Published: Thursday, 21st August, 2008 08:10
PM leads tributes at funeral of former Fife Council convener
By Gary Fitzpatrick
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Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his wife Sarah at the funeral
PRIME MINISTER Gordon Brown led the tributes at the funeral of MP and former Fife Council leader John MacDougall on Monday.
Mr MacDougall, who was born in Dunfermline and started his working life as an apprentice at Rosyth Dockyard, died from the industrial disease mesothelioma, an asbestos-related lung cancer.
Mr Brown said, “John MacDougall was a man who spoke up for Fife, lived a life of public service in Fife and was repeatedly elected and re-elected to represent Fife.
“In his life and service, he represented all that was best in Fife and no-one I have known has consistently done so much in all his different jobs for Fife and its people.
“I had the privilege of knowing John over the years and in all the roles he undertook in public service and in campaign after campaign, he never grew apart from the industries he worked in and the people he represented.”
These campaigns included helping mining families during the 1984-85 strike, protecting free bus travel for pensioners and fighting to save jobs at Rosyth Dockyard.
Mr Brown added, “He was indeed the people’s champion – for us here, a local hero – and I can say on behalf of the people of Fife that we owe him a debt of gratitude for what he has achieved for all of us that even as the years go by, we will never be able to repay.”
Others attending the funeral in Burntisland included Defence and Scottish Secretary Des Browne, former First Ministers Jack McConnell and Henry McLeish and former Defence Secretary John Reid.
Mr McLeish has been tipped as a possible Labour candidate to stand in the by-election to find Mr MacDougall’s successor in Glenrothes.
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