2006 in Scotland - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

2006 in Scotland
Years
2004 2004 in Scotland Events from 2004 in Scotland-Incumbents:Monarch - Queen Elizabeth II First Minister and Keeper of the Great Seal - Jack McConnell -March:... \| 2005 2005 in Scotland Events from 2005 in Scotland-Incumbents:Monarch – Elizabeth II First Minister and Keeper of the Great Seal – Jack McConnell -January:... \| 2006 \| 2007 2007 in Scotland 2007 in Scotland.-Incumbents:Monarch - Queen Elizabeth II First Minister and Keeper of the Great Seal - Jack McConnell... \| 2008 2008 in Scotland Events in 2008 in Scotland-Incumbents:Monarch - Queen Elizabeth II First Minister and Keeper of the Great Seal - Alex Salmond -January:...
Centuries
18th century \| 19th century \| 20th century \| 21st century
See also
2005-06 in Scottish football 2005-06 in Scottish football The 2005–06 season was the 109th season of competitive football in Scotland.-2005:*1 June: Gordon Strachan officially takes charge of Celtic after the resignation of Martin O'Neill...
2006-07 in Scottish football 2006-07 in Scottish football The 2006–07 season was the 110th season of competitive football in Scotland.-2006:*9 July: Rangers defender Fernando Ricksen is banned for the club's pre-season trip to South Africa, following an incident on the outbound flight. Manager Paul Le Guen cited "wholly inappropriate and...
Portal:Current events
2006

2006 in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

.

Incumbents

Monarch - Queen Elizabeth II (since 6 February 1952)
First Minister
First Minister of Scotland
The First Minister of Scotland is the political leader of Scotland and head of the Scottish Government. The First Minister chairs the Scottish Cabinet and is primarily responsible for the formulation, development and presentation of Scottish Government policy...

and Keeper of the Great Seal - Jack McConnell
Jack McConnell
Jack Wilson McConnell, Baron McConnell of Glenscorrodale is a British Labour life peer in the House of Lords. He was third First Minister of Scotland from 2001 to 2007, making him the longest serving First Minister in the history of the Scottish Parliament...

(since 22 November 2001)

January

January 1 - Transport Scotland
Transport Scotland
Transport Scotland was created on 1 January 2006 as the national transport agency of Scotland. It is an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government's Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning Department and accountable to Scottish Ministers...

begins operations as an agency of the Scottish Executive
Scottish Executive
The Scottish Government is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was established in 1999 as the Scottish Executive, from the extant Scottish Office, and the term Scottish Executive remains its legal name under the Scotland Act 1998...

.
January 7 - Charles Kennedy
Charles Kennedy
Charles Peter Kennedy is a British Liberal Democrat politician, who led the Liberal Democrats from 9 August 1999 until 7 January 2006 and is currently a Member of Parliament for the Ross, Skye and Lochaber constituency....

, leader of the Liberal Democrats resigns after revelations that he has a drinking problem.

February

February - National Theatre of Scotland
National Theatre of Scotland
The National Theatre of Scotland is a theatre company established in February 2006. The company performs in a wide range of venues including theatres, halls and found spaces across Scotland....

established as a peripatetic company.
February 9 - Dunfermline and West Fife by-election: Willie Rennie
Willie Rennie
William Cowan Rennie MSP is a Scottish politician and current Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats.After college, Rennie spent most of his early career as a Liberal Democrat campaigner and official before working as a public relations consultant in the private sector...

of the Liberal Democrats is the winner, the first time the Labour Party have ever lost a seat they were defending to the Liberal Democrats, the SDP or the Liberal Party at a Scottish by-election

March

March 2
- Sir Menzies Campbell
  Menzies Campbell
  Sir Walter Menzies "Ming" Campbell, CBE, QC, MP is a British Liberal Democrat politician and advocate, and a retired sprinter. He is the Member of Parliament for North East Fife, and was the Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 2 March 2006 until 15 October 2007.Campbell held the British record...
  
  is elected leader of the Liberal Democrats following an election
  Liberal Democrats deputy leadership election, 2006
  The 2006 Liberal Democrats deputy leadership election began on March 2, 2006, when the sitting Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Menzies Campbell, was elected leader of the party. Campbell had been deputy leader since February 2003....
  
  caused by the resignation of Charles Kennedy.
- Four people are injured in an explosion in a GlaxoSmithKline
  GlaxoSmithKline
  GlaxoSmithKline plc is a global pharmaceutical, biologics, vaccines and consumer healthcare company headquartered in London, United Kingdom...
  
  factory in Irvine, North Ayrshire
  Irvine, North Ayrshire
  Irvine is a new town on the coast of the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland. According to 2007 population estimates, the town is home to 39,527 inhabitants, making it the biggest settlement in North Ayrshire....
  
