David McLetchie
I was sorry to hear yesterday that the Scottish MSP and former leader of the Scottish Conservative Party, David McLetchie, passed away following a battle with cancer.
I didn't know David McLetchie very well, but he contacted me after I gave evidence on Equal Pay to the Local Government Committee of the Scottish Parliament - and I would say that he was generally very supportive of the position I put to the Members of the Committee on that day.
Apparently David was a lawyer by profession, but it showed because he grasped the underlying issues - he understood the role of the trade unions and the cozy politics involved - and he agreed that the employers were on a hiding to nothing including South Lanarkshire Council, by the way.
I have to say I find it somewhat ironic that a Scottish Conservative MSP could have such a progressive attitude on Equal Pay - when so many Scottish Labour MSPs have kept their heads down and said little, if anything, on the subject.
So, I tip my hat off to David McLetchie because he refused to be mealy mouthed and was prepared to stand up be counted - when the going got rough.