Gus Macdonald

{{Infobox officeholder

|honorific-prefix = The Right Honourable

|name = The Lord Macdonald of Tradeston

|honorific-suffix = CBE PC

|image = Khalid Rahim and Gus Macdonald (14680104148) (Macdonald cropped).jpg

|caption = Macdonald in 2010 outside the Houses of Parliament

|office = Minister for the Cabinet Office
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

|primeminister = Tony Blair

|term_start = 11 June 2001

|term_end = 13 June 2003

|predecessor = Mo Mowlam

|successor = Douglas Alexander

|office2 = Minister of State for Transport

|primeminister2 = Tony Blair

|term_start2 = 29 July 1999

|term_end2 = 8 June 2001

|predecessor2 = Helen Liddell

|successor2 = John Spellar

|office3 = Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland

|primeminister3 = Tony Blair

|term_start3 = 3 August 1998

|term_end3 = 29 July 1999

|predecessor3 = Calum MacDonald

|successor3 = Anne McGuire

|office12 = Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal

|term_start12 = 2 October 1998

|term_end12 =27 April 2017
Life Peerage

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1940|8|20|df=y}}

|birth_place = Larkhall, United Kingdom

|death_date =

|death_place =

|party = Labour

}}

Angus John Macdonald, Baron Macdonald of Tradeston, {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|CBE|PC}} (born 20 August 1940){{cite news

| title = Birthdays

| newspaper = The Guardian

| pages = 35

| publisher = Guardian News & Media

| date = 20 August 2014

}} is a Scottish television executive, life peer and former Labour member of the House of Lords.

Early life

Macdonald was born in Larkhall, Scotland. His father, a Highlander, had poor health and gambled. His mother, who was from a local mining family, worked multiple jobs to support and raise the family.{{citation needed|date=June 2013}}

He won a scholarship to Allan Glen's School, Glasgow, but left at 14 to become an apprentice marine engineer at Alexander Stephen and Sons shipyard in Linthouse on the River Clyde{{cite web|url=http://business.scotsman.com/business/Many-faces-of-Gus.2256787.jp|title=Many faces of Gus|work=The Scotsman|date=14 July 2001}} and where he was one of the leaders for the apprentices' strike in 1959{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/profile-gus-macdonald--lord-of-the-roads-1109655.html|title=Profile: Gus Macdonald – Lord of the roads|work=The Independent|date=31 July 1999|author=Jack O'Sullivan}} along with fellow members, Billy Connolly and Alex Ferguson.{{cite book|title=Granny Made Me an Anarchist|isbn=0743263561|author=Stuart Christe|page=152|date=August 2005|publisher=Scribner }} Macdonald was leader of the Govan and Gorbals branch of the Labour Party's Young Socialists.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2000/apr/11/guardianobituaries.paulfoot?INTCMP=SRCH|title=Obituary: Tony Cliff|work=The Guardian|date=11 April 2000|author=Paul Foot}}

He moved to London in 1962 where he was briefly involved in revolutionary socialist politics as a member of the International Socialists, living at the London home of its foremost member, Tony Cliff. He has said that he returned to his political roots working at the Labour weekly Tribune around 1964, where he was appointed as the circulation manager by Michael Foot.

Television

He has worked as a journalist on The Scotsman and as a member of the Insight team on The Sunday Times. Originally taken on as a researcher,{{cite book|title=Public Issue Television: World in Action, 1963–98|publisher=Manchester University Press|year=2007|page=46|author=Peter Goddard|isbn=978-0719062568|display-authors=etal}} he was with Granada Television from 1967 to 1986 where he was soon appointed joint editor of World in Action with John Birt;{{cite book|title=Public Issue Television: World in Action, 1963–98|publisher=Manchester University Press|year=2007|page=53|author=Peter Goddard|isbn=978-0719062568|display-authors=etal}} Macdonald had an association with the programme for many years. He also presented Granada's What the Papers Say as well as Right to Reply and "Union World" on Channel 4.

