Meeting of the Parliament 03 February 2026 [Draft]
Presiding Officer, I start by thanking you and the First Minister for such heartfelt words. Jim’s family and my party have been overwhelmed by the kindness that has been shown to us in these difficult days. We are heart-sore at his loss, but the outpouring of love and respect that has come forth from all sides of the chamber has been such a balm at this difficult time.
A verse from the book of Micah reads:
“What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
That verse was read to Church of Scotland congregations across the country on Sunday. It is just a part of the normal rhythms of the kirk at this time of year, yet those words speak to the qualities and life choices of Jim Wallace perhaps more than any other passage in scripture. Jim was a man of profound Christian faith. The values in those words speak to so much about his politics and his dedication to public service.
It was in Elphinstone hall at the University of Aberdeen, during the referendum campaign of 1997 to establish this Parliament, that I first heard Jim Wallace speak. I was just a student at the time, but that night he inspired me to recognise that I was a Liberal, that I absolutely agreed that there should be a Scottish Parliament and that I wanted to have the opportunity to serve in it one day.
This weekend, the rightly offered torrent of praise for Jim focused on his many achievements in the high offices that he held, but it is often forgotten just how much of this place we owe to him. He was central to the Constitutional Convention that made the case for devolution and, with the referendum won, he became an architect of our reconvened Parliament and of modern Scotland. He was a details man. He took great pride in—for want of a better word—the geekery of the Parliament’s formation and in helping to draft the conventions and standing orders that we still observe today. He loved this chamber. He was so proud of his involvement in its establishment and what it would go on to achieve. So much of that was made possible by his ability to work across party lines and, in particular, by his friendship with the late Donald Dewar.
Jim is celebrated for his ability to lay aside political tribalism and to reach for the better nature of his adversaries. There is such rancour in our politics today, so we could all learn something about his approach and lean into his legacy of doing politics through grace and reconciliation.
Although Jim was a man of towering intellect, he was largely bereft of technical know-how or any sort of co-ordination. Indeed, Rosie, his wife, described him as being completely haunless. One afternoon, she discovered him astride the ride-on lawnmower, having gone up and down their garden for hours, not realising that the filter was blocked and he had not clipped a single blade of grass.
We kicked off the first day of our election campaign in 2003 with a balloon launch. However, at the moment of the balloons’ release, the cameras of the nation’s media were not trained on the cascade of golden balloons ascending into the stratosphere; they were focused on the Deputy First Minister of Scotland, who had become hopelessly entangled in the fishing net that we had used to collect them. Indeed, our press officer Neil Mackinnon literally had to rip a button from his suit jacket to set him free.
However, we did not need Jim for his co-ordination or for his technical know-how; we needed him for his grasp of political strategy, for his stoicism and for his ability to discern the true north of our Liberal values. Nicol, Tavish, Willie and I, as his successors in leadership, have all turned to Jim for counsel and support. That is why I had no hesitation in appointing him as chair of our Scottish general election campaign in 2024. I am heartily glad that he lived to see the revival of our party, which he played such a role in, and the best election result for Liberals in his lifetime.
Although Jim was a mainstay of support to us, he could not have achieved anything without the bedrock of support that he received from his family, particular from his wife, Rosie. I love the story of how they met. It was the summer of 1979, and Jim had almost forgotten about the Shakespeare-themed fancy-dress party that he had been invited to in the neighbouring flat. It was after midnight when he finally remembered, so he shoved a couple of lilac bush branches down the back of his jumper and knocked on the door. Rosie, in full costume—this is the first time they met—answered the door, exclaiming, “I’m Titania, Queen of the Fairies. Who on earth are you?” He replied, “I’m Birnam Wood, come to Dunsinane.”
Rosie, Helen, Clare and Neil, thank you for helping Jim to become the giant that he was and for sharing him with us. We have so much love for you, and we will continue to hold you in the light that shines.
Jim Wallace acted justly, he loved mercy and he walked humbly with God. We are all the poorer now that he is gone, but this Parliament and this country are immeasurably richer because he lived.