Jim Sillars
| Jim Sillars | |
|---|---|
| Depute Leader of the Scottish National Party | |
|
In office September 1991 – 25 September 1992 |
|
| Leader | Alex Salmond |
| Preceded by | Alasdair Morgan |
| Succeeded by | Allan Macartney |
| Member of Parliament for Glasgow Govan |
|
|
In office 10 November 1988 – 9 April 1992 |
|
| Preceded by | Bruce Millan |
| Succeeded by | Ian Davidson |
| Member of Parliament for South Ayrshire |
|
|
In office 19 March 1970 – 3 May 1979 |
|
| Preceded by | Emrys Hughes |
| Succeeded by | George Foulkes |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
4 October 1937 Ayr, Ayrshire, Scotland |
| Political party |
Scottish National Party (1980–present) Scottish Left Project (2014-present) |
| Other political affiliations |
Labour Party (?-1976) Scottish Labour Party (1976–1980) |
| Spouse(s) | Margo MacDonald MSP (m. 1981–2014) |
| Occupation | Firefighter |
James Sillars (born 4 October 1937) is a Scottish politician. He was married to Margo MacDonald until her death, in 2014. He is a leading figure in the campaign for Scottish independence. He founded and led the Scottish Labour Party in the 1970s, and was Deputy Leader of the Scottish National Party.
Sillars was born in Ayrshire, Scotland. His early working life involved him following his father into working on the railways, then joining the Royal Navy, before becoming a fireman. It was as a fireman that he became more active politically, through the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) and later with the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC).
Sillars was elected at a by-election in 1970 as Member of Parliament (MP) for South Ayrshire constituency, representing the Labour Party. He became well known as an articulate, intellectual left-winger, strongly in favour of the establishment of a devolved Scottish Assembly.
In 1976 he led a breakaway Scottish Labour Party (SLP). The formation of the SLP was inspired primarily by the failure of the then Labour Government to secure a Scottish Assembly. Sillars threw himself into establishing the SLP as a political force, but ultimately it collapsed following the 1979 General Election. At that election the SLP had nominated a mere three candidates (including Sillars who was attempting to hold on to his South Ayrshire seat). Only Sillars came remotely close to winning and it was this failure to secure a meaningful share of the vote that prompted the decision to disband.
In the early 1980s Sillars (along with many other former SLP members) joined the Scottish National Party (SNP). Being a left-winger he had fostered close links with the SNP internal 79 Group, who had encouraged him to join.
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