‘I was never meant to win, but I did’ — George Foulkes

George Foulkes addresses Co-operative Party conference delegates in the Scottish Parliament

September 20 2010

When George Foulkes agreed to stand as an MSP for the Lothian region in 2006, political fate had a surprise in store for him.

After 26 years as Labour/Co-op MP for South Ayrshire and, later, Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, he was looking forward to a quieter life in the Lords after working as Under Secretary at the Department of International Development and, later, Minister of State for Scotland.

But it don’t quite work out that way: “I was elected as an MSP much to my surprise after being asked by the then leader, Jack McConnell, to be part of Labour’s campaign.

“He said my support would be welcome, but also said you will never get elected, so I told my wife and the Chief Whip in the House of Lords what I was doing on he basis that I would never win. But the expected Green vote collapsed and as a result I was elected. In the end of course I was pleased and I have enjoyed my four years and worked hard, but it was never meant to happen that way.

“Occasionally I come down to the House of Lords when there is an important vote, but obviously my work as an MSP takes priority. So next year, although I have enjoyed every one of my years as an MSP I am not going to stand and make the same mistake again. It is time for someone else to take up the baton.

“It is a strange system. In my old constituency, where in the end I had a 21,000 majority, I would spend right up to the limit on the election campaign, but in the case of the Scottish Parliament not only did I not spend much on my personal campaign, I still won.”

The perversities of the Scottish electoral “list” system and a lifelong belief in first past the post mean that the veteran politician is very much against the Coalition’s plans to introduce a referendum on AV — although some Labour MPs are in favour of the idea.

“I think it provides stable government and you usually see a clear majority for one party. I also think that is absolutely essential especially in the House of Commons where you are forming a Government of the UK.

“I accept we do need to move towards a second elected chamber as a revising place where some form of PR might just be acceptable. But in other countries with PR, small parties normally end up holding the balance of power. I now see it as my job to help de-rail this gerrymandering Bill and join the opposition being led by many Labour MPs.”

In his time at Holyrood, George Foulkes has seen the popularity of the SNP slump. The knowledge that Labour are likely to win back power again in next year’s elections is also one of the reasons why he feels happy to stand down.

“We work as a collective, but one of the things I have been happy to do is help introduce legislation to make disabled access to licensed premises a compulsory requirement for licensees. One of the things that I set myself up to do when I was elected was to criticise Alex Salmond and point out the lies the SNP has told to the electorate.

“They have lied on issues like reducing class sizes and again and again they have reneged on their so-called priorities. Next year it looks as though Labour will win the Scottish Parliament, and that will be a major step forward.”

Though only an occasional visitor to the Lords, Baron Foulkes of Cumnock has been keeping a close eye on Westminster. He says: “One of the main things coming up is the attempt by the Government to railroad constitutional change. But we can de-rail the planned referendum, which has to be agreed by the end of the year if it is to go ahead in May. The other thing we must do is to expose the Coalition’s policy on cuts and the fact that front-line services are being slashed. When you get tax exiles like Sir Philip Green brought in to advise on these cuts and where they should come, you have to oppose as much as you can.”

Even before George joined the Labour Party he was a Co-op activist: “I joined the Co-op Party and became a member of the St Cuthbert’s Society (now Scotmid) in 1960 and eventually got on to the board. For years I have been to Party conferences in the UK and Scotland and was a member of the Parliamentary group.

“At the moment, a lot of people are getting on the bandwagon and using it as an excuse as an alterative to state control. But the Co-op Movement can stand on its own merits and should not be seen as a rescue operation as it was in the 1970s.

“Co-op models are and should be seen as good structures for a whole range of things and not as an excuse for cutting the public sector.”

In his long career in Parliament, George worked in a variety of capacities, but is most proud of the work he was able to do at the Department for International Development, where he worked with Clare Short.

“One of the things that we were able to do was to promote the work of co-operatives in the developing world and I am very glad that work has continued.”

Like everyone else in the labour movement, George awaits with interest the result of the Labour leadership battle and will be travelling to the party conference in Manchester to see the outcome later this month.

He is a strong supporter of favourite David Miliband, though also impressed with the strong performances put in by Andy Burnham and Ed Balls.

“A lot of MPs I know have taken soundings in their constituencies and in each one David has topped the poll. I first knew him when he worked for me as a student. He is gifted, intelligent and looks like a leader and future Prime Minister. He does also not disown everything the Labour Government did when in power. We did some fantastic things and they should be remembered and acknowledged. David is the best person for the job.”

Category: Politics