[1] Paul Nicholas Johnston was born in Filey, England on 5 January, 1948.
From 1972, he worked in the car retail industry, becoming Group Operations Director of Eastern Western Motor Group.--> Johnston stood as a Scottish Conservative and Unionist candidate for the Scottish Parliament in 1999, and was elected for the Mid Scotland and Fife region.
[4] In January 2001, he wrote a letter to The Times, where he expressed disillusionment with the attitude of other politicians.
That same year in August, he resigned, citing disillusionment with politics, and his perception of a weak party leadership as reasons for doing so.
[8] Johnston was among a group of former MSPs who supported Scottish independence, saying that it would give Scotland an opportunity to "create a fairer, more equal society.