SNP

Although not an SNP supporter, I was touched by his warmth when he handed me my degree at Edinburgh University ten years ago. I attended his open lectures and his intellect was most impressive but did not lead to him becoming pompous or unapproachable. He was a formidable force in academia and politics and made a remarkable contribution to most. His death at 67 is a real tragedy. As a member of the public interested in Scottish politics and as a former student of Edinburgh University, I can say he will be greatly missed.

from Stuart Kelly, on 6th April 2009

Neil MacCormick, who died on Sunday aged 67, was appointed Regius Professor of Public Law at Edinburgh University at the early age of 31 and held the post for a record, and highly distinguished, 36 years. During his tenure he developed theories on sovereignty and liberal nationalism which he advanced as an MEP and as author of the SNP’s constitution for Scotland — theories which are today taught in law schools around the world.

Neil was born into an intensely Home Rule family in Park Quadrant, Glasgow, in 1941.  He was in the gallery of the St Andrew’s Halls when his father, “King” John MacCormick launched the cross-party National Covenant and out on the streets thereafter helping to collect signatures for a Scottish Assembly.  The failure of the initiative left him convinced that “goodwill was not enough” and that Scotland would change only when the SNP “won seats”.
 
The other formative influence on Neil, his elder brother Iain (an SNP MP in the 7os) and sisters Marion and Elspeth was his mother, Margaret Miller.  A social worker in the Glasgow Gorbals, she provided clothes, day nurseries and “fresh air fortnights” in the countryside for women from deprived areas of the city.  She left her children with a commitment to an inclusive society and Neil, in particular, with a lifetime inability to see ill in anybody.

Neil was always conscious of his family’s Highland roots.  At Glasgow High School, he became a dedicated piper – tutored at home “the Mull way” by his great uncles Neil and Dugald, who sang the melody as he did the fingering.  It was a skill much in demand in later years at many events throughout Scotland and Europe, at which he would appear in bunnet and kilt, radiating bonhomie.  In 1994 the family of John Smith invited him to play Laoidh Chaluim Chille (St Columba’s Hymn) at the private interment of the Labour leader in Iona.

Neil studied Philosophy and English at Glasgow University, honing his formidable debating skills at the Union and forming lifelong friendships with Smith, Donald Dewar and Ming Campbell.  A Snell Exhibition then took him to Balliol College for a BA in Jurisprudence.  During his time at Oxford, where he was President of the Union, he decided to abandon his plans to go to the Bar and to concentrate on a career in legal philosophy.

In 1965 he was appointed as a lecturer at Queen’s College Dundee, followed by a return to Balliol as a fellow and tutor in Jurisprudence. With his move to Edinburgh University four years later, and his subsequent publication of over a dozen books and hundreds of academic papers, he established an international reputation as one of the leading legal philosophers of his age.  In 1982 Edinburgh awarded him the research degree of LL.D;  in 1992 he was appointed QC, honoris causa;  in 2001 he was knighted in the Birthday Honour’s List; and in 2004 he received the Gold Medal of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. 

Along the way he served as Edinburgh’s Dean of the Faculty of Law, Vice-Principal for International Affairs, as a visiting professor in Europe, North America and Australia, and as a Fellow of the British Academy. 

MacCormick’s ideas on democracy, the post-sovereign role of political communities, legal argumentation and the institutional theory of law expounded in his major works, Questioning Sovereignty (1999), Rhetoric and the Rule of Law (2005), and the Institutions of Law (2007) are today required reading in law schools around the world.  It was a source of great satisfaction to him that in the last year he was able to complete the final volume of this series, Practical Reason in Law and Morality, which will be published this May.  The book “largely wrote itself”, he said, and took him back to his early roots and lifelong commitment to Scotland. 

Neil joined the SNP in 1968 and immediately drew the odium of fundamentalists by writing, in The Scottish Debate, that it was “pretty obvious that devolution would have to precede Independence”.  Thereafter he worked, with other gradualists, to reposition the SNP as a Scandinavian-style social democratic party.  His Constitution for Scotland provided the intellectual framework for the party’s subsequent advances. 

