MSP
Born: July 31,1961;
Died: December 7,2016
ALEX Johnstone, who has died aged 55, was the longest-serving Conservative in the Scottish Parliament, and the party’s only remaining MSP to have served continuously since the 1999 election.
A burly dairy farmer from the North-East, Mr Johnstone was a well-respected figure at Holyrood, whose initially intimidating appearance and robust views were paired with genial good humour and good will. As his party’s Chief Whip from 2001, he was involved in planning the business of the parliament, and was widely regarded as having contributed to the cross-party approach of much of the minutiae of government.
He had, however, plenty of a politician’s natural partisan instinct. Before one session of First Minister’s Questions, he wondered whether it would turn out to be “the first ever session of First Minister’s answers”, and seldom missed an opportunity to take advantage of information or situations uncomfortable for opponents.
Mr Johnstone recognised, however, that the structure of Holyrood also frequently called for consensual approaches; in his most recent speech in the chamber, he presented a robust opposition to the draft budget, but he couched it in terms of concern that the parties might fail to reach a compromise, and made a point of commending the Green MSP Patrick Harvie.
This political canniness made him an effective advocate for the north-east, and for rural concerns. His first role at Holyrood was as convener of the Rural Development Committee, and from 2003 he was his party’s spokesman on countryside and farming matters.
He also campaigned on a number of other issues; he was particularly vocal on the subject of knife crime, and had an abiding interest in Japan, setting up Holyrood’s cross-party grouping. A few weeks before his death, he received a special commendation from the Japanese Consul-General for his work forging links between the countries. His most recent role was as the shadow minister for communities and housing.
Alexander Johnstone was born in Kincardineshire and grew up in Stonehaven, where he attended Mackie Academy. After school he began work on the family’s dairy farm, building up a herd of Ayrshires. Always a keen fan of technology, he also did a college course in IT. Engineering and computing were to be abiding interests. Despite his demanding workload, he also found time to play rugby, and was very actively involved with the Young Farmers.
After devolution, Mr Johnstone contested the Gordon constituency in 1999, and at the age of 38 was elected on the regional list as a member for North East Scotland; in 2003 he stood in Angus and was again elected as a regional member.
Mr Johnstone, who was described by one colleague as “perhaps the most enthusiastic man I have ever known” was an indefatigable campaigner. He took to Twitter enthusiastically, often posting pictures of himself out and about at events in the North East, canvassing with supporters, at charitable events, and using the forum to advertise his upcoming constituents’ surgeries.
He was also keen to draw attention to opinion polls and news stories that helped the Tories, or were inconvenient for their opponents. When he appeared in his avatar photograph in a trilby, one colleague demanded to know when he had signed up as one of the Blues Brothers. “I was born blue,” he replied.
His other great passions included cricket; he was especially delighted to combine this with his interest in Japan when he persuaded the country’s national team to visit Scotland for the first time. He is survived by his wife Linda, whom he married in 1981, their son Alexander, who now manages the family dairy farm with his mother, by their daughter Christine, and by six grandchildren.
Andrew McKie
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