Would The Greatest Living Scot Please Stand Up?; Here they are: the

Sunday Herald, The, Jan 25, 2004 by Compiled by Susan Flockhart

1. Sean Connery Shome mistake? No. The world's favourite James Bond has topped our poll as Scotland's greatest living human. The Edinburgh-born truck driver's son first starred as 007 in 1962, and went on to make Steven Spielberg's list of the "seven genuine stars in the world". Confounding bizarre rumours of his death in 1993, the bekilted Scottish nationalist attended the parliament's state opening in 1999 - the same year he was knighted.

The People Magazine said: He's "the sexiest man alive".

He said: "Well there aren't many sexy dead men, are there?"

You said: "A truly global star"; "he's always remained a Scot"; "an excellent worldwide ambassador for Scotland".

2. Tommy Sheridan The 39-year-old anti-nuclear, anti-poll tax, anti-sunblock Scottish Socialist leader appealed to readers scunnered by mainstream politics, who repeatedly attached to him the words "honesty", "integrity" and "passion".

His mum said: "I am very proud of what Tommy has done."

Scottish Conservative chief whip Bill Aitken said: "The ego- tripping antics of Tommy Sheridan are an affront to all honest citizens and an abuse of our police and courts."

You said: He's "a visionary within a political environment which has sunken to managerialism"; "hopefully he'll go down in history as the first president of the Republic of Scotland"; "great tan".

3. Billy Connolly The banana-footed Big Yin may have won had he not incensed Scots by putting the wellie into our "wee pretendy parliament". As it is, the former welder from Drumchapel (a "desert wi' windaes"), lifted the bronze. Once a banjo-playing folkie, the 62- year-old is lauded for movie roles including Mrs Brown. He owns a Highland estate and a plush LA home. But, mind, we kent his faither.

He said: "The joy of being an ugly bugger all my life is that I have never fallen for that vanity nonsense."

Marketing magazine said: "What was it about Billy Connolly that annoyed people? Our money's on the purple beard."

You said: He's "a very funny, intelligent, talented comedian and actor"; "the ultimate Scottish practitioner of the best medicine"; "a great ambassador for the country".

4. Gordon Brown The Chancellor and Dunfermline East MP brought a scholarly edge to his Labourism by penning wordy books such as The Politics Of Nationalism And Devolution. Late fatherhood has softened Irn Broon who, at 53, might yet emerge as the big daddy of Westminster.

He said: "Ideas that stress the growing importance of international co-operation and new theories of economic sovereignty across a wide range of areas - macroeconomics, the environment, the growth of post neoclassical endogenous growth theory and the symbiotic relationships between growth and investment in people and infrastructure."

The Plain English Society said: "Pardon?"

You said: "He has the greatest impact on the lives of people in Scotland and Britain today"; he's "succeeded where many failed in the economy"; "a human being behind the formal mask".

5. Winnie Ewing The SNP president established the party as a major political force by winning the 1967 Hamilton by-election. The Glasgow solicitor represented the Highlands and Islands in the European parliament for two decades. Elected to Holyrood in 1999, "Madame Ecosse" presided over its first session.

She said (to Robert Mugabe in 1981): "My party [is] not doing all that well."

He said: "That's because the people of Scotland are not yet sufficiently oppressed."

You said: She "helped make the possibility of Scottish independence a reality"; "has done more to put Scotland on the map than any other living Scot".

6. Alasdair Gray Gray rose to fame in 1981 with his first, totemic novel, Lanark, a phantasmagorical allegory of modern life set an imaginary Glasgow-esque city based on the painter-turned-novelist's own chuckling ground. A passionate CND supporter, he's known to the establishment as that scruff who got arrested at Faslane.

He said: "Spending half a lifetime turning your soul into printers' ink is a queer way to live but I would have done more harm if I'd been a banker, broker, advertising agent, arms manufacturer or drug dealer. There are worse as well as better folk in the world, so I don't hate myself."

French magazine Voici said: "Desole, mais je pense vraiment que ce cher Alasdair aurait mieux fait de rester peintre."

You said: "A significant force in Scottish life and letters."

7. Helena Kennedy The radical Glasgow-born QC and defender of human rights has represented a string of high-profile clients including Myra Hyndley and a Guildford Four member. The tv legal drama, Blind Justice, was based on her experiences.

She said: "During my Catholic girlhood the Virgin Mary was presented as our role model After all, woman was responsible for the original sin. It was only later I came to the conclusion that Eve had been framed."

Donald Findlay QC said: "Helena Kennedy is a Bolshevik feminist, and I am a nice guy who offends no-one."

You said: "She constantly champions victims and never forgets Glasgow"; "she exudes justice"; "ideal presidential material, should Scotland ever become a republic".