East Lothian Politics: A Personal Recollection

John Home Robertson MSP

The Berwick & East Lothian by-election of 1978, following the sudden death of John P. Mackintosh, was a tough contest. The big rural constituency had always been closely contested, with solid Labour support in mining communities and a Tory tradition in agricultural areas. As a 29-year-old Berwickshire farmer with little political experience, I was an unlikely choice as the Labour candidate - wise old trade union tacticians may have reckoned that a farming candidate could win rural votes and reduce the risk of a Tory victory.

After an old-fashioned campaign, with packed meetings in halls throughout the constituency addressed by national figures including Labour Cabinet Ministers and the new Tory Leader, Margaret Thatcher, I emerged from the count in Haddington's Corn Exchange as the new Labour MP at 2 a.m. to find an enthusiastic crowd singing the Red Flag. That was the beginning of a 23-year career at Westminster, followed by my election as East Lothian's first Member of the new Scottish Parliament in 1999.