My Political Life
| Date | 01 April 2010 |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.2041-9066.2010.00004.x |
| Author | Peter Geoghegan |
| Published date | 01 April 2010 |
| Subject Matter | Interview: Menzies Campbell |
end and unilateralism at the other. If the
Democrats hold power, foreign policy is
multilateral by choice but unilateral by
necessity. If the Republicans hold power
it is the other way around. But the key is
that it is the same spectrum for both par-
ties, and that national interest will always
trump multilateralism. In the current cli-
mate, Obama has not been able to achieve
much on the two main biggest issues – Iran
and the Middle East. However, he has made
a fi rm commitment to multilateral nuclear
disarmament and I have high hopes that
the nuclear non-proliferation review con-
ference, in New York this May, can be a
success.
Nick Clegg said that you were a victim of
ageism when you stood down as party leader in
October 2007. Would you agree?
Yes. There was not much I could do about
it though. If the people or the press get a
particular narrative or view about you there
is very little you can do to change it. At the
time I had to make a calculated decision on
whether I could live with this perception [of
being too old] through to the next general
election or whether someone else should
take over.
Do you feel as a society we do not value older
members enough?
I’ll be 69 this year, and there are plenty
of other people who are just as active as
they were 15 or 20 years ago – but with
the added advantage of wisdom and experi-
ence. People don’t retire in a formal sense
anymore. My father retired at 65. He sat
at home, read the Glasgow Herald, watched
Panorama and waited. Now people don’t do
Interview: Menzies Campbell
My Political Life
Did you grow up in a political household?
My parents were political and there
was a lot of political discussion at
home. Though neither were activ-
ists they were both strong Labour support-
ers. I often say, rather tongue-in-cheek,
that my fi rst act of rebellion was to join the
Liberal Party, which I did when I went to
university in Glasgow in the late 1950s.
Was politics a popular pursuit in Glasgow?
Certainly. At the time debating was a very
fashionable thing to do. People like Donald
Dewar and John Smith were involved. The
debates would start at 1.15 on Friday after-
noon and go on to 5.30, we would take a
break and reconvene at 7.30 and carry on
debating until one or two in the morning.
You were highly critical of the lead-up to the war
in Iraq. Do you feel vindicated now?
It is a very dangerous political principle to
say I told you so, but both Charles Kennedy
and myself do feel that our position has been
vindicated. It was a very diffi cult position to
adopt when young men and women were
going to war and dying for our country. I had
a couple of sleepless nights. But the illegality
of the war was as evident then as it is now.
What do you think the lasting e ects of Iraq
have been?
The war has damaged Britain’s reputation,
not to mention its effectiveness and infl u-
ence in the Middle East. It was the most
serious foreign policy mistake since Suez.
For Tony Blair, Iraq will be both his legacy
and his epitaph.
You still keep a close eye on foreign a airs. What
is your opinion of Obama since he took o ce?
Obama came to power with great ambi-
tions that he has probably not satisfi ed
but the big thing that has changed is the
atmosphere in America. When I go to
Washington, to the State Offi ce, even to
the Pentagon, the atmosphere is much
more multilateral.
Have Obama’s foreign policies succeeded?
I have a theory that US foreign policy is
on a spectrum with multilateralism at one
Former Liberal Democrat leader talks about Iraq, ageism and why he’ll never support Scottish independence.
that. They take early retirement, go travel-
ling, do something different. This is going to
be a continuing pattern, all aided by the fact
that our general health is improving. I had
cancer [non-Hodgkin lymphoma] seven
years ago. I survived and I’m not unique in
that. Many more people are surviving and
living longer.
Scottish devolution is an issue close to
your heart. Do you think Scotland will be
independent one day?
I believe in more powers for Scotland. I think
that is vital but I am thoroughly opposed to
an independent Scotland – not many Scots
are in favour of it after looking at what has
happened to Iceland and Ireland. The ‘arc
of prosperity’ that the Scottish nationalists
spoke about has disappeared.
The general election is almost upon us. How do
you see it going?
I think there really is everything to play for.
Labour are well behind in the opinion polls
but from time to time they seem to offer a
minor renaissance, after Gordon Brown has
a few good days at prime minister’s ques-
tions, but then they fall back. Cameron is
ahead in the polls but this disguises the fact
that he needs a really big swing across the
country. Also, he has not really sealed the
deal with the electorate yet.
Could this be the election where the Lib Dems
make a big breakthrough?
It would be a very brave individual who
would bet the farm on which way the elec-
tion goes but I do think we have a great
opportunity to make some signifi cant gains.
Nick Clegg is making a real impact, and the
three-way debates will defi nitely help.
Interview: Peter Geoghegan
Sir Menzies ‘Ming’ Campbell is MP for North East
Fife and Chancellor of the University of St Andrews.
He currently sits on both the Foreign A airs Select
Committee and the Security and Intelligence Com-
mittee at Westminster. He is standing for re-election
in the forthcoming general election.
4Political Insight
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