From 1979 onwards he fought, unsuccessfully, six elections for the SNP.  His efforts were rewarded in 1999 when he was elected as an MEP (and Vice-President of the party). He immediately made his mark in the European Parliament through his erudition, natural charm and inclusive nationalism.  His thoughtful contributions on the rights of natural communities to the Convention on the Future of Europe were widely praised, as was his dogged defence of Scottish fishing and ferries.  He was named Euro MP of the year a record three times in the Herald Awards.

“His very presence on the SNP benches”, said one opponent, “brought credibility to the party”.

Challenged on one occasion on British concerns about a takeover by Brussels, he commented:  “The English think of sovereignty like property. If it is given away, it must belong to somebody else. The Scots think of sovereignty like virginity. It can be given away without belonging to anybody.”  And then, with a shy smile: “What’s more, in the right circumstances, it can be a rewarding experience.”

In 1992, after the dissolution of his first marriage, he married Flora Milne, whose family origins, like his, were in Mull.  They made a well matched couple, generous hosts and the jolliest of raconteurs, sharing their homes in Edinburgh and Brussels regularly with friends of all political persuasions and none. 

With the election of an SNP Government in 2007, Neil was appointed a special adviser on European Affairs to the First Minister.  He then retired from Edinburgh University, intending to devote himself to Scottish governance, to some lecturing at New York University, and to travel and “time together” with Flora. 

It was not to be. Shortly afterwards he was diagnosed with inoperable cancer.  He took the news with his usual good spirits and fortitude. “You have to play the cards you get,” he said.  And then, with a twinkle: “a bit of a Scottish position, you might say”.

Neil is survived by his wife Flora; by the three children of his first marriage to Karen Barr – Janet, Morag and Sheena; and by his three step-children, Ailsa, Roddie and Andy.

from Rt Hon George Reid, on 7th April 2009

Such was the energy and dedication of the man, I never knew Neil refuse an invitation to speak at an SNP meeting, whether during the surge in the 60’s, the wave of student SNP expansion in the 70’s or much later during his tenure as one of our MEPs.

Perhaps his greatest unsung achievement was to facilitate the acceptance the a fast-expanding SNP in senior academic circles much earlier than would have been possible without him.

His common touch and warmth, his creative intellect and his sense of humour were legendary, and for my own part spectacularly combined for many years in his annual contribution to the McGonagal Supper in the SNP Club in North St Andrew Street.

He will be sorely missed from Scottish life at every level, but his legacy and inspiration to all of us striving for independence lives on.

from Roger Knox, on 6th April 2009

I remember Neil from as far back as school in Glasgow. I also became aware around the same time of the SNP whose HQ was just up the street. As an activist drawn into policy discussions it was a joy to hear Neil’s reasoned point of view. I particularly recall more recently his paper for the Party in favour of a unicameral parliament. Thankfully we have avoided the second chamber syndrome of other jurisdictions. Also civic Scotland accepted his view and the Scottish Parliament we now cherish was born. So much European sympathy and lucid argument, and into the bargain from a piper!

from Rob Gibson, on 14th April 2009

A fine man who we will all miss deeply.

from Robert Davidson, on 7th April 2009

Like all nationalists, I’m saddened to learn that Professor Sir Neil MacCormick lost his battle with cancer at the weekend.

Prof Neil was of that rarest breed – MEP, Emeritus Professor, renowned expert on constitutional law, member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, bagpiper – a successful academic politician with hinterland to compliment his outstanding intellectual achievements.

I will miss his warmth, wisdom and the incredible lightness with which he carried his learning. Particularly, I remember an evening in the Edinburgh SNP club where he spoke to us on the emerging EU constitution, which he had played a key role in helping to formulate.

