Basil McCrea
Encyclopedia
Basil McCrea MLA
(born 13 November 1959) is a unionist politician in Northern Ireland
. He was elected in 2007 to the Northern Ireland Assembly
as a Ulster Unionist Party
(UUP) member for Lagan Valley
. He unsuccessfully contested the 2005 UK General Election in Lagan Valley for the UUP. He is a UUP Councillor on Lisburn City Council
and was, until his election to the Assembly, a Party Officer and spokesman for the Northern Ireland Manufacturers' Focus Group. He is currently a member of the Northern Ireland Policing Board
and UUP spokesman on Education. He was also a member of the Committee shadowing the Department for Employment and Learning
but had to leave this committee due to overload of work.
He stood for leader of the Ulster Unionist Party
against Tom Elliott
in the contest after the UK 2010 General Election. He was widely seen as the candidate of the UUP's "liberal" wing, while Elliott was seen as the candidate of the "conservative" wing. He lost the election by 643 votes to 296.
McCrea was educated at Belfast Royal Academy
before attaining a Chemical Engineering degree from the University of Birmingham
. He later attained a degree in Advanced Computer Technology from the University of Ulster
.
Member of the Legislative Assembly (Northern Ireland)
Member of the Legislative Assembly is a representative elected by the voters to the Northern Ireland Assembly in Northern Ireland.- About :...
(born 13 November 1959) is a unionist politician in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. He was elected in 2007 to the Northern Ireland Assembly
Northern Ireland Assembly
The Northern Ireland Assembly is the devolved legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive...
as a Ulster Unionist Party
Ulster Unionist Party
The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...
(UUP) member for Lagan Valley
Lagan Valley (Assembly constituency)
Lagan Valley is a constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly.The seat was first used for a Northern Ireland-only election for the Northern Ireland Forum in 1996. Since 1998, it has elected members to the current Assembly....
. He unsuccessfully contested the 2005 UK General Election in Lagan Valley for the UUP. He is a UUP Councillor on Lisburn City Council
Lisburn City Council
Lisburn City Council is a district council covering an area partly in County Antrim and partly in County Down in Northern Ireland. The council is the second largest in the Belfast Metropolitan Area. Council headquarters are in the city of Lisburn, upon which was conferred city status in May 2002 as...
and was, until his election to the Assembly, a Party Officer and spokesman for the Northern Ireland Manufacturers' Focus Group. He is currently a member of the Northern Ireland Policing Board
Northern Ireland Policing Board
The Northern Ireland Policing Board is the police authority for Northern Ireland, charged with supervising the activities of the Police Service of Northern Ireland...
and UUP spokesman on Education. He was also a member of the Committee shadowing the Department for Employment and Learning
Department for Employment and Learning
The Department for Employment and Learning , formerly the Department of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment , is a devolved Northern Ireland government department in the Northern Ireland Executive...
but had to leave this committee due to overload of work.
He stood for leader of the Ulster Unionist Party
Ulster Unionist Party
The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...
against Tom Elliott
Tom Elliott
Tom Elliott MLA is a Northern Ireland Ulster Unionist MLA and the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party and former UDR member...
in the contest after the UK 2010 General Election. He was widely seen as the candidate of the UUP's "liberal" wing, while Elliott was seen as the candidate of the "conservative" wing. He lost the election by 643 votes to 296.
McCrea was educated at Belfast Royal Academy
Belfast Royal Academy
The Belfast Royal Academy is the oldest school in the city of Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is a co-educational, non-denominational voluntary grammar school situated in north Belfast. The Academy is one of eight Northern Irish schools whose Headmaster is a member of the Headmasters' and...
before attaining a Chemical Engineering degree from the University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
. He later attained a degree in Advanced Computer Technology from the University of Ulster
University of Ulster
The University of Ulster is a multi-campus, co-educational university located in Northern Ireland. It is the largest single university in Ireland, discounting the federal National University of Ireland...
.