Getting to Know You: Scott Arthur

What’s your earliest memory? 
Being at home for my brother to be born when I was three. I got myself into trouble and felt I was going to ruin it. Not long after I ate all my mum’s contraceptive pills and I had to have my stomach pumped – that wasn’t a great experience, I can tell you. 

What were you like at school? 
I was the eldest of three brothers, so I was expected to take school quite seriously by my dad. I’m dyslexic, and it wasn’t so much of a thing. Back then you got the belt, and I got it quite frequently. There was some kind of league table and I led that table for a while until the practice was banned. My dad always used to say school was the best days of your life, but I don’t think I was of that mindset.

Who would be your dream dinner date?
My political hero is Gordon Brown. I’ve met him a few times. He really cares; he’s no longer a serving politician and he’s really trying to deal with poverty in Fife. He’s dedicated so much of his time to the cause. He’s a real intellect, and I’d find it all fascinating. He’s not like a lot of ex-prime ministers that have travelled round the world, making speeches for lots of money. He’s invested in our constituency; Kirkcaldy is my hometown. I don’t know what the good restaurants are there any more, but I’m sure Gordon would. 

What’s your greatest fear? 
Being dyslexic, I fear being given a pen at a meeting and having to write something on a whiteboard. It’s only in the past two years I’ve had the confidence to tell people that I’m dyslexic. I think it’s part of the wider thing about confidence, even when I’m typing in front of someone, I get embarrassed at how many times it takes me to spell something. My poor wife used to have to proofread all the boring reports I used to write. But AI is now super-helpful at clearing up my English.

What’s the worst thing that anyone’s ever said to you? 
Social media has changed a lot over the past few years. Twitter has become more toxic. But for me, the activity levels of abuse have decreased quite a bit. Most of the abuse I’ve received was during my time a councillor. People called me ‘specky...’ It’s just so childish – I mean the mind boggles, people will try and throw anything at you. What hurts is when people say I don’t care, and that’s not true at all. I’ve had to block people on social media. In the past, social media has affected my mental health. Someone commented that I’d voted to cut welfare for the poorest people in society. Well, there hasn’t been a vote on that yet. I had to get people’s accounts taken down and get the police involved after being threatened both online and in person. Thankfully, in the real world people tend to be more polite. 

What’s your guiltiest pleasure? 
Taylor Swift. I knew she existed but never paid too much attention until she performed in Edinburgh. One of my colleagues from the council explained that Taylor Swift was a very powerful woman who fights for women’s rights. I ended up watching The Eras Tour in Edinburgh and now I find myself tired on the train back from London watching the concert back to perk myself up. I wonder if people around me think, why is this 55-year-old man watching bits of Taylor Swift concerts? So that’s a guilty secret for you. She’s a fantastic role model. My kids are a bit embarrassed when I sing Cruel Summer on the radio. But that’s what dads are about.

If you could go back in time, where would you go? 
I was a civil engineer, so I’d go back in time to meet Thomas Telford, a man who was largely self-taught and somebody who built bridges all across the world. He was formidable in his time and helped shape the country. He was buried at Westminster Abbey and had a whole town in England named after him. I took the family to Ironbridge years ago – my wife couldn’t believe I’d taken her all that way to see a bridge. 

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever had? 
My dad once pointed out that the folk going around Kirkcaldy sweeping the streets were looked down upon by people in the town, but the cleaners looked down on everyone else cause it was them that was making the mess. I think what my dad was trying to say was that although hierarchies exist, we don’t have to pay too much attention to them. We should act as a community and not judge each other. We’ve all got our part to play, and with one of us missing the whole thing doesn’t work. 

Did you look up to your dad? 
Without a doubt. My mum left when I was in primary three so my dad brought us up. My dad wasn’t a philosopher, he was just an ordinary guy who worked in a factory making stuff. He wanted me to get into the trades. I can’t remember what I’d done to disappoint him, but he told me I’d never get a job because I wasn’t practical enough – and that really hurt me. I almost got a job as a fitter in a naval dockyard. Whether I would’ve been happier doing that, you can never know.

What skill should every person have? 
Patience. People react to things without thinking nowadays, and I think it’s really important.

What’s your top film or TV programme of all time? 
Dr Strangelove.

What was your best holiday ever? 
We booked a holiday to see a rocket get launched in America, the launch ended up getting cancelled, but we still went though. New York and Washington DC were absolutely fantastic. My wife and I always say we’d go on the same holiday again and go to exactly the same restaurants and all the same museums. We tried to go where locals would go, where the NYPD would go for doughnuts, that sort of thing. Great weather as well. 

What was the last book you read?
The last book I read for pleasure would be a James Patterson crime one. I used to read before bed but now I just fall straight asleep. I blame my phone – it’s too easy to waste time on it.