Iain Lawson

The title of this blog is a tribute to Iain Lawson, the man who walked (almost) 500 miles to try to save Ravenscraig, one of the longest continuous casting, hot rolling steel production facilities in the world and a casualty of Thatcher’s industrial vandalism. Iain fought for Scotland all his life whether as an MSP or activist. He inspired us with the story of Estonian independence, kept the fires burning with his own blog, ‘Yours for Scotland’ and chaired the Scottish National Congress steering group until the Liberation Scotland Committee could be elected.

In his tribute to Iain, Jim Sillars said:

“In more than 60 years in politics, I have watched, met and worked with a number of people who have, in campaigning, a quality that makes them stand out from all others. It’s a quality difficult to define, but its test lies in how a person can not only engage an audience but create an audience for a major purpose. Winnie Ewing was one of them. Iain Lawson was the best.”

He was. And for all that he was, all that he did and all that he meant to us in the liberation movement, both as a friend and as a guiding light, we remain grateful.

Though he will not be with us in body, in one of his last messages he promised to be “cheering from above”. We are determined not to let him down.

Iain Lawson, 1952 - 2024