We approached from slightly different standpoints - he passionately pro-EU, myself perhaps less so. His willingness to engage in a courteous philosophical meander with a truculent young pup on the pros and cons of the extent of the accountability which existed between Commission and Parliament, is something that will always stay with me.

It was that courtesy which was extended to political friend and ‘foe’ alike which I think will be missed most. His was an approach to politics which placed foremost a desire to engage with and convert those with whom he disagreed, rather than bludgeon them with partisan assertion. He was also an uproariously funny speaker, especially in private.

The lament at times like this is that the country is a poorer place for someone’s passing, or that we’ll never see their likes again. In mourning his death, we should also celebrate a life lived well and the outstanding contributions he made to law, politics and his country.

Scotland is a better place for the optimism, scholarship and devotion to sharing knowledge which marked his life. Those who knew him, even if like myself only slightly, can say that they are far the richer for having done so.

from Richard Thomson, on 7th April 2009

I knew Neil for nearly forty years, first encountering him as a dazzling debater from Glasgow at a time when Edinburgh almost got upsides with them (we had Cook and Rifkind). Flora was my sister Jane’s bridesmaid, so there were family connections too.

Neil belonged to the John Smith ‘start a party in an empty room’ tendency. Where he was there would be fun, jokes, generosity and - with the slightest change of gear - a definitive ruling on some trying bit of constitutional engineering.

Remembering, not least, the piper, I think of the Master’s song by Robert Louis Stevenson:

Home was home then, my dear
Full of happy faces.
Home was home then, my dear
Happy for the child.

Fire and the windows bright
Glittered on the moorland.
Some tuneful song
Made a palace in the dark.

His last letter to me, after his diagnosis, was stoical, unselfpitying, kind and witty

He was our country at its best.
                 
Chris Harvie

from Peter Murrell, on 9th April 2009

All of us were deeply saddened to learn of Neil’s passing.

His staggering intellect brought the SNP and our cause huge credibility. We will greatly miss Neil’s wise counsel.

We’ll also miss Neil’s wonderfully dry sense of humour.

The Headquarters team were lucky enough to enjoy Neil in full flow more often than most. During his time as a Euro-MP, Neil and Flora would often pop in to share moments from their week in Europe. These were the most joyous and special occasions. He was a man of immense warmth and spirit that touched all who were fortunate to share time with him.

Neil’s death is a huge loss to his family, his Party and his country.

from Peter Murrell, on 6th April 2009

Neil had been one of my lecturers at University when I took a course in International Law but I first met him properly when I spoke for him (in my role as VC Publicity) during one of his Argyll candidacies at a hotel in Strachur which no longer exists!  I know that because now I live only a dozen or so miles from the place, though at the time I was resident in Lanarkshire.
 
Neil’s enthusiasm for Argyll was infectious and as I got to know him better it rubbed off on me. Certainly when Cathleen and I came to choose Argyll for her work, it was in the full knowledge that Neil regarded the place as the chosen land!  And one of my happiest memories of him and Flora is of the two of them having lunch at our house in Glendaruel, in the summer sunshine sitting by the little pond overlooking Loch Riddon.

Neil presence in the Party was always strong - he was, in Billy Wolfe’s words, one of those “leaders of influence” who drive our cause forward by dint of their wise advice and good example. His election to the European Parliament allowed him to take an even wider stage (though his international academic reputation was enormous well before he was elected to anything) and it was a cause of regret that he served only one term in Europe.  None the less he did enormous good for Scotland and for independence there, and everywhere.
The courage, confidence and calmness he showed during his long last illness was inspirational and remarkable. The help and advice he offered even at that time remained of the highest quality and has been vital to the first SNP Government.

He will missed personally and politically by so many including, I am sure, every SNP MSP, every SNP minister and every Party member. His wisdom, kindness and humour will remain in the mind for a long time.

from Michael Russell, on 16th April 2009

For me, Neil was amongst the loveliest people I have ever had the privilege of sharing

from Linda Fabiani, on 23rd April 2009

I greatly enjoyed the privilege of working with Neil MacCormick during our five years together as the SNP team in the European Parliament.  To say he was in his element there would be a massive understatement.  With his immense capacity to absorb information, and his thorough knowledge of the constitutional complexity of EU decision-making, he played an enthusiastic and significant part in the Parliamentary process.

