's Westminster and Edinburgh seats are vacant.
There are five Scots in the Cabinet, but Robin Cook, Foreign Secretary, ruled
himself out yesterday. The others, Dr Reid, Gordon Brown, Alistair Darling
and Lord Irvine, have never expressed an interest in the job.
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