Donald Findlay
Donald Findlay QC, born March 17 1951 in Cowdenbeath, is a leading Scottish advocate and a former vice-chairman of Rangers Football Club. He was educated at Harris Academy in Dundee, at the University of Dundee and at the University of Glasgow. He has a reputation for out-spokenness, and is renowned for his distinctive style (including mutton-chop sideburns) and for smoking a pipe. He is a strong supporter of the Conservative party and led the unsuccessful campaign against Scottish Devolution in 1997, as chairman of the Think Twice campaign. Findlay has served two terms as Lord Rector of the University of St Andrews.
Career
Findlay is one of the highest profile legal professionals in Scotland, holding the position of Queen's Counsel. He has served as a defence lawyer in dozens of high-profile murder cases including some of Scotland's most famous cases of recent years, such as those of Jodi Jones and Mark Scott. Although his legal skills have been used by both Catholics and Protestants, many Catholics were offended when Findlay acted as the defence counsel for Jason Campbell, a Rangers fan found guilty of the murder of Mark Scott, a 16-year-old Celtic fan, in 1995. At the time of this trial Findlay was a director of Rangers. After this case Mr Findlay admitted to feeling so pursued by the media portrayal of him as a bigot that he had considered suicide. [1]
Controversies
Findlay, who is Atheist, but is mostly noted in Scotland for his support of Rangers, a nominally Protestant team, has on several occasions caused controversy when he has engaged in what has been widely viewed as anti-Catholic behaviour.
In 1999 he was filmed singing The Sash and The Billy Boys at an event organised by a Rangers Supporters Club. For his role in this event, Mr Findlay was forced to resign from the Board of Rangers FC and from his position as Rector of the University of St Andrews.[2]
In May 2005, at a Larne Rangers Social Club in Northern Ireland he is reported to have said "It's very smoky in here tonight - has another fucking Pope died?". He then went on to tell a joke about a nun. It is believed that the Faculty of Advocates passed a vote of no confidence on him following the controversy over his comments. [3] He was also fined £3,500 by the Faculty of Advocates.
He has also joked that he does not celebrate his birthday as it falls on St Patrick's Day (March 17).[4]
Many who know Findlay claim he is not a bigot. It could be argued that Findlay has been the victim of a sectarian media in Scotland. Findlay himself has described Scotland as a "miserably twisted and at times bigoted media-driven country". He denies that he himself is a religious bigot, and insists that anyone who accuses him of such behaviour is a bigot themself.
References
- ^ "The two faces of Donald Findlay, QC". Retrieved 2006-06-22.
- ^ "The two faces of Donald Findlay, QC". Retrieved 2006-06-22.
- ^ "Findlay quits over Pope joke". Retrieved 2006-06-22.
- ^ "The two faces of Donald Findlay, QC". Retrieved 2006-06-22.
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