Coatbridge political titan Sir Tom Clarke pulls no punches with reflective autobiography
In typically selfless fashion Sir Tom Clarke says he "will leave it up to the readers to decide" on the impact of his much-anticipated autobiography as the former Coatbridge political titan looks back on his remarkable life.
The 84-year-old has unveiled his memoir To Be Honest... Tom Clarke: The Story of My Life - and pulls no punches when reflecting on his time in politics..
Sir Tom, who was a Member of Parliament from 1982 until 2015, pays repeated tributes to his home town throughout the book, beginning with a page devoted to the line "To the people of Coatbridge - the town that forged me and that I love so well".
The autobiography's infancy came when then-MP Sir Tom lost his Coatbridge, Bellshill & Chryston seat in the May 2015 general election - a difficult moment he doesn't shy away from in the book.
Sir Tom explained: "The book was suggested to me the day after the 2015 election and a couple of weeks later I was in Italy, where I wrote out an agenda and planned what to write.
"But I was then plagued by several knee operations - eight in total - for several years which delayed the book's publication.
"I've worked hard the past few years to get it written and teamed up with editor Neil Baxter.
"Neil was well know in architectural circles and is a very good writer who has penned several books.
"I often saw him on TV and heard him on radio and knew he was extremely gifted.
"It's not easy to get a Scottish publisher so I was blessed by teaming up with Neil because as well as being an editor, he is part of the Baxter Jardine publishing company."
Sir Tom added: "The book was all originally written by me and I adapted parts with Neil.
"When I finished the first draft we discussed changes which ended up improving the book and it was ready for publication in June.
"The presentation is lovely and everyone involved did a brilliant job putting the book together.
"I am happy with the finished product but I will leave it up to the readers to decide what they think of it."
Coatbridge comic-book and movie mogul Mark Millar wrote one of the book's two prefaces - with broadcaster Bernard Ponsonby penning the other.
To Be Honest... Tom Clarke: The Story of My Life follows Sir Tom's journey from young lad born in Coatbridge to his more than three decades in politics, which included championing the rights of disabled people, visiting Iran to negotiate the release of British and Irish hostages and becoming Minister of State for Film and Tourism.
He also doesn't hold anything back while criticising ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair, who he once called his "best friend", and former Scottish first minister Donald Dewar.
Sir Tom, who was also honoured as a Papal Knight by Pope Francis in 2016, told Lanarkshire Live: "I was best friends with Tony Blair for the first 10 years in Parliament and I expected to be in his first Cabinet when he became Prime Minister.
"The book goes into my thoughts on how things played out and how I felt Tony let me down badly.
"But it was also important to me to reflect on things like my time as the Minister of State for Film and with the Scottish Film Council as I have always been passionate about film, which not everyone may be aware of.
Sir Tom, knighted in the Queen's new year honours list in late 2020 for "public and political service"., went on to explain the choice of title for his autobiography: "I often listen to the radio in the morning and heard lots of people saying 'to be honest'.
"I thought, 'why are they saying that?' Maybe they are thinking 'people won't expect me to say that'.
"That's when it struck me to go with that as the title and put things on record as honestly as I can recall them.
"It's also a hint at questioning the honesty of others I've had to deal with.
"In the book I have said where I think I got things wrong; I've not been perfect by any means.
"It's sometimes interesting to reflect back on things, and your judgement of people becomes very important."
Sir Tom has worked with several charities and local organisations and made the kind-hearted decision to donate all proceeds from To Be Honest... Tom Clarke: The Story of My Life to the Moira Anderson Foundation and Coatbridge Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB).
He added: "After the election defeat in 2015 I was approached by the outgoing chair of Coatbridge CAB to take on the role, which I did, for six years.
"I saw first hand how a lot of the bureau's manager's time was spent fundraising and when I stepped down as chair, I told them half of the profits from my book would go to them.
"I planted a tree at the Moira Anderson Foundation earlier this year to mark the charity's 25th anniversary.
"I told the Foundation's founder, Sandra Brown, about my book and we had a very interesting conversation as she has also written a book - and what a wonderful book it is.
"It's a charity that does invaluable work and it is my pleasure to donate half of the book's proceeds to the Foundation team."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
2 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Couple make first call home since being detained in Iran
They deny the allegations. Their son Joe Bennett, of Folkestone, Kent, told the BBC he had an eight-minute call with his mother. He said: 'We laughed, we cried, and for a few brief moments, it felt like the weight of the past seven months lifted.' He feels his parents are 'holding strong', adding that 'they're resilient, they're positive, and somehow, they're still smiling'. Travel advice for Iran (FCDO) The couple have been separated, are being held in different prisons and have access to basic resources, according to Mr Bennett. He also told BBC Radio Kent that British officials saw his father was 'dishevelled and had lost a lot of weight'. His mother is not walking well due to prison conditions. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office advises British and British-Iranian nationals, who are at significant risk of detention, not to travel to the Middle Eastern country. A spokesman said: 'We are deeply concerned by reports that two British nationals have been charged with espionage in Iran. 'We continue to raise this case directly with the Iranian authorities. 'We are providing them with consular assistance and remain in close contact with their family members.'
