Alasdair Roderick Mackenzie (3 August 1903 – 8 November 1970) was a Scottish farmer and politician who became a

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

. A Gaelic speaker, he went to Broadford Junior Secondary School on the

Isle of Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye (; gd, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or ; sco, Isle o Skye), is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated ...

. He became a farmer, and was active in the National Farmers Union, being President of the East Ross branch for two years. He was elected to Ross-shire County Council in 1935 on which he served for twenty years; on leaving the council he was a member of the Crofters' Commission for five years. At the 1964 general election Mackenzie was elected, at the age of 61 and contesting his first parliamentary election, as a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

for

Ross and Cromarty Ross and Cromarty ( gd, Ros agus Cromba), sometimes referred to as Ross-shire and Cromartyshire, is a variously defined area in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. There is a registration county and a lieutenancy area in current use, the latt ...

. He defeated the sitting National Liberal obtaining a majority of 1407 votes. He was re-elected in

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

but defeated at the 1970 general election. Mackenzie had been party spokesman in the Commons on Agriculture and Fisheries and posts and telecommunications. He differed from the majority of his party in opposing

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

membership of the

European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organization created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisb ...

. He was the lone Liberal voting against the Labour government at the end of debate on the Common Market. He was also out of step with the mainstream party on the issue of capital punishment. He was a principal supporter of the campaign to re-instate the death penalty for the murder of police or prison officers led by Conservative MP,

Duncan Sandys Edwin Duncan Sandys, Baron Duncan-Sandys (; 24 January 1908 – 26 November 1987), was a British politician and minister in successive Conservative governments in the 1950s and 1960s. He was a son-in-law of Winston Churchill and played a key ro ...

in 1966''The Times'', 20 October 1966 In 1970 he was appointed to the Scottish Agricultural Advisory Committee but died later that year.

References

*M. Stenton and S. Lees, ''Who's Who of British MPs'' Vol. IV (Harvester Press, 1981) *''The Times'', Obituary: 10 November 1970.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mackenzie, Alasdair 1903 births 1970 deaths Scottish Liberal Party councillors Scottish Liberal Party MPs Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Scottish constituencies UK MPs 1964–1966 UK MPs 1966–1970 Scottish farmers