This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7387812.stm
The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| 'Tireless' Lib Dem stalwart dies | 'Tireless' Lib Dem stalwart dies |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Tributes have been paid to the former MP for Argyll and Bute, Ray Michie, who has died at the age of 74. | Tributes have been paid to the former MP for Argyll and Bute, Ray Michie, who has died at the age of 74. |
| The daughter of Lord and Lady Bannerman of Kildonan, she chaired the Scottish Liberal Democrats from 1991 until 1993. | The daughter of Lord and Lady Bannerman of Kildonan, she chaired the Scottish Liberal Democrats from 1991 until 1993. |
| She was elected to the Argyll seat in 1987 and remained MP until she stood down from parliament in 2001, becoming a member of the House of Lords. | She was elected to the Argyll seat in 1987 and remained MP until she stood down from parliament in 2001, becoming a member of the House of Lords. |
| Former Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy said she had a "first-class political brain". | Former Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy said she had a "first-class political brain". |
| Mr Kennedy said: "Ray Michie was one of my closest personal friends and professional confidantes in politics. | Mr Kennedy said: "Ray Michie was one of my closest personal friends and professional confidantes in politics. |
| "The very sad news of her passing leaves public life much the poorer." | "The very sad news of her passing leaves public life much the poorer." |
| We have all lost a true friend of principle and of people Charles Kennedy MP for Ross, Skye and Lochaber | |
| Mr Kennedy, the MP for Ross, Skye and Lochaber, said: "Alongside her personal charm and tremendous sense of humour and fun was a first-class political brain which was able to judge individuals and issues with great shrewdness. | Mr Kennedy, the MP for Ross, Skye and Lochaber, said: "Alongside her personal charm and tremendous sense of humour and fun was a first-class political brain which was able to judge individuals and issues with great shrewdness. |
| "She was never taken in by exaggeration and had a knack of getting right to the genuine heart of the matter. Her advice was always worth having. | "She was never taken in by exaggeration and had a knack of getting right to the genuine heart of the matter. Her advice was always worth having. |
| "I was sorry when she decided to retire from the Commons but delighted when she accepted - after a little persuasion - my offer of a life peerage." | "I was sorry when she decided to retire from the Commons but delighted when she accepted - after a little persuasion - my offer of a life peerage." |
| And he added: "We have all lost a true friend of principle and of people." | And he added: "We have all lost a true friend of principle and of people." |
| Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Nicol Stephen said Baroness Michie had been one of the leading figures in the Scottish Liberal Democrats for many years. | Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Nicol Stephen said Baroness Michie had been one of the leading figures in the Scottish Liberal Democrats for many years. |
| "She always fought tirelessly for her constituents and for Scotland," he said. | "She always fought tirelessly for her constituents and for Scotland," he said. |
| "Ray was much loved by those inside and outside politics and will be very greatly missed." | "Ray was much loved by those inside and outside politics and will be very greatly missed." |
| Gaelic champion | Gaelic champion |
| The current Argyll and Bute MP, Alan Reid, added: "The people of Argyll and Bute will always have a special place in their hearts for Ray Michie." | The current Argyll and Bute MP, Alan Reid, added: "The people of Argyll and Bute will always have a special place in their hearts for Ray Michie." |
| First Minister Alex Salmond also paid tribute to the stalwart. | |
| He said: "Ray Michie and I were elected on the same day in 1987 and were colleagues for many years. She was an outstanding member of parliament for Argyll and Bute, and someone incredibly highly regarded across the parties. | |
| "It is of the calibre of Ray Michie that when I asked if she would serve on the Broadcasting Commission, she insisted on doing so despite her battle with cancer. It is a measure of her own personal courage and her commitment to the interests of Scotland. We will all miss her very much and I send my condolences to her friends and family." | |
| A champion of the Gaelic language, she became the first peer to take the oath of allegiance in Gaelic as Baroness Michie of Gallanach. | A champion of the Gaelic language, she became the first peer to take the oath of allegiance in Gaelic as Baroness Michie of Gallanach. |
| She was educated at Aberdeen High School for Girls, Landsdowne House in Edinburgh and the Edinburgh College of Speech Therapy, before becoming a speech therapist. | She was educated at Aberdeen High School for Girls, Landsdowne House in Edinburgh and the Edinburgh College of Speech Therapy, before becoming a speech therapist. |
| Baroness Michie served as the Liberal Democrat spokeswoman on Scottish affairs and was a member of the House of Commons select committee on Scottish affairs from 1992 to 1997. | Baroness Michie served as the Liberal Democrat spokeswoman on Scottish affairs and was a member of the House of Commons select committee on Scottish affairs from 1992 to 1997. |
| A strong advocate of home rule, she was a participant in the early days of the Constitutional Convention. | A strong advocate of home rule, she was a participant in the early days of the Constitutional Convention. |
| She was a member of a number of other bodies, including Gaelic organisation An Comunn GÃ idhealach, the National Farmers' Union of Scotland and the Scottish Crofters Union, and was also vice-president of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists. | She was a member of a number of other bodies, including Gaelic organisation An Comunn GÃ idhealach, the National Farmers' Union of Scotland and the Scottish Crofters Union, and was also vice-president of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists. |
| Married to a consultant physician, the mother-of-three lived in Oban. | Married to a consultant physician, the mother-of-three lived in Oban. |