Henry Bell McCubbin (born 15 July 1942) is a
Scottish politician. After a career as a film cameraman for television companies, he served one term in the
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...
for the
Labour Party; more recently he has left the party, but remains involved in politics.
Early career
McCubbin was born in
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
and educated at
Allan Glen's School
Allan Glen's School was, for most of its existence, a local authority, selective secondary school for boys in Glasgow, Scotland, charging nominal fees for tuition.
It was founded by the Allan Glen's Endowment Scholarship Trust on the death, i ...
. He joined the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
as a film cameraman, moving to
Grampian TV
Grampian Television was the original name of the Channel 3 service for the north of Scotland founded in 1961 and now named STV. The northern region's coverage area includes the Northern Isles, Western Isles, Highlands (except Fort William and ...
in 1977. He studied at the
Open University
The Open University (OU) is a British public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate students are based in the United Kingdom and principally study off- ...
where he obtained an honours degree.
European Parliament
At the
1989 European elections, McCubbin was elected as
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament.
When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...
for
North East Scotland. He had only 30.6% of the vote, and a lead of only 2,613 over the next candidate. McCubbin concentrated on the fishing industry, which employed many constituents and was profoundly affected by the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
's
Common Fisheries Policy
The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is the fisheries policy of the European Union (EU). It sets quotas for which member states are allowed to catch each type of fish, as well as encouraging the fishing industry by various market interventions. I ...
. He highlighted the relatively poor deal that Britain received under CFP allocations.
In December 1993, McCubbin wrote a pamphlet together with fellow MEP and veteran pamphleteer
Ken Coates
Kenneth Sidney Coates (16 September 1930 – 27 June 2010) was a British politician and writer. He chaired the Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation and edited ''The Spokesman'', the BRPF magazine launched in March 1970. He was a Labour Party Memb ...
which argued that deregulation had harmed the economy, and called for a shorter working week. An analysis of European Parliament attendance records showed him as one of the most diligent of British MEPs. He introduced legislation to improve safety on offshore installations, another key constituency concern. At the
1994 election, McCubbin campaigned on a pledge to reduce unemployment, but was defeated by
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party (SNP; sco, Scots National Pairty, gd, Pàrtaidh Nàiseanta na h-Alba ) is a Scottish nationalist and social democratic political party in Scotland. The SNP supports and campaigns for Scottish independence from ...
candidate
Allan Macartney
William John Allan Macartney (17 February 1941 – 25 August 1998) was a Scottish politician who served as a Scottish National Party MEP for the North East Scotland constituency between the 1994 European Parliament election and his sudden deat ...
.
Further political career
He kept up contact with the European institutions. He was nominated unsuccessfully for the role of European Ombudsman in late 1994, and in 1996 was appointed as Head of the European Office of the Association of
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority, combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: City of Manchester, Manchester, City of Salford, Salford ...
Authorities. He resigned in 1999 to seek selection as a Labour candidate for the
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament ( gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Pairlament) is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood area of the capital city, Edinburgh, it is frequently referred to by the metonym Holyro ...
, and also attempted to return to Europe when Allan Macartney died and a byelection was held. By this time, McCubbin's left-wing beliefs were regarded with concern and he was ruled out of the selection and placed at the bottom of the party list for the European Parliament.
Disillusion with Labour
McCubbin then resigned from the list completely. He attacked the government of
Tony Blair
Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...
in letters to Scottish newspapers, and in March 1999 confirmed that he had left the Labour Party over the
bombing of Iraq. In the
Ayr byelection in 2000 (McCubbin had his home in
Ayr
Ayr (; sco, Ayr; gd, Inbhir Àir, "Mouth of the River Ayr") is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. It is the administrative centre of the South Ayrshire council area and the historic county town of Ayrshire. With a population ...
), he appeared at a press conference in support of the
Scottish Socialist Party
The Scottish Socialist Party (SSP; gd, Pàrtaidh Sòisealach na h-Alba; sco, Scots Socialist Pairtie) is a left-wing political party campaigning for the establishment of an independent socialist Scotland.
The party was founded in 1998. It c ...
candidate, although he said he had not joined the party.
Later that year McCubbin helped to launch ''
Scottish Left Review
The ''Scottish Left Review'' is a bi-monthly magazine publication of the Scottish left. It was established in 2000 by several prominent left-wing figures, including Bob Thomson, Henry McCubbin, Jimmy Reid, Roseanna Cunningham, and John McAllion. ...
'', a bi-monthly journal of left-wing politics; he has been a member of its Editorial Committee ever since. At the
2004 European Parliament election
The 2004 European Parliament election was held between 10 and 13 June 2004 in the 25 member states of the European Union, using varying election days according to local custom. The European Parliamental parties could not be voted for, but electe ...
, he endorsed the
Scottish Green Party
The Scottish Greens (also known as the Scottish Green Party; gd, Pàrtaidh Uaine na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Green Pairtie) are a green political party in Scotland. The party has seven MSPs in the Scottish Parliament as of May 2021. As of the 202 ...
over its policy on fisheries, and has subsequently become a member.
References
*"Who's Who", A&C Black
* "After the Cash Grab" – on why the case against PFI was always overwhelming http://www.slrp.co.uk/test1/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=145&Itemid=1
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCubbin, Henry
1942 births
Living people
Independent politicians in Scotland
Alumni of the Open University
People educated at Allan Glen's School
Scottish Labour MEPs
MEPs for Scotland 1989–1994