Mike Watson
Encyclopedia
Michael Goodall Watson, Baron Watson of Invergowrie, known as Mike Watson, (born 1 May 1949) is a former British
Labour Party
politician. He has sat in three legislatures in the United Kingdom
and served as Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport in the Scottish Executive
Cabinet.
He was expelled from his party on 22 September 2005 following his conviction and imprisonment for fire-raising
at Prestonfield House
. He now sits as an Independent Labour member of the House of Lords
and is an Associate Director of the Edinburgh public affairs and communications company Caledonia Consulting
.
, South Lanarkshire
, but his family moved to Invergowrie
, Perth and Kinross
when he was very young. He was educated at the High School of Dundee
and Heriot-Watt University
, Edinburgh
, graduating with a B.A.
in Economics
and Industrial Relations in 1974.
Prior to entering politics he worked in the trade union
movement, for the Workers' Educational Association
, the Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs
(ASTMS) and the Manufacturing, Science and Finance
union (MSF).
in a 1989 by-election
for the Glasgow Central
constituency. He was re-elected in the 1992 election
and represented that constituency until it was abolished in 1997. He sought the nomination from the Labour party to run for the Govan
seat in 1997, but after initially winning the nomination by one vote, he lost a re-run to Mohammad Sarwar
.
In 1997 he received a Life peer
age as Baron Watson of Invergowrie, of Invergowrie in Perth and Kinross
.
In 1999 Lord Watson was elected to the Scottish Parliament to represent the Glasgow Cathcart
constituency and was re-elected in 2003. On 20 July 1999 Watson announced his intention to introduce the Protection of Wild Mammals bill as a member's bill to the Scottish Parliament to outlaw fox hunting
. The bill passed a vote 83 - 26 on 13 February 2002 and received Royal Assent
on 15 March, becoming the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002
and becoming law on 1 August. This was a precursor to the Hunting Act 2004
banning fox hunting in England and Wales.
When Jack McConnell
became First Minister
in 2001, Watson entered the Scottish Executive
as Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport, until the 2003 election.
's Prestonfield Hotel following the Scottish Politician of the Year
awards on 12 November. The first alleged that he set fire to a curtain in the hotel's reception, and the second that he set fire to a curtain in the hotel's Yellow Room. On being charged, the Labour whip
was suspended in the Holyrood and Westminster parliaments. After initially registering not guilty pleas to both charges on 23 August 2005, on 1 September he changed his plea on the first count to guilty, and had a not guilty plea accepted on the second charge. On the same day that Lord Watson admitted his guilt, he resigned from the Scottish Parliament. He also resigned as a director of Dundee United Football Club
.
However, it is not possible for a life peer to resign from the House of Lords
, which has led to calls for legislation to enable those peers convicted of criminal offences to be stripped of their titles. Such legislation was last proposed following the conviction of Jeffrey Archer for perjury
in 2001, but was then rejected.
On 22 September 2005, Lord Watson was sentenced to 16 months' imprisonment. Sheriff Kathrine Mackie justified the sentence, stating that there was both "a significant risk of re-offending" and that Lord Watson offered no mitigation or explanation. She also told Lord Watson that consumption of alcohol "neither excuses nor fully explains your behaviour." Lord Watson appealed against his sentence on 23 March 2006 but the appeal judges refused to cut the term, and he was returned to prison.
After serving eight months of his sentence, he was released on 23 May 2006.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Labour Party
Scottish Labour Party
The Scottish Labour Party is the section of the British Labour Party which operates in Scotland....
politician. He has sat in three legislatures in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and served as Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport in the Scottish Executive
Scottish Executive
The Scottish Government is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was established in 1999 as the Scottish Executive, from the extant Scottish Office, and the term Scottish Executive remains its legal name under the Scotland Act 1998...
Cabinet.
He was expelled from his party on 22 September 2005 following his conviction and imprisonment for fire-raising
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
at Prestonfield House
Prestonfield House
Prestonfield House is a five-star boutique hotel located in Prestonfield, Edinburgh. It was originally built in 1687 by architect Sir William Bruce, and was once a wealthy rural estate, but in recent decades has come to serve as a hotel...