Neil’s unflagging energy and eternal optimism made him a popular and widely-respected MEP across the political spectrum in Brussels and Strasbourg.

His bagpipe-playing prowess made an impact across Europe too, with starring appearances at the annual EP Burns Suppers, and an impromptu performance on the street in Strasbourg for a group of SNP visitors when he formally took his seat in July 1999.  He was greatly amused by the fact that some entertained passers-by put a few French francs in his bagpipe case, assuming he was busking!

Ian Hudghton MEP
SNP President

from Lily Hudghton, on 9th April 2009

I first met Neil in 1972 when he spoke to Highland students at a social event in Edinburgh, galvanised my thinking and led me to joing the Party. 

I didn’t see him again till the run up to the ‘97 referendum and could see that the passing years had strengthened his case and built real capability all packaged in a warm, brilliant, witty engaging man, who sought more to inform than presuaude.  Although the effect was the same: he persuaded and kept you persuaded about his case and about him. 

I know that Flora will miss him more than anyone, and nothing anyone can say will lessen that feeling. 

But I hope she will remember that he played the hand he was dealt woderfully well, achieved a real tangible progress, moved Scotland on,  left a peerless legacy and that together she and Neil lit up a lot of my life and my awareness of what Scotland must be. 

He will never be forgotten.

from Jim Mather, on 12th April 2009

Neil made a massive contribution to the Party and to academia. His achievements in life have been well recorded and he was rightly honoured and awarded in many ways from his knighthood to his professorships.

Neil had a huge intellect but he also had a huge personality too. He was fun and fun-loving, warm and kind, and always ready to laugh and smile. His stories were entertaining and he was vivacious and full of life.

I am glad that I have lots of great memories of Neil, most with his wife Flora, and they will always make me smile. My favourite is probably the time that Neil and I spent some together in nothing much more than a towel! When campaigning for Andrew Wilson in a housing estate somewhere in Cumbernauld Neil, Flora, Andrew and I were all hit by a torrential downpour of rain. We fled back to the car but it was too late and we were all soaked to the skin. Luckily a couple of activists lived not too far away, and we all landed on their doorstep. We went to separate rooms to dry off and peel off our clothes and hand them to our fantastic hosts to dry. We reconvened in the lounge wearing not much more than the towels we had been given to warm up with some tea. This could have been embarrassing, but not with Neil and Flora who just made a big joke of it all, and laughed it all off, especially as Neil probably needed a bigger towel……

It is very sad that he has been taken from us when he still had so much to give and living to do. I am immensely sorry for Flora and Neil’s daughters, stepchildren, and grandchildren that they have lost such a vital man. For his immediate family and for the wider family of the SNP, he will be very much missed.

from jeanette campbell, on 17th April 2009

When I first stood as a candidate in Edinburgh Central in the 1999 Scottish Parliamentary election I was politically unknow with hardly any chance of winning the seat. Yet Neil MacCormick, already with an enormous reputation both in the SNP and the world of law, willingly spoke at my adoption meeting and campaigned vigorously for me thereafter. When I later became candidate in Edinburgh Pentlands, Neil and Flora continued to give unstinting support, much appreciated especially during the hard times that came along. He was a man who could combine intelligence, commonsense, integrity and kindness in equal measure and stood out like a beacon in a world where these virtues very seldom co-exist in one person. I know I will not be alone in missing him enormously.

from Ian McKee, on 11th April 2009

I feel honoured to have called Neil MacCormick my friend. When he told me in 2003 that he wouldn’t run again as a Euro-MP I tried to explain to him the universal affection in which he was held throughout the SNP, but such was his humility, he insisted that I must be exaggerating, or was simply spinning him a line to take into retirement with him. I suspect though that the comments that will appear here and elsewhere will reinforce my expressed view at the time.

