John Wilson (Scottish politician)

John Wilson
Deputy Convener of the
Scottish Parliament
Local Government and Regeneration Committee
Assumed office
8 June 2011
Preceded by Rob Gibson
Member of the Scottish Parliament
for Central Scotland
In office
3 May 2007 – 24 March 2016
North Lanarkshire Councillor
In office
4 May 2007 – 4 June 2009
Constituency Coatbridge North and Glenboig
Personal details
Born (1956-11-28) 28 November 1956
Political party Scottish Green Party
Independent (Sept-Dec 2014)
Scottish National Party (until 2014)
Committees Local Government and Regeneration Committee, Public Petitions Committee

John Gordon Wilson (born 28 November 1956) is a Scottish Green Party politician. He was formerly a Scottish National Party (SNP) Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Central Scotland region 2007—2014, then was sitting as an independent 2014−16. He stood as a Green candidate in the Coatbridge and Chryston constituency at the Scottish Parliament election, 2016.

Education

Wilson was educated at Camelon High School in Falkirk, then at Coatbridge College and Glasgow University. He has a MA in Politics and Economic History.[1] He was a director of the Scottish Low Pay Unit 2001−7.[2]

Political career

Wilson joined the SNP in 1999.[3] As a member of the SNP, he was elected to the Scottish Parliament to represent Central Scotland at the 2007 election. The following day the results of local election held on the same day were returned- he had also been elected as a Councillor for the Coatbridge North and Glenboig ward of North Lanarkshire Council.[4] He stood down from the council position to focus on his work at Holyrood,[5] and was replaced by Labour's Peter Sullivan in a by-election on 4 June 2009.[6]

He stood as a SNP candidate in the Coatbridge and Chryston constituency at the 2011 election and although he secured 40% of the vote, he came second. He was returned to Parliament by the regional list.

Wilson was a member of the Scottish Parliament's Local Government and Regeneration Committee and of the Public Petitions Committee.[7] He was one of the MSPs who challenged the use of external consultants by both the Climategate review[8] and latterly the Skills Development Scotland (SDS) quango.[9]

Wilson opposed the change in SNP policy to support an independent Scotland becoming a member of NATO.[10] He became an independent MSP in September 2014 after the Scottish independence referendum, 2014.[10]

In December 2014, Wilson announced he had joined the Scottish Green Party, but would remain in Parliament sitting as an Independent member.[11] In March 2015, the Scottish Greens balloted their members to select candidates for the 2016 election, with Wilson placed second on their regional list for Central Scotland.[12] In October 2015 it was announced that he would contest the constituency of Coatbridge and Chryston.[13]

References

  1. ↑ "MSP to stand down as councillor". BBC News. 13 March 2009.
  2. ↑ "People of today: John Wilson". Debrett's. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  3. ↑ Whitaker, Andrew (23 September 2014). "SNP's majority cut to one as John Wilson resigns". The Scotsman. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  4. ↑ Councillor John Wilson Archived 3 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
  5. ↑ "Voters set in Coatbridge North and Glenboig council election". Acadvertiser.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-07-17.
  6. ↑ "Elections marred by voter apathy". Acadvertiser.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-07-17.
  7. ↑ "Previous MSPs: Wilson, John". Scottish Parliament. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  8. ↑ Holyrood fiasco peer’s £40k for chairing Climategate review
  9. ↑ Quango sets aside £200,000 ... to learn how to save money
  10. 1 2 "SNP MSP John Wilson quits party over Nato row". BBC News. 23 September 2014.
  11. ↑ Whitaker, Andrew (16 December 2014). "Former SNP MSP John Wilson joins Green Party". The Scotsman. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  12. ↑ "Scottish Greens regional list candidates". Holyrood. 11 January 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
  13. ↑ Williams, Martin (12 October 2015). "Former SNP MSP becomes Scottish Greens election candidate for Coatbridge and Chryston". The Herald. Glasgow. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
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