. He now sits as an Independent Labour member of the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
and is an Associate Director of the Edinburgh public affairs and communications company Caledonia Consulting
Caledonia Consulting
Caledonia Consulting is a public affairs and communications firm in Edinburgh which is run by Devin Scobie. Scobie used to work for the public affairs company GPC International...
.
Early life
Mike Watson was born in CambuslangCambuslang
Cambuslang is a suburban town on the south-eastern outskirts of Glasgow, Scotland. It is within the local authority area of South Lanarkshire. Historically, it was a large rural Parish incorporating nearby hamlets of Newton, Flemington, and Halfway. It is known as "the largest village in...
, South Lanarkshire
South Lanarkshire
South Lanarkshire is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of the former county of Lanarkshire. It borders the south-east of the city of Glasgow and contains many of Glasgow's suburbs, commuter towns and smaller villages....
, but his family moved to Invergowrie
Invergowrie
Invergowrie is a village on the north bank of the River Tay to the west of Dundee. Although formerly incorporated as part of Dundee, it is located in Perth and Kinross....
, Perth and Kinross
Perth and Kinross
Perth and Kinross is one of 32 council areas in Scotland, and a Lieutenancy Area. It borders onto the Aberdeenshire, Angus, Dundee City, Fife, Clackmannanshire, Stirling, Argyll and Bute and Highland council areas. Perth is the administrative centre...
when he was very young. He was educated at the High School of Dundee
High School of Dundee
The High School of Dundee is an independent, co-educational, day school in the city of Dundee, Scotland which provides both primary and secondary education to just over one thousand pupils...
and Heriot-Watt University
Heriot-Watt University
Heriot-Watt University is a university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The name commemorates George Heriot, the 16th century financier to King James, and James Watt, the great 18th century inventor and engineer....
, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, graduating with a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
and Industrial Relations in 1974.
Prior to entering politics he worked in the trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
movement, for the Workers' Educational Association
Workers' Educational Association
The Workers’ Educational Association seeks to provide access to education and lifelong learning for adults from all backgrounds, and in particular those who have previously missed out on education. The International Federation of Workers Education Associations has consultative status to UNESCO...
, the Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs
Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs
ASTMS - The Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs was a British trade union, created in 1969 when ASSET merged with the AScW under the leadership of joint general secretaries: Clive Jenkins of ASSET and John Dutton of the AScW.ASSET, the larger of the two...
(ASTMS) and the Manufacturing, Science and Finance
Manufacturing, Science and Finance
Manufacturing, Science and Finance was a trade union in Britain...
union (MSF).
In politics
He was elected to the Parliament of the United KingdomParliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
in a 1989 by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
for the Glasgow Central
Glasgow Central (UK Parliament constituency)
Glasgow Central is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . In its current form, the constituency was first used in the general election of 2005, but there was also a Glasgow Central constituency from 1885 to 1997.- Boundaries :The Redistribution of Seats Act...
constituency. He was re-elected in the 1992 election
United Kingdom general election, 1992
The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil...
and represented that constituency until it was abolished in 1997. He sought the nomination from the Labour party to run for the Govan
Govan
Govan is a district and former burgh now part of southwest City of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the south bank of the River Clyde, opposite the mouth of the River Kelvin and the district of Partick....
seat in 1997, but after initially winning the nomination by one vote, he lost a re-run to Mohammad Sarwar
Mohammad Sarwar
Mohammad Sarwar is a British Labour Party politician who was a Member of Parliament in Glasgow from 1997 to 2010, first for Glasgow Govan and then from 2005 for Glasgow Central. He was the first ever British Muslim MP....
.
In 1997 he received a Life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
age as Baron Watson of Invergowrie, of Invergowrie in Perth and Kinross
Perth and Kinross
Perth and Kinross is one of 32 council areas in Scotland, and a Lieutenancy Area. It borders onto the Aberdeenshire, Angus, Dundee City, Fife, Clackmannanshire, Stirling, Argyll and Bute and Highland council areas. Perth is the administrative centre...
.