Scotsman
2 hours ago
- Scotsman
Readers' Letters: Time for Jews to intervene in Gaza
Palestinians rush to collect humanitarian aid airdropped by parachutes into Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) A reader congratulates one of our columnists for is Gaza views. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Your columnist Joe Goldblatt is to be commended to utter the unequivocal truth that it is time for Jews to intervene to end the unfathomable grief, wholesale destruction and human agony in Gaza. Not long ago, Jews were systematically slaughtered, starved, tormented and sent to crematoria in gas chambers and death camps to perish silently. Their emaciated images are still engraved in our human consciousness. They rekindled our collective remembrance and mourning and offered us not only stories about inhumane barbarism but also stories of unswerving strength, resilience, hope and intrepidity to triumph over adversity and be an impetus for us to work for justice, equality, inclusivity, diversity, respect for human rights and dignities. Dr Munjed Farid Al Qutob, London Bye bye Kate Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Kate Forbes has announced – to all intensive purposes – that if she is to spend her waking hours dealing with children, she would much sooner deal with her own, thank you very much. The hordes of (largely male) creeps and snollygosters that have grown like fungus through much of Scottish society will celebrate the news, doubtless with fictitious references to her supposed religion inspired 'bigotry' without being able to quote one instance of a contentious – let alone partisan – statement she has made once. They always did feel threatened by a woman not afraid to do a proper day's work. With her passing goes our last politician of integrity or sense of duty, and the last positive role model of plurality for a feckless generation of secular Covenanters obsessed with ostracising anyone not signed up to their social media trending 'Sound Doctrine'. Mark Boyle, Johnstone, Renfrewshire The sinking SNP Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It would seem that we, the electorate, are witnessing the 'crew abandoning a sinking ship'. The number of MSPs from the SNP who have intimated their intention to stand down before the 2026 Holyrood Election is ever on the increase. Even Scotland's Deputy First Minister, Kate Forbes, has decided to call it a day. But anyway, there is little doubt that 7th May, 2026, will see the demise of the SNP/Green Administration at Holyrood. It is my view that following the next Holyrood Elections much less emphasis will be placed on matters which are so obviously not included within the powers granted under the Scotland Acts. The SNP Administration has, over its period in office, devoted too much time attempting to interfere with Reserved Matters – which remain under the jurisdiction of Westminster. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad If the Scottish Parliament is to continue to exist many changes will require to be implemented by the incoming Administration. Far too much emphasis has been placed by the SNP/Green alliance on matters not in any way relating to Holyrood's remit. Robert I G Scott, Ceres, Fife Vanishing acts The SNP has been and continues to be a vanishing species. Rather like the fairy tale of 'The Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs', the SNP talked up North Sea gas and oil as the way in which an independent Scotland would become some kind of northern European Saudi Arabia. Then, under Nicola Sturgeon, the road to independence came to a branching of the path and she chose to abandon oil on the platform of wind power, and Scotland has been plagued by the horrific windmills ever since, with landscapes destroyed, no matter what the locals think. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad This was accompanied by gender identity nonsense and, quite suddenly, the people saw that, like another fairy tale, the emperor had no clothes. Meanwhile, all the leading people in the SNP started to retire, or resign. If they didn't leave the SNP for the Alba party, they decided to leave politics when they saw the writing on the wall. Now, Shona Robison and Fiona Hyslop join Humza Yousaf as they decide to retire. Mhairi Black has left the SNP, as has Fergus Ewing. Rather like Kate Forbes, Fergus Ewing has occasionally sounded alarm at the antics of the Nats. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Now, they have lost one of the few amongst them who occasionally talked sense. Perhaps those leaving the SNP should have a theme tune? May I suggest 'It's All Over Now'. Andrew HN Gray, Edinburgh Holyrood ref With the departure next year of Kate Forbes, perhaps the only nationalist MSP and minister with a slim grasp on reality, the rumblings about the very existence of Holyrood grow. I for one would welcome its going. Just think – at a stroke an instant saving of £billions. More cash for the NHS, Roads, Schools and much else. Women's Rights could be reinforced, not taken away. We could return Scotland to where it once sat proudly at the top table – a leader in engineering and nuclear and oil and gas technology. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad At last, no more perpetual Holyrood whining and blaming everyone else for Scotland's self-inflicted ills. And a final bonus of no more cash-devouring pretend embassies and multiple jollies for the SNP's boys and girls. Let us have a referendum, not on the breaking up of the UK, but on the continuing existence of Holyrood as it is. Alexander McKay, Edinburgh Max madness Your article by Catriona Stewart 'report for doomed to fail minimum income guarantee' illuminates the ongoing profligacy of a group of alleged politicians and indeed in some of their eyes 'statesmen and women'. £1.3 million spent on a pigs-might-fly scheme, where from the very outset it was patently obvious this would, if introduced, bankrupt the nation and further encourage the anti-work brigade (many of whom are SNP supporters, funnily enough) to do nothing to change their circumstances. