Page "Henry McLeish" Paragraph 6

While First Minister, McLeish was widely commended as being a business-like manager of the Scottish Executive, with good political instincts and good relations in Westminster and Holyrood.

He travelled widely, particularly in the United States, where he capitalised on sentimentalism for Scotland among American politicians to advance the cause of Scottish industry and export.

He managed several taskforces designed to improve the competitiveness of Scottish industry, especially the PILOT project for Scottish oil and gas supply chains.

Even so, he was embarrassed when an open microphone recorded him with Helen Liddell in a TV studio, describing Scottish Secretary John Reid as " a patronising bastard " and said of his colleague, Brian Wilson, " Brian is supposed to be in charge of Africa but he spends most of his time in bloody Dublin.

He is a liability ".