Harry Ewing, Baron Ewing of Kirkford, (20 January 1931 – 9 June 2007) was a Labour Party politician in

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. He served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for 21 years, from a by-election in 1971 until the 1992 general election, when he became a

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...

. He served as a junior minister in the

Scottish Office The Scottish Office was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom from 1885 until 1999, exercising a wide range of government functions in relation to Scotland under the control of the Secretary of State for Scotland. Following the es ...

from 1974 to 1979, responsible for

devolution Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level. It is a form of administrative decentralization. Devolved territori ...

, and later chaired the

Scottish Constitutional Convention The Scottish Constitutional Convention (SCC) was an association of Scottish political parties, churches and other civic groups, that developed a framework for Scottish devolution. History Campaign for a Scottish Assembly The Conventi ...

from 1989 to 1996.

Early life

Ewing was born in

Cowdenbeath Cowdenbeath () is a town and burgh in west Fife, Scotland. It is north-east of Dunfermline and north of the capital, Edinburgh. The town grew up around the extensive coalfields of the area and became a police burgh in 1890. According to a 20 ...

, where his father, William Ewing, was a miner and Labour party activist. He was educated at Foulford primary school and Beath High School, and did

National Service National service is a system of compulsory or voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act ...

in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

from 1949 to 1951. He worked as a fitter in a foundry, where he was active in the

Amalgamated Union of Foundry Workers __NOTOC__ The Amalgamated Union of Foundry Workers (AUFW) was a trade union representing workers in foundries in the United Kingdom. The union was founded in 1946 with the merger of the National Union of Foundry Workers, the Ironfounding Wor ...

, and then became a

postman A mail carrier, also referred to as a mailman, mailwoman, mailperson, postal carrier, postman, postwoman, postperson, person of post, letter carrier (in American English), or colloquially postie (in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Unite ...

in 1962, becoming active in the Union of Post Office Workers.

Parliamentary career

He stood for the Labour Party in the safe

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

seat of East Fife in the 1970 general election, losing to the sitting MP Sir John Gilmour. He became Member of Parliament for

Stirling and Falkirk Stirling and Falkirk is a lieutenancy area of Scotland. It consists of the local government areas of Stirling and Falkirk Falkirk ( ; ; ) is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It l ...

at a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

in September 1971, following the death of Malcolm MacPherson. His seat was renamed Stirling, Falkirk and Grangemouth for the general election in February 1974; despite swings to the Scottish Nationalists, he retained the seat in February and in October 1974, but with a much reduced majority.

Harold Wilson James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx (11 March 1916 – 23 May 1995) was a British statesman and Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, from 1964 to 1970 and again from 197 ...

appointed him as

Under-Secretary of State for Scotland The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland is a junior ministerial post (of Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State rank) in the Government of the United Kingdom, supporting the Secretary of State for Scotland. The post is also kn ...

with responsibility for devolution and home affairs, retaining that position under Jim Callaghan as the Labour government pushed forward with a proposal for Scottish devolution. The eventual referendum in March 1979 failed to pass by a sufficient majority. The Labour government fell at the ensuing 1979 general election, although Ewing retained his seat with a substantially increased majority. He became a front-bench spokesman on Scottish industry in 1981. He came third in the ballot for chair of the

Parliamentary Labour Party The Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) is the parliamentary group of the Labour Party in the British House of Commons. The group comprises the Labour members of parliament as a collective body. Commentators on the British Constitution sometimes ...

in November 1981. His seat was redrawn again at the 1983 general election, and he was returned for the successor seat of Falkirk East, and he became a spokesman on trade and industry matters under

Neil Kinnock Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock (born 28 March 1942) is a Welsh politician who was Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom), Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 1983 Labour Party le ...

. He was reelected in 1987, and stood down from his front bench position. He was a joint chairman with

David Steel David Martin Scott Steel, Baron Steel of Aikwood (born 31 March 1938) is a retired Scottish politician. Elected as Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament for Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles (UK Parliament constituency), Roxb ...

of the

formed in 1989 to plan for the devolution of Scotland that was planned if Labour won the 1992 general election. Labour lost the election, and the plans were shelved. Ewing retired from the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

at the 1992 general election.

House of Lords

After his retirement, he was created a

taking the title Baron Ewing of Kirkford, of

in the District of

Dunfermline Dunfermline (; , ) is a city, parish, and former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland, from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. Dunfermline was the de facto capital of the Kingdom of Scotland between the 11th and 15th centuries. The earliest ...

on 17 July 1992. He became a front bench spokesman on Scottish affairs in the House of Lords, but resigned in November 1996, also resigning from his position with the Constitutional Convention. He chaired an inquiry into housing for the disabled in 1993, and was appointed deputy lieutenant of Fife in 1995. He was chairman of Fife Healthcare NHS Trust from 1996 to 1998, honorary president of the Girls' Brigade of Scotland, and patron of Scottish Overseas Aid. He was a life member of Cowdenbeath Football Club (the Blue Brazil).

Death

Lord Ewing, who lived in

Fife Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...

, died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

in hospital in

in June 2007, at the age of 76. He was survived by his wife Margaret (née Greenhill), whom he married in 1954, and their son Alan and daughter Aliso

References

* Times Guide to the House of Commons, 1987 * *
Obituary
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', 11 June 2007

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ewing of Kirkford, Harry Ewing, Lord 1931 births 2007 deaths People from Cowdenbeath Nobility from Fife Labour Party (UK) life peers Scottish Labour MPs UK MPs 1970–1974 UK MPs 1974 UK MPs 1974–1979 UK MPs 1979–1983 UK MPs 1983–1987 UK MPs 1987–1992 Deputy lieutenants of Fife Deaths from cancer in Scotland Machinists Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Stirling constituencies Union of Communication Workers-sponsored MPs Life peers created by Elizabeth II