THE legendary politician and independence campaigner Winnie Ewing has died aged 93.
While her most famous election victory came when she won the 1967 Hamilton by-election and uttered the famous words “stop the World, Scotland wants to get on”, Ewing also served as an MEP and MSP.
During her four terms in the European Parliament, which stretched across more than 20 years, Ewing garnered a nickname which would go down in history: Madame Écosse.
But where did the nickname come from – and why did it stick?
The French newspaper Le Monde is credited as the first publication to associate Ewing with the name in print.
While first selected as an MEP in 1975, it was during a campaign spearheaded by Ewing to secure Objective 1 assistance for the whole of the Highlands and Islands ahead of the 1989 European election that the sobriquet really caught on.
The Objective 1 programme operates within EU areas which are in most need and supports the development of regions falling behind the rest of Europe in terms of infrastructure and employment opportunities.
Margaret Thatcher’s government had initially failed to press for Objective 1 status for the Highlands and Islands, which was eligible to regions with less than 75% of the European Economic Community’s average per capita GDP.
Indeed, the then secretary of state for Scotland – Ian Lang – said that huge swathes of the region would have to be excluded if the campaign was to be successful.
But Ewing stuck to her guns and ultimately the campaign was a success.
The Highlands and Islands gained access to the highest level of EU funding, which brought millions of pounds into the Highlands and Islands between 1994 – 1999.
However, it also cemented Ewing’s status as a powerful voice protecting Scotland’s interests.
The name Madame Écosse entered common usage among her parliamentary colleagues – often to the annoyance of other Scottish MEPs.
But former SNP President and author of a biography on Winnie Ewing, Michael Russell, said the name came to testify to the “affection and respect” in which she was held.
