Sturgeon 'heartbroken' as SNP political hero Winne Ewing dies aged 92
Nicola Sturgeon ‘heartbroken’ as her SNP political heroine Winne Ewing – known as Mrs Scotland – dies at 92
- The former SNP president was known as Madam Ecosse – Mrs Scotland
- She passed away yesterday, surrounded by her family, they said in statement
A ‘heartbroken’ Nicola Sturgeon led tributes to her political heroine Winnie Ewing today, after the SNP’s first female parliamentarian died aged 92.
The former party president, who became known as Madam Ecosse – Mrs Scotland – passed away yesterday, surrounded by her family.
She is perhaps best known for marking her shock victory in the Hamilton by-election in 1967 with the declaration: ‘Stop the world, Scotland wants to get on.’
Five years ago Ms Sturgeon described her as her inspiration for getting into politics, saying her mentor helped her with public speaking and advised her to ‘stand your ground and believe in yourself’.
After the announcement today the former first minister said: ‘I can’t begin to convey the depth of gratitude I feel for the advice, wisdom, encouragement and inspiration Winnie gave me and so many others over the years. She was a master of the art of campaigning and it was a privilege to learn from her.
‘Today, Scotland has lost one of her foremost patriots and champions, the SNP and the independence movement have lost a beloved icon and Fergus, Annabelle Ewing and Terry Ewing have lost their mum.
‘My condolences to them and the wider family. Thank you Madame Ecosse.’
The former party president (left), who became known as Madam Ecosse – Mrs Scotland – passed away yesterday, surrounded by her family.
She is perhaps best known for marking her shock victory in the Hamilton by-election in 1967 with the declaration: ‘Stop the world, Scotland wants to get on.’
Mrs Ewing was born in Glasgow in 1929 and gained a law degree from Glasgow University before being elected to the UK Parliament.
Despite losing the Hamilton seat at the next election in 1970, she was re-elected to Westminster in 1974 for Moray and Nairn, and retained her seat in the second election in October of the same year.
She also served in the European Parliament, representing the Highlands and Islands after losing her Westminster seat in the 1979.
She resigned as an MEP in 1999 to stand as a candidate for the new Scottish Parliament, representing the Highlands and Islands until 2003.
Mrs Ewing was president of the SNP until 2005 when she stood down from elected office, however she remained an ardent supporter of the independence cause.
Flags at Holyrood were lowered as a ‘mark of respect’ following her death.
First Minister Humza Yousaf paid tribute to a ‘pioneer and a patriot’, saying: ‘Without Winnie – without her breakthrough by-election victory in Hamilton in 1967, her dedication to the cause of Scottish independence, and her promotion of Scotland’s interests in Europe over many years – the SNP would never have achieved the success we have, and self-government for Scotland would never have become the priority it did.’
The SNP’s first female parliamentarian was considered by many to be the mother of the party, having won arguably the most important by-election in Scottish political history and changing the course of the nationalist cause forever.
Her victory lives on in SNP supporters’ memories, as her son Fergus Ewing, then Scotland’s energy minister and now a SNP MSP, recalled in 2015.
In an interview with Holyrood Magazine, he said: ‘She was pretty superhuman then and has remained so, and wherever I go in Scotland very often people come up to me and say, ”oh I remember Winnie at Hamilton” or ”I was there when your mum won” and so on. She did make an impact on people, far more so than most politicians that you know now.
‘She really got through to people by the way she communicated and the way she moved them in her speeches, but also in her general style of being a politician; it was all about people.
‘People remember her hospitality and they also remember her courage.’
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