Five years ago Jack McConnell was elected First Minister. Some three weeks earlier, following the resignation of Henry McLeish, I had contemplated running for the job myself. For largely personal reasons, I declined to stand. 

In recent interviews Jack has pointed to the relentless pressures on senior politicians.  His honesty attracted comment. But those politicians who never agonise about the price of public life are the ones you never want to elect.

  The essence of Jack’s political success is that he understands what matters to the people of Scotland. He respects the “people’s priorities”. In office he has championed those priorities of jobs, schools and hospitals.  He has never allowed himself to become cocooned from the concerns of the citizens of Cupar, Craigmillar or Campbeltown.  Scotland’s economy has grown in every year since devolution with over 100,000 new jobs created since 2001.   His government has built schools, recruited teachers, reduced class sizes and provided nursery places and raised standards. His support for PPP schemes is transforming Scotland’s school estate, in my constituency alone, 3 new secondaries and 2 new primaries.  At the other end of the age spectrum, his government has introduced free bus travel across Scotland. Free central heating systems for those without has reduced hypothermia deaths to an all time low. This is another example of the “people’s priorities” in action.  Increased investment in the NHS has meant more nurses, doctors, and consultants and waiting times in the Scottish NHS are the best ever.   Today, every pub, club, restaurant and enclosed public space in Scotland is smoke free. We are a better and healthier country for that. Scotland’s justice system is undergoing radical reform, with the “people’s priorities” of tackling anti-social behaviour, underage drinking and knife crime getting the attention they deserve.  No overnight cures. No magic wand. But a determination to make our streets safer. The environmental agenda is now taken seriously at the heart of government. 150 years of emigration has been reversed, Scotland’s population is growing once more and Jack has reached out to welcome newcomers to Scotland On that great shared Labour aspiration of abolishing child poverty, 130,000 Scots children have been lifted out of relative poverty – a cut of 35%. Still a work in progress, but it is interesting to note the equivalent reduction for Britain is 19%.   So forget the fashionable cynicism of the chattering classes.  Scottish lives are being enriched family-by-family, street-by-street, and community-by-community.  The commonplace critique is:  “What is McConnellism?” As one of only two MSPs (the other is Jim Wallace) to have served in the Cabinets of all three First Ministers I have no difficulty in identifying what is distinctively Jack McConnell.   Beyond the “people’s priorities” lie important personal priorities. As a native of Arran, Jack has an instinctive respect for Scotland’s diversity. He seeks to govern in the interests of all Scots.  The smoking ban was courageous – and others are now catching up.  Sectarianism is a shame on Scotland. I doubt an earlier generation of politicians, even our most revered, would have challenged it as directly as Jack has. He demonstrated his deft political touch in appointing Lord Fraser to lead the Holyrood Inquiry, a far-sighted move which helped the divisions caused by the construction process.   The media has rarely been kind. But he has the wisdom to know that such hostility was meted out to his predecessors and will be to his successors.  After nearly 8 years in power in Scotland and nearly 10 in the UK May’s election was never going to be easy. But I fully expect Jack to lead Labour to another election victory.  His leadership on smoking and anti-social behaviour means his personal legacy on health and justice is already secure. His education legacy may be just as great.    Like any talented teacher, Jack is passionate about nurturing the potential of the next generation. One of his best recent speeches was his opening address to Parliament in September where he laid out the choice at the forthcoming election, contrasting his passion for educational excellence with the nationalists’ priority of breaking up Britain.  An exciting educational agenda around more support in the early years, greater focus on the basics and new Skills Academies have all been signalled for the manifesto.  I hope we can look forward to further reform.  

Jack’s patriotism can wrong foot his enemies. He talks of how rebalancing the Union through devolution has allowed Scotland “to get the most from its partnership with England, while liberating the Scottish people’s too-long-stifled energies.”

He is rightly dismissive of a nationalism that relies on the drawing of still more  frontiers on the surface of what’s a tiny – and increasingly endangered – planet.

 Doubtless some will question such an upbeat assessment. Critics point to a perceived reliance on a few trusted lieutenants and a lack of inclusiveness. If accurate, this hardly puts him in a minority among successful governments worldwide. And if a desire for stability made practical considerations important in the early days, recent strategic initiatives like the Futures Project are rightly recognised as bold political moves.    I do not doubt that in due course his memoirs will reveal the internal battles he faced in championing change. Longer term he has speculated about going off to teach maths in Malawi. I would not be surprised if one day he fulfils that ambition.   In the shorter term I wish him many happy election returns.