The generosity with which he gave his time - and his thoughts - to others, was borne out by his conversations with me at the time of his diagnosis with cancer last year.  It had been just a few days after the birth of my daughter, and while awaiting the results that would tell him that it was going to be inoperable, and despite having been in a good deal of pain, he had stopped off with Flora to deliver a gift for a next-generation Nationalist. Neil couldn’t find a parking space so had stayed in the car while Flora had run in to see us and the baby, so instead he smiled, waved and gave the thumbs up to me from across the road as I held Jessica up at the window for him to have a look.

I phoned him a few days later when I knew he would have the results he’d been awaiting.  He was almost dismissive of the fact that this would spell the end for him, and instead all he wanted to talk about was the new arrival and how we were all doing. His matter-of-fact acceptance said everything about him. There were no histrionics, no complaints, and no self-pity.

Neil will be remembered with genuine love and affection by everyone who had the good fortune to spend time in his company. I won’t be able to think of him without seeing the smile that would spread across his face at any opportunity. His contribution to the Party will live on through our ethos and our aims, and when his Draft Constitution for an Independent Scotland is adopted by our country, then his legacy will live forever.

Rather than dwell on what we have lost with Neil’s passing, we should rejoice in what we gained from his presence amongst us.

from Ian McCann, on 6th April 2009

Too many years ago, I knew Neil MacCormick. He was a great scholar and an inspirational piper.

Just a couple of years ago, I caught up with him again and invited him to talk at an SNP Business Dinner in Ayr with Jim Mather. He accepted and impressed us all with his intellect, his deep knowledge of his subject and his humorous delivery. He was a great man but never too great to help out ‘on the ground’.

I am sad not to have had more time to get re-acquainted. His passing is a tremendous loss to Scotland and the party. He will be long missed -  and remembered.

from Iain White, on 7th April 2009

I only met Neil a handful of times, first in Houston when he was out visiting his daughter Janet. He was a warm, vivacious and charming man, with a rare intellect matched only by his incredible energy and enthusiasm for life. It was clear he was much more than a fine legal mind, philosopher, academic and political force for good: the person I met was someone who loved and cared for his family, in whom he took such pride. I hope the high esteem in which he was held by so many whose lives he touched, however tangentially, will help to bring some comfort for their loss to Janet and the rest of his immediate and extended family.

from Heather Jones, on 15th April 2009

Neil MacCormick was possibly one of, if not the sharpest mind of the SNP in its 75 years. His personality shone in so many different arenas - whether it was leading a tutorial group at the Scottish Self-Government College, or speaking at conference on a wide range of issues.  A multi-linguist as well as the foremost constitutional lawyer of his age, Neil was an amazing man. My thoughts are with Flora and family.

from Grant Thoms, on 7th April 2009

Neil was one of the best things about this Party: he would take you from deep intellectual argument to roaring with laughter before you had even noticed. He would do the same at conference and could hold the attention of a packed hall like few others. His intellect and brilliance shone through - but so did his basic humanity. He once told me that I had spoken well in a debate - praise from the master was cherished and much appreciated.

His gifts were many and his generosity of spirit boundless.  He once asked me to speak at a conference on nationalism in the Netherlands because he couldn’t make it, and he thought I might be interested.  I was in Hong Kong at the time but made the arrangements as quickly as I could - just because Neil asked me.

We will miss him as we move towards the independence that he helped in so many ways to create. And when we achieve it, we will rejoice that he helped us along the way.

from Duncan Ross, on 6th April 2009

I didn’t know him well but on the few occasions we met I was struck by the respect accorded him by others and the consideration he showed them in return. Nae side tae the man at aa.

from Douglas Snell, on 7th April 2009

I didn’t know him well but on the few times we met I was struck by the respect in which he was held by others and the respect he offered in return. Nae side tae the man at aa.

from Douglas Snell, on 7th April 2009

An eminent son of Scotland has passed on. I have warm memories of Neil when I joined the SNP, where as a youth, I was mightily impressed and inspired by his vibrancy, intellect, wit and sincerity.

