THE North East of Scotland has truly lost a giant of a campaigner for independence in the passing of Portsoy’s John Stewart.
One of the "old guard" – the SNP occupied so much of his life. Along with his wife Margaret and the family, it was his life. The party became active in the region in the midst of a Tory landscape, and at a time when (as John described it) “the locals felt that the SNP wandered around with horns on their heads" – this was to change when the likes of John came along.
He opened hearts and minds to what the SNP could do for the North East as well as in other parts of Scotland. He opened doors which many felt were closed to them, as was a pattern throughout his life, to motivate and encourage all to play a central role in determining the outcomes of their own lives, irrespective of what others might say or do.
