John Cooper MP: 'I broke my collarbone at the foot of Ben Nevis'

What’s your earliest memory?

My sister being born. I was only about two. She was born at home, [and] I remember there was a lot of excitement and people in the house that I didn’t recognise. Of course, I realise now these would have been midwives and things like that.

What were you like at school?

I was a bit too school for cool. I was always quite careful, quite punctilious about things. In secondary school, when we had study periods, everybody else would just disappear off the school estate and head down into Stranraer, while I went to the library to read Time magazine.

I also played in bands; I used to play the drums. So, by day, I was this straight-A student, and by night, I was playing in rock and roll bands at pubs – I was far too young to be in – until the early hours of the morning. It was an odd sort of existence.

Who would be your dream dinner date?

Maria McKee, who sang Show Me Heaven from the film Days of Thunder. That song is so atypical of what she does. It’s incredible. I was always a huge fan. She also wrote a song called A Good Heart, and it really struck a chord with me when I was a youngster. I was able to interview her once as a journalist, and I always thought it’d be great to get to know her better.

What’s your greatest fear?

I think it’s one of the things that changes when you get married and have children. I’m lucky enough to have three children and a lovely wife, and my fear is always that something should befall them. It’s not something that paralyses me. It’s not something that keeps me awake at night, but it’s always at the back of my mind.

What’s the worst thing that anyone’s ever said to you?

When I was a columnist for The Daily Mail, I became a kind of lightning rod, particularly in the age of social media and the Scottish referendum. So, around the time of that, lots of things were said. It’s not a specific example of something that somebody called me, but just the way that I was prejudged.

What’s your most treasured possession?

My watch, which is an Omega Speedmaster. As a very young boy, my father always had the National Geographic magazine in the house and at the time it was full of adverts for Omega watches, and it was the first watch in space. So, I associated that kind of imagery of the moon, the Apollo program and things like that, with the watch. It was a bit of an indulgence but when I got the opportunity to buy an Omega watch, it really was kind of a dream come true.

What’s your guiltiest pleasure?

Some of the music I listen to is quite terrifying. A lot of it is sort of 80s heavy metal. There were a lot of bands that made a big impression on me when I was about 13-14 and I still like listening to them. So, I still like listening to Scotland’s greatest band AC/DC (everybody thinks they’re Australian, but really they are expat Scots) particularly their early work. I think it’s fantastic.

If you could go back in time, where would you go?

I’ve always been fascinated by the American Civil War. So, I would like to go back to that time but from a British perspective, because in the 1860s Britain was kind of at the height of its powers. And while the American Civil War was taking place, we sent observers across to see how it was going to pan out. And I think that’s a fascinating moment, a sliding door moment in history.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever had?

Measure. It’s my father’s expression, and I think it comes obviously from the world of joinery, where you literally want to measure something twice before you take a saw to anything. But I think as a general kind of adage, it’s a good idea to decide carefully before you act.

What skill should every person have?

Communication. I think journalism showed me that. It is the key gift, and I think Scots have it in spades. I think our ability to, as we say, talk the hind legs off a donkey is quite a skill.

What was the worst pain you’ve ever experienced?

Breaking my collarbone on Ben Nevis. But worse than the initial pain was the embarrassment of having to tell people that it happened not on Ben Nevis but at the very bottom, about 20 yards from the car park, where I fell off a stile that led into the car park.

People asked me: “Did you have to get helicoptered off?” And I said: “No, I managed to get my wife to back the car up 20 yards, but it was exceptionally painful.”

What’s your favourite film of all time?

I do like a good old wartime movie. A Matter of Life and Death is an absolutely fantastic film. I also like 633 Squadron.

Cooper visiting the Gettysburg battlefield

What’s your best holiday ever?

It was a holiday, but I also got married at the same time. We got married in secret. We organised it ourselves and we got married in Amalfi in Italy. It was absolutely magnificent.

What’s the last book you read?

I’m reading several books at the same time. I’m reading Rowland White’s Mosquito, which is about the aircraft that took the 633 Squadron and I’m also reading a book called A Dairy Story by David and Wilma Smith. They’re a couple who live in the constituency and who tried to do something in the dairying world. They tried to make the dairy both organic and ethical, and it’s a fascinating story of how they managed to make that work.