Protest fails to silence East Lothian lecture
Pictured at the Mackintosh Memorial Lecture in Prestonpans are :Charlotte Barbour (Mackintosh family), Stuart Mackintosh (Mackintosh family), Sir Timothy OShea (Principal and Vice-Chancellor the University of Edinburgh), The Rt. Hon. Alistair Darling MP, Iain Gray MSP (Chair of the Berwick and East Lothian John P Mackintosh Memorial Lecture Committee),Fiona ODonnell MP, Provost Ludovic Broun-Lindsay.
A protest by pro-independence campaigners greeted former Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling when he visited Prestonpans last week to promote the message “Better Together.”
An audience of almost 200 people gathered in the town’s community centre on Friday night to hear the Labour MP deliver this year’s John P Mackintosh Memorial Lecture.
The lecture was briefly interrupted by a “silent protest” by members of a group calling themselves the Scottish Militant Ninja Turtles, who stood in front of the stage wearing T-shirts spelling out “end London rule!”
They were ushered back to their seats and later took part in a question and answer session with the politician.
Two other men were reported to have been escorted out of the building by police officers after blocking some of the audience’s view when they stood up and unfurled Saltires near the end of the speech.
Mr Darling had opened proceedings by paying tribute to former county MP John P Mackintosh, after whom the lecture series was named.
Full story in this week’s News. On sale now.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Musselburgh
Wednesday 22 May 2013
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 3 C to 13 C
Wind Speed: 23 mph
Wind direction: West
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 5 C to 11 C
Wind Speed: 23 mph
Wind direction: North west
