Mike Watson, Baron Watson of Invergowrie

Michael Goodall Watson, Baron Watson of Invergowrie, known as Mike Watson ( born May 1, 1949 in Cambuslang ) is a Scottish politician and former member of the Labour Party.

Watson attended Dundee High School and then the Heriot -Watt University.

House of Commons

After the death of Robert McTaggart, the delegates of the constituency of Glasgow Central, in 1989, new elections were scheduled in which Watson, the Labour Party represented. He won clearly against the candidate of the SNP, the later members Alex Neil, and retired for the first time in the British House of Commons. He defended his position in the following general election in 1992. During the constituency reform of constituency Glasgow Central was dissolved. Watson wanted to compete for the newly created constituency of Glasgow Govan at the following general election, winning the first nominating vote with one voice projection, but was defeated in the repeat vote Mohammed Sarwar. To still be nominated as a candidate for Glasgow Govan, Watson threatened its current mandate of the constituency of Glasgow Central return and thus to provoke new elections, which would probably win the SNP. He also announced the publication of a book in which he would describe the circumstances of the nomination for Glasgow Govan. As a result, Sarwar remained as a candidate for the constituency ( and could the election against the SNP candidate Nicola Sturgeon decide for themselves ) and Watson was raised to the rank of Life Peers, from which the noble title Baron Watson of Invergowrie results, and received a lifelong seat in the House of Lords.

Scottish Parliament

In the Scottish Parliament elections in 1999 Watson was a candidate for the constituency of Glasgow Cathcart and won the mandate well ahead of the candidate SNP. He subsequently moved into the newly created Scottish Parliament and has held between November 2001 and May 2003, the position of the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. In the 2003 parliamentary elections Watson defended his seat again significantly.

Charges of arson

In the spring of 2005, Watson was charged with two counts of arson. He is said to have set in the context of the festivities for the election of Scottish politician of the year two curtains in an Edinburgh hotel intentionally set on fire. After Watson initially was not meant to be guilty then, he pleaded guilty in one of the two accused cases. In September 2005, Watson was sentenced to a 16 -month prison sentence. In the course of this development, Watson resigned his seat in the Scottish Parliament and also resigned as chairman of the football club Dundee United. Since the title of Life Peers is granted for life, resulted in no changes with regard to his seat in the House of Lords. The by-election in the constituency of Glasgow Cathcart won the Labour candidate Charles Gordon.

Works

• M. Watson: Rags to Riches: The official history of Dundee United, David Winter & Sons, Dundee, 1985, ISBN 0-902804-18-9.
• M. Watson: The Tannadice Encyclopedia, Mainstream, Edinburgh, 1997, ISBN 1-85158-996-1.
• M. Watson: Year Zero. An Inside View of the Scottish Parliament, Polygon, Edinburgh, 2001, ISBN 1-902930-26-6