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First Minister's Questions (Scottish Parliament)
First Minister's Questions (FMQs) is the name given to the weekly questioning of the First Minister in the Scottish Parliament. It serves the purpose of holding the Scottish Government to account and the format has evolved over time. First Minister's Questions follows in some of the traditions of Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons. Other devolved administrations in the United Kingdom also have sessions for the question times of their leaders that take the same name. An independent report published in 2017 suggested further reforms. Procedure and format There are rules and procedures about who can submit a question. The Presiding Officer selects questions from all of those lodged by Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs). History In 2000, during the 1st Scottish Parliament, the procedures committee recommended that a specific First Minister’s Question Time be set up, to last for up to twenty minutes out of the hour set aside for the questioning of Minister ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
FMQ 2 September 2021
First Minister's Questions are question time sessions held respectively in the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Scottish Parliament and the Senedd. First Minister's Questions is an opportunity for members of each legislature to question the respective leaders of the devolved nations of the United Kingdom. These sessions are based on the similar Prime Minister's Questions held in the House of Commons. It is usually the most attended event in each legislature by representatives. Northern Ireland Assembly In Northern Ireland, Questions to the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister (or simply First Minister's Questions) is taken jointly by the First Minister and deputy First Minister. This joint approach is part of the power-sharing arrangements that underpin the operation of the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive Office. Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) may put questions to the ministers for up to thirty minutes. The questions are tabled in advanc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scottish Socialist Party
The Scottish Socialist Party (SSP; gd, Pàrtaidh Sòisealach na h-Alba; sco, Scots Socialist Pairtie) is a left-wing political party campaigning for the establishment of an independent socialist Scotland. The party was founded in 1998. It campaigns for Scottish independence, against cuts to public services and welfare and for democratic public ownership of the economy. The SSP was one of three parties in Yes Scotland, the official cross-party campaign for Scottish independence in the 2014 referendum, with national co-spokesperson Colin Fox sitting on its advisory board. The party operates through a local branch structure and publishes Scotland's longest-running socialist newspaper, the ''Scottish Socialist Voice''. At the height of its electoral success in 2003, the party had six Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) and two councillors, but since 2017 it has had no councillors or MSPs. Democratic structures The party has two national co-spokespersons, Colin Fox a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Henry McLeish
Henry Baird McLeish (born 15 June 1948) is a Scottish politician, author and academic who served as First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Labour Party in Scotland from 2000 to 2001. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Central Fife from 1987 to 2001 and Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the equivalent seat from 1999 to 2003. Born in Methil, Fife, McLeish was educated at Buckhaven High School before pursuing a career as a professional footballer. After suffering from an injury, he returned to education and studied at Heriot-Watt University. McLeish served on the Fife Regional Council and he made several attempts to seek election to the British House of Commons. He was successful in the 1987 general election, representing the Central Fife and for ten years he sat in the Labour's opposition benches. Following the party's landslide victory in 1997, McLeish was appointed Minister of State for Scotland, working alongside Donald Dewar to establish the Sco ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jim Wallace
James Robert Wallace, Baron Wallace of Tankerness, (born 25 August 1954) is a Scottish politician serving as a Liberal Democrat life peer in the British House of Lords since 2007 and Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland from 2021 to 2022. He served as the Deputy First Minister of Scotland from 1999 to 2005, and during that time he served twice as acting First Minister, in 2000, in the aftermath of Donald Dewar's death and in 2001, following Henry McLeish's resignation. He was formerly Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats from 1992 to 2005 and Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords from 2013 to 2016. Wallace served as a Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament (MP) for Orkney and Shetland from 1983 to 2001 and a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Orkney from 1999 to 2007. He also served as Advocate General for Scotland from 2010 to 2015. He was the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland from 1 May 2021 to 23 May 2022. Ea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Swinney
John Ramsay Swinney (born 13 April 1964) is a Scottish politician who has served as Deputy First Minister of Scotland since 2014 and Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery since 2021. He was the Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) from 2000 to 2004. He served as Education Secretary from 2016 to 2021 and as Finance Secretary from 2007 to 2016. Swinney has also served as the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Perthshire North since 2011, having previously represented North Tayside from 1999 to 2011. Born in Edinburgh, Swinney graduated with an MA in politics at the University of Edinburgh. He joined the SNP at a young age and quickly rose to prominence serving as the National Secretary from 1986 to 1992 and Depute Leader of the SNP from 1998 to 2000. Swinney served in the British House of Commons as Member of Parliament for Tayside North from 1997 to 2001. He was elected to the inaugural Scottish Parliament in 1999. After Alex Salmond resigned the party l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David McLetchie
