Alasdair Allan
Encyclopedia
Dr Alasdair Allan is the Scottish Government's Minister for Learning and Skills and Scottish National Party
Member
of the Scottish Parliament
for the Na h-Eileanan an Iar.
, near Selkirk, Alasdair Allan attended Glasgow and Aberdeen Universities and devoted his time and employment to the Scottish National Party
(SNP) in Peterhead
, working for Alex Salmond MP, now First Minister of Scotland, and he subsequently became assistant to Michael Russell MSP
.
Allan was the SNP candidate for Gordon
at the 2003 Scottish Parliament election
. As National Secretary of the SNP, he was responsible in July 2004 for the expulsion of Campbell Martin MSP from the party after Martin had claimed that there was a case for supporters of independence not voting SNP.
Alasdair Allan was next in line to become a list MSP for North East Scotland when Richard Lochhead
resigned to fight the Moray by-election, however he decided instead to devote himself to contesting the Western Isles
, a key Labour
-SNP marginal seat
in the 2007 Scottish Parliamentary election. He relocated to Lewis
and resigned his post as SNP National Secretary. This move proved successful, as he was elected with 46.6% of the vote — a 5.4% swing from Labour.
In the 2011 Scottish Parliament General Election
Allan again stood for the SNP in the Western Isles and increased his majority, returning to Holyrood with 65.3% of the vote, an increase of 18.7% and a swing of 15.8% from Labour.
He is a speaker and strong supporter of Scottish Gaelic and Lowland Scots
and holds a PhD
on the latter. He authored the booklet Talking Independence, which sought to answer questions about Scottish independence
, ranging from "What will I pay in tax?" to "Will I still be able to visit relatives in England
?" and "Will we still get Eastenders
?".
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
Member
Member of the Scottish Parliament
Member of the Scottish Parliament is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament.-Methods of Election:MSPs are elected in one of two ways:...
of 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 Na h-Eileanan an Iar.
Career
A native of AshkirkAshkirk
Ashkirk is a small village on the Ale Water, in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. It is located in the former Selkirkshire, on the A7 road, approximately 6 miles each way between Selkirk to the north and Hawick to the south....
, near Selkirk, Alasdair Allan attended Glasgow and Aberdeen Universities and devoted his time and employment to 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....
(SNP) in Peterhead
Peterhead
Peterhead is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is Aberdeenshire's biggest settlement , with a population of 17,947 at the 2001 Census and estimated to have fallen to 17,330 by 2006....
, working for Alex Salmond MP, now First Minister of Scotland, and he subsequently became assistant to Michael Russell MSP
Member of the Scottish Parliament
Member of the Scottish Parliament is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament.-Methods of Election:MSPs are elected in one of two ways:...
.
Allan was the SNP candidate for Gordon
Gordon (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Gordon was a constituency of the Scottish Parliament. It elected one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the first past the post method of election...
at the 2003 Scottish Parliament election
Scottish Parliament election, 2003
The Scottish Parliament election, 2003, was the second general election of the Scottish Parliament. It was held on 1 May 2003 and it brought no change in terms of control of the Scottish Executive...
. As National Secretary of the SNP, he was responsible in July 2004 for the expulsion of Campbell Martin MSP from the party after Martin had claimed that there was a case for supporters of independence not voting SNP.
Alasdair Allan was next in line to become a list MSP for North East Scotland when 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:...
resigned to fight the Moray by-election, however he decided instead to devote himself to contesting the Western Isles
Western Isles (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Na h-Eileanan an Iar is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the first past the post method of election...
, a key Labour
Scottish Labour Party
The Scottish Labour Party is the section of the British Labour Party which operates in Scotland....
-SNP marginal seat
Marginal seat
A marginal seat, or swing seat, is a constituency held with a particularly small majority in a legislative election, generally conducted under a single-winner voting system. In Canada they may be known as target ridings. The opposite is a safe seat....
in the 2007 Scottish Parliamentary election. He relocated to Lewis
Lewis
Lewis is the northern part of Lewis and Harris, the largest island of the Western Isles or Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The total area of Lewis is ....
and resigned his post as SNP National Secretary. This move proved successful, as he was elected with 46.6% of the vote — a 5.4% swing from Labour.
In the 2011 Scottish Parliament General Election
Scottish Parliament election, 2011
The 2011 Scottish Parliament general election was held on Thursday, 5 May 2011 to elect 129 members to the Scottish Parliament.The election delivered the first majority government since the opening of Holyrood, a remarkable feat as the mixed member proportional representation system is used to...
Allan again stood for the SNP in the Western Isles and increased his majority, returning to Holyrood with 65.3% of the vote, an increase of 18.7% and a swing of 15.8% from Labour.
He is a speaker and strong supporter of Scottish Gaelic and Lowland Scots
Scots language
Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
and holds a PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
on the latter. He authored the booklet Talking Independence, which sought to answer questions about Scottish independence
Scottish independence
Scottish independence is a political ambition of political parties, advocacy groups and individuals for Scotland to secede from the United Kingdom and become an independent sovereign state, separate from England, Wales and Northern Ireland....
, ranging from "What will I pay in tax?" to "Will I still be able to visit relatives in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
?" and "Will we still get Eastenders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
?".
See also
- Government of the 3rd Scottish ParliamentGovernment of the 3rd Scottish ParliamentThe Government of the 3rd Scottish Parliament was formed after the 2007 elections to the Scottish Parliament. The Scottish Government is headed by First Minister Alex Salmond.- First Salmond government :...
- Government of the 4th Scottish ParliamentGovernment of the 4th Scottish ParliamentThe Government of the 4th Scottish Parliament was formed after the 2011 elections to the Scottish Parliament. The Scottish Government is headed by First Minister Alex Salmond.- Second Salmond government :...
External links
- Alasdair Allan's website
- Profile on Scottish Parliament website
- http://www.snp.org/node/274 Profile on SNP website