I also remember being profoundly glad that he was on ‘our side’. Scotland - and the SNPs - progress is in large part down to Neil’s unerring and unswerving commitment to constitutional law and our legal and rightful place within the community of nations.

My sincerest condolences to his family and friends.

from David Hood, on 9th April 2009

I was shocked to learn of Neil MacCormick’s death today. When you have people of his intellectual calibre and breadth of experience supporting your cause you know you are on the right track.

The MacCormicks will go down as giants in the history of Scotland’s home rule movement. My condolences to his family and friends, he is gone but his name will inspire for generations to come.

from BrianHill, on 6th April 2009

Neil MacCormick made a big impression on me as I regularly attended Party conferences with his articulate and amusing participation in a wide range of debates His sheer joy at being well enough placed in the SNP rankings for Europe was plain for all to see. Not long after I remember meeting him at an event in the Meadows and was amazed at what I can only describe as his youthful enthusiasm at the prospect of representing Scotland in Europe.

from Brian Adam, on 13th April 2009

Neil MacCormick will be remembered as a real human being, kind and decent to his fellows, both men and women, always using his very considerable intellect to best effect for the benefit of all of the citizens of Scotland as well as peoples from Europe and around the World, a patriot in the very best sense of the word.

from Bill Kidd MSP, on 8th April 2009

In Neil, we’ve lost one of our giants.

I remember my first conference, when I was ambling across the footbridge in Inverness, en route to my hotel, when Neil, coming the other way, took time to introduce himself and have a chat with this new face, in stark contrast to one or two former MSPs.

Completely approachable, he was unfailingly a courteous and genial man, and never let his undoubted intellectual prowess dilute his humanity and ability to talk to people of all backgrounds.

When Neil spoke, people listened, because his beliefs went beyond the party political, and focused on the common weal for all Scots.

Neil was one of our few irreplaceable talents, and will be missed by all.

from Andrew Sharp, on 9th April 2009

I am deeply saddened to learn of Neil’s passing. He was a man of immense warmth, intellect and breadth of knowledge, and Scotland’s public life is greatly the poorer for his passing.

Neil sprang from one of Scotland’s leading political families, and was passionately committed to his party and the cause of Scottish independence. Yet his approach was always inclusive, and he strongly believed in advancing Scotland’s case by building alliances, and indeed friendships, beyond those of party.

Neil was a hugely distinguished academic, an outstanding ambassador for Scotland as a Euro-MP, but above all a fine human being. His latter role was as a Scottish Government Special Adviser, where he made an excellent and important contribution even during his period of illness. That was the mark of the man.

My thoughts are with Flora and all of the family.

from Alex Salmond, on 6th April 2009

It was devastating to note the death of Sir Neil MacCormick, a distinguished political figure and leading constitutional and European expert. He was a man of incredible kindness and warmth, as well a staggering intellect and great wit, and Scotland is poorer for his death.
Sir Neil sprang from one of Scotland’s leading political families, and while committed to the SNP and Scottish independence his approach was always inclusive, and he strongly believed in bridging the divide through advancing Scotland’s case by building alliances beyond those of party.
Perhaps no other contemporary scholar has influenced so many areas of legal thinking so deeply over such a long period. And he was not only a hugely distinguished academic, an outstanding ambassador for Scotland as a Euro-MP, but above all he was a fine human being.

from Alex Orr, on 8th April 2009

Neil was a rare combination -a man of awesome intellect and immediate likeability. HIs contributions to the academic and political worlds in Scotland were immense but he will also be remembered for being great fun.

It is particularly sad that we mark Neil’s passing in the very week we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the SNP - Neil’s father John was of course one of the founders of the Party.  I hope Neil’s family can take some comfort from knowing the depth of affection in which the independence movement held him.

from Alasdair Allan, on 6th April 2009