John MacDougall (Scottish politician)
| John MacDougall | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Glenrothes Central Fife (2001–2005) |
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In office 7 June 2001 – 13 August 2008 |
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| Preceded by | Henry McLeish |
| Succeeded by | Lindsay Roy |
| Majority | 10,664 (28.5%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
8 December 1947 Dunfermline, Fife |
| Died | 13 August 2008 (aged 60) Kirkcaldy, Fife |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Political party | Labour |
John William MacDougall (8 December 1947 – 13 August 2008) was a Scottish Labour politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Glenrothes from the 2005 general election until his death; he was first elected to the House of Commons for Central Fife in the 2001 general election.
He was a low-profile MP who was loyal to the Labour government. From 2007 he was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, and due to his illness, his participation in Parliament became fleeting, although he remained as an MP until his death in August the following year.
MacDougall was educated at Templehall Junior Secondary School in Kirkcaldy, Fife. He later obtained a diploma in industrial management and a certificate in naval architecture studies. He began work as an apprentice caulker riveter at Rosyth Dockyard, but his main working life was spent as a boilermaker from 1964 at the oil rig construction yard in Methil. He became a shop steward for the GMB trade union, later full-time Shop Steward Convenor.
After joining the Labour Party in 1981, MacDougall was elected as a Labour Party member of Fife Regional Council for Burntisland the following year. He became leader of the regional council in 1987, formally as Chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee, leaving work to be a full-time councillor, and serving until the Regional Council was abolished in the reform of local government.
MacDougall was elected to the new Fife unitary council in 1995 and became Convenor of the council when it assumed its powers in April 1996. MacDougall's position as leader led him to accept several other appointments, including as Chair of the Rosyth Dockyard and Naval Base Coordinating Committee, a director of Fife Enterprise, and Chair and director of Community Business Fife Ltd. In the mid-1990s he led the council's efforts to keep the Rosyth base open, including writing to every Conservative MP to ask them to support a defence review not led by the Treasury. He was a member of the Scottish Constitutional Convention which established the framework for the Scottish Parliament.
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