This is a post I never expected to write. David Gow, the driving force behind Sceptical Scot, and much else besides, has died in London at the age of 80 after a heart attack.
Sudden, but not altogether unexpected. David, had recovered robustly from several bouts of ill health this year. But he responded well to treatment for a recently diagnosed heart condition, returning to energetic activity with great spirit, and his characteristic vigour and enthusiasm. He left Edinburgh to attend a memorial service in London full of plans for next steps in Edinburgh.
David lived life to the full. The best kind of journalist – curious, courageous, kind, interested in people, tenacious in getting to grips with the truth of the matter, fearlessly entering Scottish no-go areas – he was rightly proud of his award-winning time on Scotsman and Guardian. Richard Norton Taylor pays tribute to his remarkable career in the Guardian’s obituary.
His time in Brussels compounded a belief in the best of European communitarianism. When he returned to live in Scotland with his wife Gayle they arrived in the build up to the Scottish referendum and he was able to see both sides across an often painful divide with compassion. And some frustration. He also saw an urgent need for an open minded, open hearted exploration of what kind of Scotland we want to become.
As it happened I had been involved in the Wake Up Scotland blog established by Carol Craig and, despite support for the (badly named) No campaign, it also offered the kind of balanced debate that people were seeking. And still are. It didn’t take David long to join the group asking questions about the way forward. Inevitably he found himself taking the leading role in setting up what would become Sceptical Scot (you will find other founders here). For the next eleven years he set a relentless pace inviting experts of many kinds – academics, economists, politicians, sociologists, poets, musicians, artist, observers from different standpoints across borders and generations – to comment on life in Scotland. And how we might work together to make it better.
Securing Sceptical Scot
Some of you will know that David and I tried to ‘shut up shop’ in March 2022 after Sceptical Scot was securely archived in the National Library of Scotland. Within six months David was back at the dashboard aggravated once more by the issues that were not being tackled in mainstream media. John McLaren, James Mitchell, Walter Humes, Anton Muscatelli were amongst the first to answer the call.
Securing Sceptical Scot’s place in the National Library of Scotland archive.
It will be for other, much younger, perhaps more enthused, certainly more willing editors, writers and journalists to “shake up Scotland” in a period when the media in our country are traversing a profound crisis. [David in Mach 2022 – it wasn’t long before he returned to shake up Scotland again.]
That’s far from the whole story. David’s personal interests and activities spread so much further. From tending a shared allotment in Inverleith, to volunteering in the Leith Walk shop of the British Red Cross, from active participation as a fellow with the Royal Society of Edinburgh, trustee of the David Hume Institute to devoted membership of the National Union of Journalists. Bird watching, planting trees, visiting gardens, tending the hillside plot he has created with Gayle above Loch Earn. Active citizenship hardly covers it. He wasn’t perfect of course. He could be impatient and rub people up the wrong way. But not for long. He set himself a punishing pace in the gym too.
“I don’t think David could shift to low gear,” as Tony O’Donnell his close friend of 30 years put it on the phone today.
There are many other affectionate tributes coming spontaneously from old friends, newspaper journalists and Sceptical contributors (at the front and back of the website) from those that I have informed so far. David was a much loved and highly respected friend to so many different people of all ages. He could fire up a lively conversation in a queue at the bar, fish shop, gourmet restaurant, theatre, concert hall. He knew all kinds of people by name.
Deeply moved by music (choral, chamber, orchestral, opera, jazz) he also loved rock, pop, folk (of his, and my, generation) but in the afternoons he tuned into Radio 6 because he enjoyed exploring the new boundaries of contemporary sounds. Gayle, an opera singer with a beautiful voice, has undoubtedly been more than a creative influence in David’s life. They met in New York (as Richard’s obituary explains). From different worlds but American-born Gayle would become David’s great source of strength and a constant support in times of uncertainty. An anchor to a sometimes hasty spirit.
Linguist, translator, writer, editor, mentor, bon viveur, loyal and loving friend. David will be dearly missed.
I’d like to add. This is a top of the head tribute to ‘the guv’ from his co-editor of the last eleven years. There will be many more tributes to come and you are welcome to share your memories of a remarkable cosmopolitan Scot here on Sceptical Scot.