  .
March 15–26 - Scotland at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
Scotland at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland announced on 3 November 2005 that Scotland would be sending 166 athletes to compete in the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia, supported by 70 officials...

.
March 28 - Royal Regiment of Scotland created.

April

April 27 - Moray by-election
Moray by-election, 2006
A by-election in the Moray constituency of the Scottish Parliament was held on 27 April 2006 following the death of the Scottish National Party Member of the Scottish Parliament Margaret Ewing on 21 March 2006, from breast cancer...

: Richard Lochhead
Richard Lochhead
Richard Neilson Lochhead is the Scottish Government's Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment and the Scottish National Party Member of the Scottish Parliament for Moray.-Background and early career:...

holds the seat in the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...

for the Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....

.

May

May 30 - Scottish TV
Scottish Television
Scottish Television is Scotland's largest ITV franchisee, and has held the ITV franchise for Central Scotland since 31 August 1957. It is the second oldest ITV franchisee still active...

and Grampian TV
Grampian Television
Grampian Television is the ITV franchisee for the North and North East of Scotland. Its coverage area includes the Scottish Highlands , Inverness, Aberdeen, Dundee and parts of north Fife...

both relaunched under the new name of STV.

August

21 August – The first modern solely Gaelic-medium school to offer secondary education, Sgoil Ghàidhlig Ghlaschu
Sgoil Ghàidhlig Ghlaschu
Sgoil Ghàidhlig Ghlaschu or Glasgow Gaelic School is a school in Glasgow which teaches through the medium of Scottish Gaelic. This teaching method is commonly known as Gaelic medium education...

, is opened at Woodside in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...

.
The Scottish Crossbill
Scottish Crossbill
The Scottish Crossbill is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is endemic to the Caledonian Forests of Scotland, and is the only vertebrate unique to the United Kingdom...

is finally confirmed as a unique species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

.

September

September 3 - Establishment of Solidarity - Scotland's Socialist Movement, a breakaway from the Scottish Socialist Party
Scottish Socialist Party
The Scottish Socialist Party is a left-wing Scottish political party. Positioning itself significantly to the left of Scotland's centre-left parties, the SSP campaigns on a socialist economic platform and for Scottish independence....

.

October

5 October - Rt. Hon.
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...

Elish Angiolini, QC
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...

, appointed as Lord Advocate
Lord Advocate
Her Majesty's Advocate , known as the Lord Advocate , is the chief legal officer of the Scottish Government and the Crown in Scotland for both civil and criminal matters that fall within the devolved powers of the Scottish Parliament...

. She is the first woman, first Procurator Fiscal
Procurator Fiscal
A procurator fiscal is a public prosecutor in Scotland. They investigate all sudden and suspicious deaths in Scotland , conduct Fatal Accident Inquiries and handle criminal complaints against the police A procurator fiscal (pl. procurators fiscal) is a public prosecutor in Scotland. They...

, and the first solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...

to be appointed to the post.

November

16 November - Andy Kerr
Andy Kerr
Andy Kerr is a Labour politician and former Member of the Scottish Parliament for East Kilbride constituency, a seat which he held from 1999 until 2011....

wins Scottish Politician of the Year
Scottish Politician of the Year
Scottish Politician of the Year is an annual award established in 1999. It is held by The Herald newspaper in Prestonfield, Edinburgh, Scotland....

award.
24–26 November - Scottish Labour Party
Scottish Labour Party
The Scottish Labour Party is the section of the British Labour Party which operates in Scotland....

conference, Oban
Oban
Oban Oban Oban ( is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. It has a total resident population of 8,120. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William and during the tourist season the town can be crowded by up to 25,000 people. Oban...

.
25–26 November - Aberdeen Cup
Aberdeen Cup
The Aberdeen Cup was an annual tennis tournament held between national teams representing England and Scotland. It was hosted in Aberdeen, in north-eastern Scotland. The tournament has not been played since 2006 and there has been no indication that the tournament will be played again.The...

tennis tournament.

Organisations established

National Theatre of Scotland
National Theatre of Scotland
The National Theatre of Scotland is a theatre company established in February 2006. The company performs in a wide range of venues including theatres, halls and found spaces across Scotland....
Royal Regiment of Scotland
Solidarity - Scotland's Socialist Movement
STV
Transport Scotland
Transport Scotland
Transport Scotland was created on 1 January 2006 as the national transport agency of Scotland. It is an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government's Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning Department and accountable to Scottish Ministers...

Deaths

January 5- Rachel Squire
Rachel Squire
Rachel Anne Squire was a British Labour Party politician in Scotland. She was the Member of Parliament for Dunfermline West from 1992 to 2005, and then for Dunfermline and West Fife from 2005 until her death after a long series of illnesses.-Background:Squire was born in Carshalton, Surrey, England...