Macdonald returned to Scotland in 1986 as Director of Programmes for Scottish Television. After four years he became managing director, replacing William Brown in 1990. While at STV he overhauled the station's Current Affairs output and cut the core workforce from 800 to 330 William Kay (2 January 1994) [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/profile-scourge-of-tv-unions-girds-for-new-enemy-gus-macdonald--the-next-battle-looming-for-the-canny-head-of-scottish-television-is-likely-to-be-against-southern-bidders-he-talks-to-william-kay-1404392.html "Profile: Scourge of TV unions girds for new enemy"], The Independent and the market value of the company grew from £50m to around £500m. The company took over two newspapers, The Herald and the Evening Times, plus the other ITV contractor in Scotland, Grampian Television.Keith Sinclair (19 July 1997) [http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/aberdeen/merger-given-green-light-1.388473 "Merger given green light"], The Herald He became non-executive chairman of Scottish Media Group plc at the end of 1997,{{cite web|url=http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/1998/08/21dc12c2-c4bc-485f-9185-b3f676e83c9f|title=Scottish government biographical notes|access-date=31 May 2008|date=3 August 1998}} and Chairman of Taylor and Francis plc in 1998. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to broadcasting in the 1997 Birthday Honours.{{London Gazette |issue=54794 |date=14 June 1997 |page=19 |supp=y}}

House of Lords

A year after the Labour won the United Kingdom general election Macdonald was made life peer on 2 October 1998 as Baron Macdonald of Tradeston, of Tradeston in the City of Glasgow.{{London Gazette |issue=55274 |date=7 October 1998 |page=10835}} As a member of the House of Lords he was then appointed to be Minister for Business and Industry in the Scottish Office (1998–99), followed by Minister for Transport in the Department for Environment, Transport and the Regions, in attendance at cabinet (1999–2001) and Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (2001–03)

Member of Cabinet Office Advisory Committee on Business Appointments. Also member of House of Lords' Select Committees on Economic Affairs (2004–2008), and Communications (2009–2012).Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Humanist Group.{{cite web|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmallparty/register/memi358.htm |title=Register of All-Party Groups |access-date=16 June 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090803201000/http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmallparty/register/memi358.htm |archive-date=3 August 2009 }}

He retired from the House of Lords on 27 April 2017.{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/lords/member/1880|title=Lord Macdonald of Tradeston|publisher=UK Parliament}}

Other interests

In 2004, he was appointed as an adviser to fund managers Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (Europe) Limited in relation to a new European Infrastructure fund which aimed to invest in road and rail projects.{{cite web|url=http://www.efinancialnews.com/story/2004-04-26/gus-macdonald-to-advise-macquarie-fund|title=Gus Macdonald to advise Macquarie fund}} He is on Steering Group of the OECD Futures Programme on Infrastructure and advisory board of OECD International Transport Forum. In 2011, he was invited to deliver the MacMillan Memorial Lecture to the Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland and chose the subject "Bridging the Infrastructure Gap".{{cite web |url=http://www.iesis.org/macmillan.html |title=Hugh Miller Macmillan |work=Macmillan Memorial Lectures |publisher=Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181004102303/http://www.iesis.org/macmillan.html |archive-date=4 October 2018 |access-date=29 January 2019 }}

Macdonald was installed as Chancellor of Glasgow Caledonian University in October 2007, succeeding Magnus Magnusson. He also served as a Governor of the British Film Institute, a member of the council (2006–2008) and of Court (2009–) at the University of Sussex and is Patron of the Dystonia Society.{{Cite journal |date=2 April 2014 |title=Culture: Cinema — Question for Short Debate |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201314/ldhansrd/text/140402-0001.htm#st_103 |journal=Hansard}}{{Cite web |url=http://www.dystonia.org.uk/ |title=Welcome to the Dystonia Society website}}

References

Publications

"Camera: A Victorian Eyewitness", B.T. Batsford Ltd, London, 1979, {{ISBN|0-7134-2095-2}}

External links

[https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld199798/minutes/981008/ldminute.htm Announcement of his introduction at the House of Lords] House of Lords minutes of proceedings, 8 October 1998.