In 1999 Lord Watson was elected to the Scottish Parliament to represent the Glasgow Cathcart
Glasgow Cathcart (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Glasgow Cathcart is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
constituency and was re-elected in 2003. On 20 July 1999 Watson announced his intention to introduce the Protection of Wild Mammals bill as a member's bill to the Scottish Parliament to outlaw fox hunting
Fox hunting
Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase, and sometimes killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds, and a group of followers led by a master of foxhounds, who follow the hounds on foot or on horseback.Fox hunting originated in its current...
. The bill passed a vote 83 - 26 on 13 February 2002 and received Royal Assent
Royal Assent
The granting of royal assent refers to the method by which any constitutional monarch formally approves and promulgates an act of his or her nation's parliament, thus making it a law...
on 15 March, becoming the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002
Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002
The Protection of Wild Mammals Act was passed by the devolved Scottish parliament in February 2002, making Scotland the first part of the United Kingdom to ban traditional fox hunting and hare coursing.-Passage of the Act:...
and becoming law on 1 August. This was a precursor to the Hunting Act 2004
Hunting Act 2004
The Hunting Act 2004 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The effect of the Act is to outlaw hunting with dogs in England and Wales from 18 February 2005...
banning fox hunting in England and Wales.
When Jack McConnell
Jack McConnell
Jack Wilson McConnell, Baron McConnell of Glenscorrodale is a British Labour life peer in the House of Lords. He was third First Minister of Scotland from 2001 to 2007, making him the longest serving First Minister in the history of the Scottish Parliament...
became First Minister
First Minister of Scotland
The First Minister of Scotland is the political leader of Scotland and head of the Scottish Government. The First Minister chairs the Scottish Cabinet and is primarily responsible for the formulation, development and presentation of Scottish Government policy...
in 2001, Watson entered the Scottish Executive
Scottish Executive
The Scottish Government is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was established in 1999 as the Scottish Executive, from the extant Scottish Office, and the term Scottish Executive remains its legal name under the Scotland Act 1998...
as Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport, until the 2003 election.
Fire-raising conviction
On 15 November 2004, Lord Watson was charged with two counts of "wilful fire-raising" after a private reception at EdinburghEdinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
's Prestonfield Hotel following the Scottish Politician of the Year
Scottish Politician of the Year
Scottish Politician of the Year is an annual award established in 1999. It is held by The Herald newspaper in Prestonfield, Edinburgh, Scotland....
awards on 12 November. The first alleged that he set fire to a curtain in the hotel's reception, and the second that he set fire to a curtain in the hotel's Yellow Room. On being charged, the Labour whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
was suspended in the Holyrood and Westminster parliaments. After initially registering not guilty pleas to both charges on 23 August 2005, on 1 September he changed his plea on the first count to guilty, and had a not guilty plea accepted on the second charge. On the same day that Lord Watson admitted his guilt, he resigned from the Scottish Parliament. He also resigned as a director of Dundee United Football Club
Dundee United F.C.
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club located in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923...
.
However, it is not possible for a life peer to resign from the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
, which has led to calls for legislation to enable those peers convicted of criminal offences to be stripped of their titles. Such legislation was last proposed following the conviction of Jeffrey Archer for perjury
Perjury
Perjury, also known as forswearing, is the willful act of swearing a false oath or affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to a judicial proceeding. That is, the witness falsely promises to tell the truth about matters which affect the outcome of the...
in 2001, but was then rejected.
On 22 September 2005, Lord Watson was sentenced to 16 months' imprisonment. Sheriff Kathrine Mackie justified the sentence, stating that there was both "a significant risk of re-offending" and that Lord Watson offered no mitigation or explanation. She also told Lord Watson that consumption of alcohol "neither excuses nor fully explains your behaviour." Lord Watson appealed against his sentence on 23 March 2006 but the appeal judges refused to cut the term, and he was returned to prison.
After serving eight months of his sentence, he was released on 23 May 2006.
Later life
In January 2007 Lord Watson was appointed as an Associate Director with Caledonia Consulting and continues to attend the House of Lords on a regular basis.External links
- MSP charged after blaze claims - at Evening Times Online (published 15 November 2004)
- Peer pleads guilty to fire charge - at BBC News online (published 1 September 2005)
- Fire-raising peer sent to prison - at BBC News online (published 22 September 2005)
- Appeal announced on duration of sentence - from The Scotsman Mon 12 Dec 2005 by John Innes