, Labour
Scottish Labour Party
The Scottish Labour Party is the section of the British Labour Party which operates in Scotland....

MP (b. 1954)
January 31- Moira Shearer
Moira Shearer
Moira Shearer, Lady Kennedy , was an internationally famous Scottish ballet dancer and actress.-Early life:She was born Moira Shearer King in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland, the daughter of actor Harold V. King...

, ballet dancer and actress (b. 1926)
February 10- John Prentice, football player and manager (b. 1926)
February 28- Hugh McCartney
Hugh McCartney
Hugh McCartney was a Scottish Labour politician. Born in Glasgow, McCartney studied at John Street senior secondary school and at the Royal Technical College in Glasgow. He joined the Independent Labour Party's Guild of Youth at the age of 14 and began a textile apprenticeship. He joined the...

, former Labour MP (b. 1920)
March 3- Ivor Cutler
Ivor Cutler
Ivor Cutler was a Scottish poet, songwriter and humorist. He became known for his regular performances on BBC radio, and in particular his numerous sessions recorded for John Peel's influential radio programme, and later for Andy Kershaw's programme...

, poet, songwriter and humourist (b. 1923)
March 13- Jimmy Johnstone
Jimmy Johnstone
James Connolly "Jimmy" Johnstone was a Scottish football player. Johnstone was best known for his time with Celtic, and was voted their best ever player by the club's fans in 2002...

, footballer; member of the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame
Scottish Sports Hall of Fame
The Scottish Sports Hall of Fame is the national sports hall of fame in Scotland, initiated on St Andrew's Day 2001. It is a joint project organised by sportscotland, the national governmental body for Scottish sport, and the National Museums of Scotland. It is also funded by BBC Scotland and...

(b. 1944)
March 21- Margaret Ewing
Margaret Ewing
Margaret Anne Ewing was a Scottish National Party politician who served as a Member of Parliament and as a Member of the Scottish Parliament...

, Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....

MSP and former MP (b. 1945)
March 27- Ian Hamilton Finlay
Ian Hamilton Finlay
Ian Hamilton Finlay, CBE, was a Scottish poet, writer, artist and gardener.-Biography:Finlay was born in Nassau, Bahamas of Scottish parents. He was educated in Scotland at Dollar Academy. At the age of 13, with the outbreak of World War II, he was evacuated to family in the countryside...

, writer, artist and gardener (b. 1925)
April 9 - Robin Orr
Robin Orr
Robert Kelmsley Orr CBE was a Scottish composer.Born in Brechin, he studied at the Royal College of Music in London and at Pembroke College, Cambridge. Following studies with Alfredo Casella and Nadia Boulanger he returned to Cambridge in 1938 as Organist of St John's College. During his war...

, composer (b. 1909)
April 13 - Muriel Spark
Muriel Spark
Dame Muriel Spark, DBE was an award-winning Scottish novelist. In 2008 The Times newspaper named Spark in its list of "the 50 greatest British writers since 1945".-Early life:...

, novelist (b. 1918)
April 17 - Calum Kennedy
Calum Kennedy
Calum Kennedy was a Scottish singer.Kennedy won a gold medal at the Mod , singing in Scottish Gaelic...

, singer (b. 1928)
May 17 - Eric Forth
Eric Forth
Eric Forth was a British politician. He was the Conservative Member of the European Parliament for Birmingham North, then Member of Parliament for Mid Worcestershire and finally Bromley and Chislehurst at his death. He served as a junior minister in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John...

, former Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...

MP (b. 1944)
July 6 - Tom Weir
Tom Weir
Thomas Weir MBE, better known as Tom was a Scottish climber, author and broadcaster. He was best known for his long-running television series Weir's Way and his trademark woolly bunnet.-Early life and career:...

, climber, author and broadcaster (b. 1914)
August 30 - Hector Monro, Baron Monro of Langholm
Hector Monro, Baron Monro of Langholm
Hector Seymour Peter Monro, Baron Monro of Langholm, AE, PC , was a Conservative & Unionist Party politician. He was Member of Parliament for Dumfries for 33 years, from 1964 to 1997, and then a life peer in the House of Lords....

, former Conservative and Unionist
Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
The Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party is the part of the British Conservative Party that operates in Scotland. Like the UK party, it has a centre-right political philosophy which promotes conservatism and strong British Unionism...

MP (b. 1922)
September 15 - Douglas Henderson
Douglas Henderson
Douglas Henderson was a Scottish politician. He served as a Member of Parliament for the Scottish National Party , representing the East Aberdeenshire constituency from February 1974 to March 1979, and held virtually every national office in the SNP, short of party leader...

, former Scottish National Party MP (b. 1935)