FIRST Minister Nicola Sturgeon has paid tribute to the former Glasgow Labour MP Maria Fyfe after her death at the age of 82.
Maria, considered a “trail blazer” for women’s representation in politics, passed away this morning following a short illness.
She was first elected to the Maryhill constituency in 1987, and was a passionate anti-poverty campaigner across the city long after she stepped down in 2001.
Maria was the chair of the “Remember Mary Barbour” campaign which fought for a memorial to the rent strike organiser to be built in Glasgow.
Responding to Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard during FMQs, Sturgeon described Maria as a “feminist icon”.
“Can I take the opportunity to also express my condolences to the family, friends, colleagues, including those in the Labour Party, on the sad passing of Maria Fyfe,” the First Minister told the Chamber.
“Richard Leonard rightly said that Maria Fyfe was an inspiration to colleagues in the Labour Party. Can I say she wasn’t just an inspiration to colleagues in the Labour Party, I of course all of my life have been in a different political party, but when I was a young woman starting out in politics she was one of the very few women on the front line of politics and she was a feminist icon then that I looked up to. Didn’t agree with on everything, but very much looked up to and found her example inspirational.
“I think many of us, particularly women in politics today and of course many others owe her a great depth of gratitude and I want to pass on my thoughts and condolences to everybody who loved her.”
READ MORE: Tributes paid after former Labour MP Maria Fyfe dies
There have been many tributes paid to the former MP this morning. In a social media post, Maria’s family wrote: "She was part of the lives of so many people across the Labour Party and the wider labour movement as well as caring so much for her beloved city and her achievements make us all so proud."
Campaigners also paid tribute to Maria, with Emma Ritch of Engender writing online: "So sorry to hear that Maria Fyfe has died. She was a bold feminist and a great activist for women’s political representation. The work of the 50-50 campaign she was so involved with has shaped @ScotParl."
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here