Parliamentary News Release
053/2004
20 September 2004
MSPs VIDEO DIARIES – HEROES AND PET HATES
How well do you know your MSP? For example, did you know that Christine Grahame's greatest achievement is not burning her house down or that Robert Brown has an aversion to prunes?
MSPs have been keen to reveal more about themselves for an innovative feature on the Scottish Parliament's new website.
As part of Holyrood TV on www.scottish.parliament.uk, which is the site's live footage section, MSPs have each recorded a video diary in which they reveal details of their career histories, likes and dislikes and their proudest achievements.
The MSPs also revealed the people they admire the most and some of the most popular choices were political figures such as Nelson Mandela and Winston Churchill. However, more unusual figures included Greenock and Inverclyde Labour MSP Duncan McNeill's choice of Robert Adler – the inventor of the TV remote control!
Edinburgh South Liberal Democrat MSP Mike Pringle identified footballing legend Denis Law as his hero.
Mike said: “I've always admired Denis Law. He was a great footballer, he was a great inspiration to young people and I saw him score a great goal at Wembley when Scotland cuffed England 3-2 in 1967, when they were the world champions."
As well as their heroes, MSPs slid to the other end of the scale to candidly reveal some of their pet hates too.
North East Scotland SNP MSP Richard Lochhead confessed that music mayhem at home drove him to distraction. He said: “My wife's inability to put CDs back in their cases drives me absolutely crazy and I can't get her to change that habit.”
Another MSP – Conservative representative for the South of Scotland David Mundell – also revealed his dairy dilemma. “I don't like milk and I haven't drunk it since I was about 18 months old.”
On a more positive note, MSPs were also asked to outline the personal achievement of which they were most proud. Many of the members opted for election to the Scottish Parliament as their proudest moment while a large percentage pinpointed bringing up a family as their key achievement.
However, Mid Scotland and Fife Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser reached a personal peak when he named climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in 2003 as his greatest achievement. “It was incredibly difficult and very physically strenuous but I got an immense sense of achievement making it to the top,” he said.
Eleanor Scott, Green MSP for the Highlands and Islands , said her greatest achievement was: “Arranging for some young school pupils from my area to be invited to meet His Highness the Dalai Llama when he visited the Parliament.”
John Swinburne, who represents Central Scotland for the Scottish Senior Citizens Unity Party, said: “My greatest achievement is setting up a political party. Looking back, it was no mean feat and it means I'm the very first ‘grey' MP in the whole of the UK .”
In her political career Christine Grahame listed the campaign for the Borders' railway as her greatest achievement but on a personal level, she said: “I've lived on my own for 10 years and I've somehow managed not to burn the house down. I've even learned how to change plugs and fuses and for someone who is all fingers and thumbs I think that's a great achievement.”
To access the MSPs' video diaries, log on to the Scottish Parliament website at www.scottish.parliament.uk and click on Holyrood TV on the left-hand menu.
For further information, contact:
Richard Holligan: Tel 0131 348 6269
email: richard.holligan@scottish.parliament.uk
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