Margo MacDonald MSP (born 19 April 1943) is a Scottish politician, a Member of the Scottish Parliament and a former Member of the British House of Commons.

Early life and education

She was born in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, and educated at Hamilton Academy; she trained as a teacher of physical education.

Parliamentary career

A committed and vocal supporter of Scottish independence, MacDonald won the Glasgow Govan by-election, 1973, as a Scottish National Party (SNP) candidate; Govan had until then been a Labour stronghold. She failed to retain the seat in the following general election of Feb 1974, but became Deputy Leader of the SNP in 1974, a post she held until 1979.

A political left-winger, she was prominent in the socialist 79 Group and left the party in 1982 due to this group's proscription.

She began to establish herself as a forceful presenter of various radio and television programmes, including the short-lived Colour Supplement for Radio 4 in the mid-1980s. She currently writes regular columns for Scottish newspapers including the Edinburgh Evening News and The Sunday Post.

By the mid-1990s she had returned to the SNP and in 1999, she was elected to the Scottish Parliament, representing the Lothians. This period marked her becoming less influential with the leadership of the SNP, firstly under Alex Salmond and then John Swinney and she was placed fifth on the SNP list for Lothians for the 2003 Parliament election, whereas she had been first in 1999. This effectively ended her chances of being elected as an SNP MSP and she decided to stand as an independent.

MacDonald is viewed as being in the SNP Fundamentalist mould and in the party leadership election in 2000 she supported Alex Neil.

In 2002 she stated that she had Parkinson's Disease, and had known about the diagnosis for six years.

She was re-elected as an independent MSP at the 2003 Scottish Parliament election, and again in 2007.After her 2007 re-election MacDonald stood to become Presiding Officer, but lost the ballot to Alex Fergusson.

My Right to Die

In July 2008, MacDonald co-operated with BBC Scotland in the making of a documentary about Assisted Dying. As a Parkinson's sufferer, MacDonald has been a long time campaigner for Assisted Dying, saying "As someone with a degenerative condition - Parkinson's - this debate is not a theory with me. The possibility of having the worst form of the disease at the end of life has made me think about unpleasant things. I feel strongly that, in the event of losing my dignity or being faced with the prospect of a painful or protracted death, I should have the right to choose to curtail my own, and my family's, suffering."

In the programme, MacDonald travelled around Scotland meeting with fellow sufferers and investigating the pros and cons of Assisted Dying. MacDonald's views on the subject are very well documented, and she is a very strong supporter for a change in the laws throughout the UK. (note there is no UK law Scottish law is separate from that of England and Wales) to allow Assisted Dying legally, stating "Online, euthanasia campaigners show viewers how to make an 'exit hood' to end your life, and I know people with terminal illnesses now make the awful trip to Mexico to buy lethal doses of drugs to take their own lives, all because of our current laws. I am in no doubt that our legal system must change."

Family life

Margo MacDonald is married to former politician and columnist Jim Sillars, who in 1988 also contested Glasgow Govan in a by-election.

See also

List of United Kingdom MPs with the shortest service

References

1. Margo has Parkinson's - Scotsman.com News
2. BBC Scotland, 15 July, 2008

External links

• Margo MacDonald MSP Scottish Parliament webpage