Tributes paid as Holyrood campaigner Dr Bob McLean found dead

By Andrew Whitaker
Published on 16/07/2012 01:15

A LEADING figure in the campaign for the Scottish Parliament, Dr Bob McLean, has been found dead at his home.

Dr McLean, who played a key role in the “Campaign for a Scottish Assembly” in the 1980s and 1990s, is understood to have died in his sleep at the weekend.

The historian and writer helped champion devolution within the Labour Party and he was closely associated with former first minister Lord Jack McConnell.

Lord McConnell was among those paying tribute to Dr McLean, who also worked for the Edinburgh Museums and Galleries as a historian. The former first minister tweeted: “A really special person. He was an inspiration, a guide, a gentleman and one of Scotland’s finest sons. All of us who knew him had our lives enriched. So so sad. A patriot, socialist and a true friend.”

Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont said: “Bob was a giant of the Labour movement who inspired me and many others with his passion for Scotland and for socialism.

“Not content just to simply follow Labour’s ideas and values, he was instrumental in shaping them and became a major influence on his peers in the party, many of whom went on to represent Labour at Westminster and Holyrood.

“Bob was a leading advocate for home rule and will always be one of the unsung heroes who helped bring about the Scottish Parliament.”

Dr McLean, who lived near Edinburgh, is thought to have been in his late 50s. Friends said that he had been in poor health for several years.