Political spin: Jamie Halcro Johnston

What was the first record that you bought?

 I'll Be Back by Arnee and the Terminaters. It was when Terminator 2 had come out and it was this kind of spoof record. It was an awful tune and I have no idea why I bought it as a single. It kind of shamed my record collection for many years afterwards, but it was a joke track.

What record would always get you on the dancefloor?

Together in Electric Dreams, because it's a song that has both positive and negative connotations.

What’s your karaoke song?

Don't Look Back in Anger.

Are you going to see Oasis?

I’m not. I seemed to be in a queue and then I got frustrated, and I don't know what happened but I seemed to then be about 200,000 people further back. I wasn't fully committed and I wasn't like the health secretary, who had a lot of time on his hands, so I'm afraid I gave up. But I have friends who have a house quite near Murrayfield and I think the plan is that we might go and sit, pitch up some seats and try and listen to it outside.

 What songs do you want played at your funeral?

I have always thought that it would be quite nice to have something that people think of as ‘your song’, but I probably don't have one of those because my musical taste is so eclectic – or bad, depending on who you speak to. If I was ever planning it, I'd probably just plan something for maximum impact.

What song is guaranteed to make you cry?

Electric Dreams would do. It was a university song for a group of us. Unfortunately, one of my friends had bowel cancer and passed away. At his funeral most of us were kind of just about keeping it together, and then they played Electric Dreams at the end of it and everybody went.  And I was alright at the time – I was obviously kind of very upset, but I didn't really go. But it then came on the radio as I was driving up the A9 about three or four weeks later, and then I just had to pull over.

 What music do you always associate with your childhood?

Country and Western. When I was young, we used to drive – we lived in Oxfordshire – up to Orkney, and my parents both loved Country and Western, so we listened to the classics, the John Devers, Patsy Clines and Dolly Partons, and ABBA, because it was that kind of era.

What record do you absolutely hate but can't get out of your head?

I'm not a massive fan of boy bands... Don't Speak by No Doubt. I have to turn it off when it comes on.

Why, what does it remind you of?

At university I was living in a house and two of the people in the house were endlessly fighting. And one night they had a massive argument, so to avoid everybody hearing their argument they put this song on, and it must have gone on about 20 times.

What record would you be embarrassed to owning up to having in your collection?

I always used to be a bit embarrassed about liking ABBA and Dolly Parton. I had friends that were into Pearl Jam and other quite cool bands, and I was quite happy sticking on a bit of Voulez-Vous.

What was the last band or musician you went to see?

At university, I was general secretary of the student union, so I was in charge of all the clubs. And my sister rang me, and she said, “you've got Travis coming, they're quite cool, could you get me a CD?” So I went along, listened to the concert, and then I went up, bought this single CD, and I said, “look, I’ve never really heard of you guys, I'm so sorry, but my sister kind of thinks you're quite cool, so can I give you that?”

I'm afraid that was the last one I went to, and that was like in the 90s. I did go to see Travis play before they were big and slightly insulted them by not knowing who they were, so I'm not sure I'd be welcome at any other concert since. 

Is there any song that you associate with your political wins?

(Is This the Way to) Amarillo, because it was re-released when I was standing for parliament for the first time in 2005.