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad To even think this was a 'goer' should surely prove this lot are utterly deluded fools. They complain they do not have sufficient 'levers' to carry out policies, may we thank the Lord indeed if this is the case – blatantly obvious to anyone, this is not the case in the most devolved nation in the western world. While disagreeing with Kate Forbes on the Indie issue, I wish her well, one of the few with a moral backbone, though I suspect her leaving has more to it than juggling her private life with parliament. I am sure the example above among countless others would also be a factor. In this case one could not level the sobriquet of 'rats deserting the sinking ship' to Ms Forbes. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad She leaves with her dignity intact, sadly leaving the real rats still on board the doomed ship SNP. D Millar, Lauder Bird brained E Campbell's letter of 5 August quoting the death rate of birds by various methods and the likely number by the Berwick Bank wind farm, misses one crucial point, that it will be an increase on previous numbers. It is likely to be sea birds who will be the main casualties, not because cats or guns but because of machines that only work when the wind blows. Mechanical power production does not present that problem. C Lowson, Hampshire Cat protection If E Campbell's claim is correct, (letters 5 August 2025) then cats kill one quarter of all UK birds every year, which we very much doubt. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In dismissing as relatively small the number of birds that will be killed by Berwick Bank, he/she also ignores the significant cumulative impact of wind farms and the fact that many of the birds that will be killed by Berwick Bank are in serious decline and, according to the RSPB and other wildlife charities, will 'catapult some species towards extinction'. They are not the same species which will be killed by cats in our back gardens. Cats provide companionship for many, including the elderly and vulnerable in society. They provide a service in natural pest control, eliminating the need for poisons which affect the entire food chain and inflict a miserable death on many innocent creatures. Regrettably it is true that where deterrence fails to reduce the risk of birds to aircraft, birds will be shot. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad While we agree that jetting off on vacation a couple of times a year is unnecessary, there are unfortunately many other reasons that make flying a necessity. We can't do without cats or planes in our lives but there is absolutely no need for any more wind farms, on or offshore. Aileen Jackson, Scotland Against Spin Cable news Let's be careful with those new Berwick Bank Wind Turbines. While those new sea wind turbines can supply 'more than twice Scotland's needs', the power they manufacture has to be led from far out to sea to the land. Twice over recent years off Orkney, the main cable that supplies them from the mainland has been mysteriously severed. Although it is once again mended, the reason for its being broken is not yet understood. Surely there is a lesson here! Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad I trust that the electricity from the new Berwick Bank power source is linked to the land by many separate cables, which hopefully arrive at widely varying points on the land. Europe has recently been considering what action can be taken to prevent some possible enemy from severing cables that already exist between the UK and Europe and we must think likewise about the power coming from the Berwick Bank. Archibald A. Lawrie, Kingskettle Write to The Scotsman
Scottish Sun
2 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Rwanda hostel spruced up with £20m of Brit taxpayer cash to receive first deportees — from America
Some will enjoy hotel-quality facilities at Hope Hostel SCHEME TRUMPED Rwanda hostel spruced up with £20m of Brit taxpayer cash to receive first deportees — from America Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE Rwanda hostel spruced up with £20million of British taxpayers' money to house our unwanted migrants is to receive its first deportees — from America. Rwanda is taking in 250 migrants thrown out of the US under Donald Trump's mass removal programme. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Rwanda is taking in 250 migrants thrown out of the US under Donald Trump's mass removal programme Credit: Getty Some will enjoy hotel-quality facilities at Hope Hostel, which was readied under the then-Tory government's deportation scheme last summer. The £700million plan was ditched when Labour won the election. Trump is now pushing ahead with his scheme. A Hope Hostel source told The Sun yesterday: 'We are always ready to provide the best services to the customers.' Rwandan government spokeswoman Yolande Makolo confirmed those arriving in the country would be given support. She added: 'Under the agreement, Rwanda has the ability to approve each individual proposed for resettlement. 'Those approved will be provided with workforce training, healthcare and accommodation support to jump-start their lives in Rwanda.' The initial agreement — signed last month — is for 250 people but can be extended if both countries agree. Britain signed its agreement in 2022. Four UK arrivals were sent to Rwanda but that was under a separate voluntary scheme and did not involve their moving into Hope Hostel. Ismael Bakina, boss of the private operator of the hostel, said the US arrivals would be surprised at the quality of the services offered, adding: 'This is not a prison or a detention centre.' I visited Rwanda's £20m 'migrant hotel' where UK asylum seekers will stay – it's got Premier League on TV & footie pitch
