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Like a stick of rock Dennis Canavan has the words social justice
and rebel indelibly printed within his very core. From beginning to
end the same message greets you, no matter where you chip away at
the outer layer. It's hard to know what came first, but perhaps his
passion for social justice made the rebel mantle a better fit.
Dennis struck out on this path at an early age. He was hugely
influenced by his grandfather who had left school aged 10, started
work as a coal miner by the age of 12, and, fuelled by these
experiences, went on to spend most of his adult life campaigning as
a Labour councillor and trade unionist to make things better for
others. In the wily manner that seems to be a highly honed skill in
grandparents, he asked Dennis (13) to record his memoirs for him,
knowing that this would be likely to influence his young grandson.
As it did. After he started working Dennis got very involved in
community politics, as a member of his local council and secretary
of his constituency Labour Party. So when the previous MP retired
there was a two horse race between Dennis and a young Donald Dewar:
'although Donald was the favoured son of the Labour establishment
at the time, I think I won the selection process because I was
better known locally'.
However, when he finished school the young Dennis felt that his
calling lay in another direction. Dennis Canavan, MSP could have
been Fr Canavan, priest. At 15, his mother asked him what he was
going to do and he told her that he wanted to be a priest, to which
she responded 'you'll never be a priest, you're far too
rebellious'. Indeed, Dennis left the seminary (although surpassing
his mother's expectations by actually making it past Christmas)
because 'I was too rebellious'. Although he still finds it 'too
difficult to accept all the teachings of the church and to live up
to them', he attends church which he feels has been 'a very
positive influence on my life'.
Discovering that the priesthood was not for him, Dennis became a
teacher, but he was destined for a political life. As a Labour MP
who had campaigned all his life for a Scottish Parliament, he
really wanted to be a part of it when it was set up; when the
Labour Party asked for people, including existing MPs, to declare
an interest in becoming a member of the Scottish Parliament he
threw his hat in the ring. Despite the fact he received the support
of 97% of the party members in his constituency of Falkirk West, he
was turned down by Labour Party headquarters. 'When I asked why I
had not been selected, they said I didn't meet the criteria and
when I asked what were these criteria that I did not meet, they
wouldn't tell me'. Dennis appealed the decision (unsuccessfully)
and, after a great deal of heart searching, resolved to let the
people decide. Which they did - he got the biggest majority
in Scotland. Although vindicated by popular support, he speaks of
the whole sorry affair with an air of sadness, not of triumphalism:
'I still wonder about it and I still think back on the
circumstances which led to my being expelled from the Labour Party.
It wasn't a very pleasant experience, obviously having virtually
been born and brought up in the Labour Party and having spent all
my political life in the Labour Party, but I still feel that trying
to look at the decision rationally and in retrospect that I made
the correct decision'.
One advantage of being an Independent MSP is that his only
allegiance is to the people that he represents and he can use his
vote at his own discretion. What has surprised and disappointed him
in the Scottish Parliament is the "control freakery" of all the
political parties, and the party bosses who 'virtually dictate to
their members how to vote on every single occasion'. (One gets the
feeling that if Dennis had not already been an Independent MSP on
entering the Parliament he might soon have been.) He feels that the
situation is worse in the Scottish Parliament than at Westminster
because the party groups are smaller which offers more opportunity
to keep them under control and isolate any trouble makers. It also
angers him that control freakery operates to such an extent that
'they try to limit the opportunities for members who are not in any
party'. He also finds First Minister's Questions a farcical event,
hijacked by the party leaders with very little time for backbench
MSPs to ask any questions, all of which contributes to 'making a
nonsense of parliamentary accountability'.
One might begin to wonder why anyone would want to be a
politician, but Dennis has been driven through all the highs and
lows of his political career by his fundamental belief in social
justice. He wants to see educational opportunities improved for
children and for adults, and a better NHS which 'is all part of
that social justice programme which embraces not only a more just
distribution of wealth but also opportunity'. His vision for
Scotland would be the achievement of much higher standards of
social justice and to see lifelong learning turned into a reality.
He believes this vision would have more chance of being realised if
the Scottish Parliament had more powers, including financial powers
to raise its own money 'because a more radical form of progressive
taxation could do a lot to redistribute wealth and opportunity and
bring about a fairer, more just and inclusive Scotland'.
At times he finds being a politician a very frustrating
experience but he has found the job satisfaction to keep him sane
in helping people get access to education, the NHS or helping to
sort out a social work or benefit problem. It may not be 'the
biggest problem in the world but to that particular person it might
have been at that time'.
He believes that the churches have a very important role to play
in relation to achieving social justice, particularly as they have
'very radical' contributions to make on the subject even if those
in power may not always listen to what the churches have to
say. He says 'the reports of the Church and Nation Committee
of the Church of Scotland are much more radical than the Labour
Party manifesto these days', and thinks they should be applauded
'for the excellent work that is being done in trying to speak out
for higher standards of social justice … putting the Sermon on the
Mount into practice'.
This social justice ethos is reflected in his choice of
political heroes. Over his long parliamentary career, his
favourite political memory is the 'unforgettable experience' of
meeting Nelson Mandela. Dennis was part of a parliamentary
delegation who went out to meet Nelson Mandela in Soweto, shortly
after his release from Robin Island, and found him to be 'so
impressive in every way', especially in his humility, as most
politicians 'are very big headed or bombastic, with a guid conceit
o' themselves' (he laughs, no doubt recalling individuals who
fitted that particular bill). Closer to home he also has great
admiration for Tony Benn, whom he regards as 'still the best
articulator of democratic socialism in this country'.
So what else fires up Mr Canavan? Sport - in all its forms … and
he is no armchair spectator. His finest sporting moment was
completing a marathon under the three hour barrier (by a mere two
minutes, but he helpfully adds that this time would have won him an
Olympic gold medal back in 1904). He doesn't run so far (or so
fast) these days, but still participates in the Strathcarron
Hospice 10k race every year to raise a few bob for the Hospice. He
also shares the Scottish passion for football, attending virtually
all of Falkirk's home games and he fought for the right for Falkirk
to compete in the Premier League after they won the First Division
last year, but to no avail. He did remark that maybe his efforts
have helped ********* ***** (name censored by order of
SCPO!) this year, wishing them all the best but adding that he
hopes Falkirk will be joining them next season.
At Westminster, when Dennis was still a member of the Labour
Party, he never felt isolated even when he was involved in a
rebellion on an issue: 'you knew you would find some soul brothers
or soul sisters who would agree with you, and if you decided to
take it to a vote against your party there would always usually be
a team of people with you'. At the moment he feels the Labour Party
have moved too much to the right under Tony Blair, who Dennis
thinks is unable to understand the experiences of people like his
grandfather and the sacrifices that generation made for their
communities because of his privileged background. Not that this
means he will be signing up to the Scottish Socialist Party, as he
thinks that some of their policies are unrealistic. So he may
currently be lacking in soul siblings, but one gets the impression
that Dennis Canavan could still carry out an effective sole
rebellion.