David William McLetchie CBE (6 August 1952 – 12 August 2013) was a Scottish politician who served as Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party from 1999 to 2005. He was Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Edinburgh Pentlands constituency from 2003 to 2011 and the Lothian region from 1999 to 2003 and 2011 to 2013. Early life and career Born in Edinburgh, McLetchie attended Leith Academy and George Heriot's School and graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a degree in Law in 1974. He trained as a solicitor with Shepherd and Wedderburn, before joining Tods Murray where he was assumed a partner. He specialised in tax, trusts, and estate planning. In 1979, he contested the Edinburgh Central seat for the Conservatives, but lost to Robin Cook of the Labour Party. Member of the Scottish Parliament Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party McLetchie became Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party upon the creation of the Scottish Parliament in 1999, havin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leader Of The Opposition (Scotland)
In the Scottish Parliament, the Leader of the Opposition (more formally, the Leader of the Opposition in the Scottish Parliament) is an unofficial title held by the leader of the largest political party in the Scottish Parliament that is not in government. The role has also been referred to as the Shadow First Minister. Unlike in the Parliament at Westminster where there is an Official Opposition to the government of the day, all parties in the Scottish Parliament that are not in government are all technically on the same footing as 'opposition parties'. Since May 2021, this has been Douglas Ross of the Scottish Conservatives, who succeeded Ruth Davidson. To date the office has been held by 13 individuals, three from the Scottish National Party, seven from the Scottish Labour Party and three from the Scottish Conservative Party. List of leaders of the opposition in the Scottish Parliament See also * First Minister of Scotland * Deputy First Minister of Scotland ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scottish Liberal Democrats
The Scottish Liberal Democrats ( gd, Pàrtaidh Libearal Deamocratach na h-Alba, sco, Scots Leeberal Democrats) is a liberal, federalist political party in Scotland, a part of the United Kingdom Liberal Democrats. The party currently holds 4 of the 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament and 4 of the 59 Scottish seats in the House of Commons. The Scottish Liberal Democrats is one of the three state parties within the federal Liberal Democrats, the others being the Welsh Liberal Democrats and the English Liberal Democrats. The Liberal Democrats do not contest elections in Northern Ireland. History Formation and early years The Scottish Liberal Democrat party was formed by the merger of the Scottish Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Scotland, as part of the merger of the Liberal Party and SDP on 3 March 1988. The party campaigned for the creation of a devolved Scottish Parliament as part of its wider policy of a federal United Kingdom. In the late 1980s an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scottish Labour Party
Scottish Labour ( gd, Pàrtaidh Làbarach na h-Alba, sco, Scots Labour Pairty; officially the Scottish Labour Party) is a social democratic political party in Scotland. It is an autonomous section of the UK Labour Party. From their peak of holding 56 of the 129 seats at the first Scottish parliament election in 1999, the Party has lost seats at each Holyrood election, returning 22 MSPs at the 2021 election. The party currently holds one of 59 Scottish seats in the UK House of Commons, with Ian Murray having represented Edinburgh South continuously since 2010. Throughout the later decades of the 20th century and into the first years of the 21st, Labour dominated politics in Scotland; winning the largest share of the vote in Scotland at every UK general election from 1964 to 2010, every European Parliament election from 1984 to 2004 and in the first two elections to the Scottish Parliament in 1999 and 2003. After this, Scottish Labour formed a coalition with the Scott ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scottish Conservative Party
The Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party ( gd, Pàrtaidh Tòraidheach na h-Alba, sco, Scots Tory an Unionist Pairty), often known simply as the Scottish Conservatives and colloquially as the Scottish Tories, is a centre-right political party in Scotland. It is the second-largest party in the Scottish Parliament and the third-largest in Scottish local government. The party has the second-largest number of Scottish MPs in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom and the seventh overall. The Leader of the party is Douglas Ross. He replaced Jackson Carlaw, who briefly served from February to July 2020; Carlaw had in turn taken over from Ruth Davidson, who held the post from 2011 to 2019. The party has no Chief Whip at Westminster, which is instead represented by the Chief Whip of the Conservative Party in England. In the 2017 UK general election, the party increased its number of MPs to 13 on 28.6 percent of the popular vote – its best performance since 1983 and in terms ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party (SNP; sco, Scots National Pairty, gd, Pàrtaidh Nàiseanta na h-Alba ) is a Scottish nationalist and social democratic political party in Scotland. The SNP supports and campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom and for membership of the European Union, with a platform based on civic nationalism. The SNP is the largest political party in Scotland, where it has the most seats in the Scottish Parliament and 45 out of the 59 Scottish seats in the House of Commons at Westminster, and it is the third-largest political party by membership in the United Kingdom, behind the Labour Party and the Conservative Party. The current Scottish National Party leader, Nicola Sturgeon, has served as First Minister of Scotland since 20 November 2014. Founded in 1934 with the amalgamation of the National Party of Scotland and the Scottish Party, the party has had continuous parliamentary representation in Westminster since Winnie Ewing won the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Commission On Parliamentary Reform
The Commission on Parliamentary Reform was an independent group, established in October 2016 by Ken Macintosh, the Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament. It is chaired by John McCormick and published its report, with recommendations, on 20 June 2017. Background When the Scottish Parliament was set up in 1999, a Consultative Steering Group developed some of the parliamentary structures and procedures. Changes in technology since the Parliament was formed have affected how civil society engages with it. Macintosh’s predecessor Tricia Marwick had also tried to look at how the parliament functioned. Remit and schedule The Commission was asked to consider how the Parliament scrutinises legislation, how the committee system functions and the extent of the parliament's independence from the Scottish government. The commission met for first time on 7 November 2016. In January the committee took evidence from two former Labour First Ministers Jack McConnell and Henry McLeish ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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