What I will say will not always please you, but what I say will always be honest and true and how I genuinely see it. – Johann Lamont
I’ve often thought having a politician for a parent must be like having a constantly embarrassing uncle. – Johann Lamont
I firmly believe that Scotland’s place is in the U.K., and I do not believe in powers for power’s sake. – Johann Lamont
The Scottish Labour Party should work as equal partners with the U.K. party, just as Scotland is an equal partner in the United Kingdom. Scotland has chosen home rule – not London rule. – Johann Lamont
The test is can you do something, rather than have a theoretical argument – can you make a difference? – Johann Lamont
If I believe we need free personal care, we need an honest discussion about what it costs with a well-managed, well-trained workforce. – Johann Lamont
I want to change Scotland, but the only way we can change Scotland is by changing the Scottish Labour Party. – Johann Lamont
I will not promise what I cannot deliver. And I will never hide the cost of what I propose. – Johann Lamont
I didn’t particularly want to go to Westminster – not that there were many seats available or chances for women to get elected. In 1987, Labour sent down 50 MPs, and only one of them was a woman. – Johann Lamont
My working life has always been wrapped up in doing my job to the best of my abilities and doing the best for my family. It is not a contest between the two. – Johann Lamont
The government don’t want to talk about the consequences of the choices they make. They pretend there aren’t any consequences. – Johann Lamont
Our task is a great one, not just because of how far we have fallen. Our task is a great one because of the challenges facing the people we seek to serve. – Johann Lamont
The big issues, the things that scar Scotland – the least of them is whether we should have a border at Gretna Green or not. – Johann Lamont
The Scottish Labour Party, while I have breath in my body, will listen to the views of trade unionists. – Johann Lamont
We must listen and learn, show humility and seek again to talk for and to people’s ambitions and concerns. – Johann Lamont
There is a presumption made among nationalists that constitutional change is the answer to all the questions that are problematic in our communities, and my job is to talk about what is happening in the real world. – Johann Lamont
Separation and devolution are two completely different concepts which cannot be mixed together. One is not a stop on the way to the other. – Johann Lamont