From Colonsay to Coalition

Although Danny Alexander was born in Edinburgh (15 May 1972), his early years were spent on Colonsay. Now that he has become Chief Secretary to the Treasury and fully involved in the financial management of Britain, he must sometimes yearn for the simple pastimes of his childhood - such as playing on the sea-shore and seeing ferry-boats arrive and depart. How many eminent politicians have been influenced by the pleasures and pressures of living on a Scottish island during formative years? The image below of The Strand between Colonsay and Oronsay gives the impression of that-idyllic-place-in-which-to-grow-up.

Scottish Islands Explorer - getting on for 12 years-of-age