Tusi se faaauauina o lenei palakalafa - Na faaalu e Macleod ona tausaga amata i Achiltibuie ma Inverness. Na auai o ia i le Leachkin Primary School, Jedburgh Grammar School ma le Loretto School, Musselburgh, a o leʻi aʻoaʻoina vailaʻau i le Iunivesite o Edinburgh. A o aʻoga o ia i le iunivesite, sa avea o ia ma peresitene o le Edinburgh University Students' Association. Ina ua uma ona faauu, sa ia tauaveina le tele o tofiga laiti faafomai i Edinburgh ma Forth Valley. Sa avea o ia ma Pule o le Iunivesite o Edinburgh mai le 1994 i le 1997, Failautusi o le Labour Campaign mo se Palemene Sikotilani, ma o se sui o le National Executive o le Scotland FORward campaign, o le vaega faʻavaomalo lea na tauivi mo se YES-YES palota i le 1997 devolution referendum
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