During the pandemic we held editorial meetings in unusual places. Here's David in 2021 at our boardroom table in North Bridge arcade
Fraser Cameron says
Very good spontaneous obituary which really captures the essence of David. I knew him in Brussels where he was one of the most widely respected and best informed hacks in town. He had a vast array of contacts helped by his first class linguistic skills and deep knowledge of the EU and its member states. He loved a good argument, preferably over a glass or two, and never held a grudge. He will be sorely missed.
Fay Young says
Thank you Fraser, that hits the spot. He will indeed be sorely missed.
Maggie Mellon says
What a lovely and accurate tribute to David. Our upstairs neighbour, my allotment buddy, he knew everyone on the street and at the allotment. Brave and kind and funny and sometimes irascible, hardly a day passed when I didn’t see him, speak to him or hear from him. If not out and about through his study window conversing in English French and German. I will miss him a lot. Thoughts are with Gayle his best love and best companion
Fay Young says
Lovely, Maggie. You so often came up in conversations, and of course on trips to the allotment.
Kirsty Hughes says
A lovely piece. I first met David in Bonn in 1990 and really got to know him in Brussels, often in the press room at late night European Council meetings. He was always that great mixture of funny and gregarious and, at the same time, serious and professional about his work and getting to the heart of what was really going on in European politics. When I moved to Edinburgh 8 years ago, Gayle and he welcomed me with warm hospitality. David was a big and active supporter, contributer and board member for the Scottish Centre on European Relations that I set up on arriving. He’d always contribute a blog or a chapter or talk at an event when asked and often re-publish my and other people’s blogs on Sceptical Scot.
A cup of coffee or a drink was always a place for a great stimulating chat, gossip and discussion from politics to music to gardening. He will be much missed.
Fay Young says
Really conjures up a vivid image of David, thank you Kirsty.
Bernadeta W says
We got to know David through work at the British Red Cross, where he volunteered for the past few years. He was usually helping on Tuesdays and Thursdays, serving at the till, and greeting customers. Curious about people from all walks of life and their stories, David had this amazing ability to make everyone feel welcome. He and his banter, warmth, and sharp comments will be tremendously missed.
Staff and volunteers at the British Red Cross, Leith Walk
Fay Young says
That’s a lovely picture Bernadeta, David’s warm welcome and banter at the till
Walter Humes says
Fay
Many thanks for your warm tribute to David’s many talents and achievements. Although I made a number of contributions to Sceptical Scot, I only met him once (at the launch of Carol Craig’s book, ‘A Time of Hope’). We had a lovely conversation and it was soon clear why he was held in such high regard by so many people. He was witty, challenging, irreverent and, above all, committed to making Scotland a better place. I shall treasure that meeting.
Walter
Fay Young says
That word ‘irreverent’ catches the infectious mischievous fearlessness of David
I remember when we attended David Hume Inst discussioss at the RSE in George Street, David would often lob the curve ball question at the end of Q&A.
He introduced himself as David Gow, Sceptical Scot
To which he was sometimes asked: “Is that your job or a character description?”
Tom Randell says
What a terrific guy! Never hard work, he made a quick drink become a memorable chat, always fascinated in the person he was talking to. I was a flack to David’s hack and then we stayed in touch on and off. Such a loss, I’m sad not to be able to catch up with him when I’m next in Edinburgh. He always did a good job of reminding me of what mattered, not by telling me but just by being a good example of how to live a good life.
Anthony O’Donnell says
I always admired the rare degree to which David combined a keen and restless intellect with an energetic, generous commitment to heartfelt causes. He was endlessly fascinated by the world around him and by the fellow humans with whom he shared it. Those among them fortunate enough to know David personally will forever miss his warm, unwavering friendship, his stimulating, sometimes ascerbic, conversation, and his unmistakeable chuckle. Those who never met him should know that his influence on public life as a commentator, expert on European affairs and latterly, a Fellow of Edinburgh’s Royal Society has been distinguished. And given the sad decline of mainstream media, David’s singular contribution to informative journalism is unlikely to be matched in future. I shall always feel his loss.
Fay Young says
I’m remembering how scornfully David could dismiss a political opinion he disagreed with.
“Tosh, utter tosh.”