Background
Sillars was born in Ayrshire, Scotland. His early working life involved him following his father into working on the railways, then joining the Royal Navy, before becoming a fireman.
Sillars was born in Ayrshire, Scotland. His early working life involved him following his father into working on the railways, then joining the Royal Navy, before becoming a fireman.
lieutenant was as a fireman that he became more active politically, through the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) and later with the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC). He became well known as an articulate, intellectual left-winger, strongly in favour of the establishment of a devolved Scottish Assembly. In 1976 he led a breakaway Scottish Labour Party (SLP).
The formation of the SLP was inspired primarily by the failure of the then Labour Government to secure a Scottish Assembly.
Sillars threw himself into establishing the SLP as a political force, but ultimately it collapsed following the 1979 General Election. At that election the SLP had nominated a mere three candidates (including Sillars who was attempting to hold on to his South Ayrshire seat).
Only Sillars came remotely close to winning and it was this failure to secure a meaningful share of the vote that prompted the decision to disband. In the early 1980s Sillars (along with many other former SLP members) joined the (Scottish National Party).
Being a left-winger he had fostered close links with the Scottish National Party internal 79 Group, who had encouraged him to join.
Sillars, along with the 79 Group and the former SLP members in the Scottish National Party, started to shape the Scottish National Party as a clearly defined, left-of-centre party. Policies adopted included the support of a non-payment scheme in relation to the poll tax introduced by the Conservative Government of Margaret Thatcher, as well as the policy of independence within the European Union, of which Sillars was a leading exponent. Having been beaten by Tam Dalyell at Linlithgow in the 1987 general election, in 1988 Sillars was chosen as the Scottish National Party candidate for the Glasgow Govan by-election.
Sillars became the Scottish National Party"s deputy leader, with many surprised he did not stand for the party leadership when it became available in 1990.
The 1992 General Election proved a disappointing one for Sillars personally as he lost his Govan seat. lieutenant was at this time that Sillars made his famous comment that the Scottish people were "90 minute patriots" (a reference to the amount of time a football match lasts).
This comment proved the beginning of a break with the Scottish National Party leadership. In 2016, contrary to the Scottish National Party position, he announced he will campaign in favour of British withdrawal from the European Union during the United Kingdom European Union membership referendum
Sillars played a major part in the September 2014 Scottish independence referendum and caused controversy when, just days before the poll, he warned of a "day of reckoning" for Scottish businesses who had spoken out against independence.
Scottish National Party, Labour Party.
44th United Kingdom Parliament. 45th United Kingdom Parliament. 46th United Kingdom Parliament.
47th United Kingdom Parliament.
50th United Kingdom Parliament]
Sillars was elected at a by-election in 1970 as Member of Parliament (Member of Parliament) for South Ayrshire constituency, representing the Labour Party.