Jamie Williamson... An appreciation

heraldscotland staff

Published on 20 Oct 2007

SNP activist; Born October 8, 1935; Died April 18, 2007. FOR more than 40 of his years Jamie Williamson was an SNP activist. Many of the colleagues who attended his funeral service were about to be elected or re-elected as SNP councillors and MSPs. Two were about to be members of the first Nationalist Scottish Government.

SNP activist; Born October 8, 1935; Died April 18, 2007.

FOR more than 40 of his years Jamie Williamson was an SNP activist. Many of the colleagues who attended his funeral service were about to be elected or re-elected as SNP councillors and MSPs. Two were about to be members of the first Nationalist Scottish Government.

In this context all were simply fellow activists, and many were saying a personal thanks to their great encourager. A natural response to Jamie's death was that after all these years of political activism, he had "missed out" by a fortnight on the events of May 3. Allowing some time to pass since the election has permitted reflection on that.

An important quality for political activists is the capacity to be "seeing" the fulfilment of their party's core beliefs every second of their activism. It is has been an important quality in SNP activism and one Jamie possessed. It may be that activists with that quality never really miss out. Jamie's SNP activism was a major aspect of his life and we will continue to remember him within the SNP, especially at the Baillieston SNP Burns Supper that he instituted.

However, it is Jamie's life that merits celebration. His life epitomised what being part of a community actually means. Originally from Carntyne, the family moved to nearby Springboig in 1950 and that is where Jamie stayed. He was a long-standing member of Springboig Community Council and a Citizens Advice Bureau committee member. He had expanded his considerable mastery of the written word by obtaining a certificate in journalism.

Throughout his years in Springboig, Jamie lived his Christian faith as a member of his local Eastbank Church of Scotland where he had been the founder member of its youth fellowship. In the appreciation of his life that appeared in the church magazine, it was said Jamie "always had a concern for justice". That was a factor which ran through every aspect of his life. He did not fall into the trap of believing the essential strands of his life should be kept separate.