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Motion · S6M-20961 · 3 Mar 2026

Allan Massie, a Tribute to His Contribution to Scotland’s Literary and Public Life

Lodged by Rachael Hamilton (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party) Standard Motion 29 supporters

The motion

That the Parliament notes with sadness the death of Allan Massie at the age of 87; places on record its appreciation of his long and distinguished contribution to Scotland’s literary and public life; notes that he was born in colonial Singapore and educated at Glenalmond and Cambridge; recognises that he brought a distinctive voice to Scottish letters, choosing to write in the realist tradition and, most successfully, in historical fiction, consciously following in the footsteps of Sir Walter Scott; notes that, while contemporaries such as Alasdair Gray, James Kelman and William McIlvanney defined a different strand of the late twentieth-century renaissance, Allan charted his own course with both independence and conviction; further notes his parallel career as a journalist and critic, reviewing thousands of books over five decades for The Scotsman and writing with equal ease on politics, history and rugby; acknowledges his robust but thoughtful contribution to Scotland’s constitutional debate and his clear unionist stance, and believes that, in his wit, range and willingness to stand apart from consensus, Allan Massie represented a rare and valuable presence in Scotland’s cultural life, whose passing will be widely felt.

Supporters (29)

Source: the Scottish Parliament motions and amendments record.