Carolyn Leckie
Encyclopedia
Carolyn Leckie is a Scottish Socialist Party
politician, a former co-chair of the party, and former member of the Scottish Parliament
.
Leckie grew up in Glasgow, the daughter of a shipyard worker, but she now lives in East Kilbride
. Before she became an MSP she was a midwife and a local union leader who represented thousands of hospital workers. She is a member of the Industrial Workers of the World
(Wobblies).
She was elected as an MSP in the Scottish parliament election, 2003
for the Central region, but she lost her seat in the Scottish parliament election, 2007
.
. As an MSP she was a strong supporter of the Nursery Nurses
campaigning for higher pay. On 20 May 2004, after attempting to raise a point of order about the strike at a time that the Presiding Officer determined was inappropriate, she was told to leave the chamber.
She was active within the parliament campaigning for an end to the cuts and closures in hospital services across Scotland.
On 20 January 2005 she was jailed for seven days for non-payment of a fine, arising from a protest outside Faslane nuclear base. She faced the possibility of being removed from the register of midwives by her professional body, but the disciplinary action has since been dropped. In January 2007 she was arrested but not charged for taking part in an anti-nuclear demonstration at Faslane as part of the Faslane 365 campaign.
She was one of several members who gave evidence in the Sheridan v News International
defamation action. During the trial Tommy Sheridan
's counsel alleged that Alan McCombes
and Carolyn Leckie were lovers and "had wanted to take over at the top".
At the SSP conference in 2008 Leckie declined nomination for any national posts within the party, but remains an activist within the party, particularly within the Socialist Women's Network
.
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....
politician, a former co-chair of the party, and former member 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...
.
Leckie grew up in Glasgow, the daughter of a shipyard worker, but she now lives in East Kilbride
East Kilbride
East Kilbride is a large suburban town in the South Lanarkshire council area, in the West Central Lowlands of Scotland. Designated as Scotland's first new town in 1947, it forms part of the Greater Glasgow conurbation...
. Before she became an MSP she was a midwife and a local union leader who represented thousands of hospital workers. She is a member of the Industrial Workers of the World
Industrial Workers of the World
The Industrial Workers of the World is an international union. At its peak in 1923, the organization claimed some 100,000 members in good standing, and could marshal the support of perhaps 300,000 workers. Its membership declined dramatically after a 1924 split brought on by internal conflict...
(Wobblies).
She was elected as an MSP in the Scottish parliament election, 2003
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...
for the Central region, but she lost her seat in the Scottish parliament election, 2007
Scottish Parliament election, 2007
The 2007 Scottish Parliament election was held on Thursday 3 May 2007 to elect members to the Scottish Parliament. It was the third general election to the devolved Scottish Parliament since it was created in 1999...
.
Campaigning
Just before election to Holyrood, she led several victorious strikes against low pay - the most recent involving 300 ancillary workers against the French multinational, SodexhoSodexho
Sodexo is a French multinational corporation headquartered in the Paris suburb of Issy-les-Moulineaux, France. Sodexo is one of the largest food services and facilities management companies in the world, with 380,000 employees, representing 130 nationalities, present on 34,000 sites in 80 countries...
. As an MSP she was a strong supporter of the Nursery Nurses
Scottish Nursery Nurses Strike
In 2003, nursery nurses employed by local authorities in Scotland began a rolling programme of strike action in response to councils' refusals to countenance their demands for pay increases....
campaigning for higher pay. On 20 May 2004, after attempting to raise a point of order about the strike at a time that the Presiding Officer determined was inappropriate, she was told to leave the chamber.
She was active within the parliament campaigning for an end to the cuts and closures in hospital services across Scotland.
On 20 January 2005 she was jailed for seven days for non-payment of a fine, arising from a protest outside Faslane nuclear base. She faced the possibility of being removed from the register of midwives by her professional body, but the disciplinary action has since been dropped. In January 2007 she was arrested but not charged for taking part in an anti-nuclear demonstration at Faslane as part of the Faslane 365 campaign.
Other information
Leckie was co-chair of the SSP for several years. She stood down at its annual conference in March 2006, stating that it was time to hand the post over to a lay member of the party, but she was easily elected as an ordinary member of its executive committee.She was one of several members who gave evidence in the Sheridan v News International
Sheridan v News International
Sheridan v News Group Newspapers is a civil court case brought by Tommy Sheridan against the publishers of the News of the World, which began in the Court of Session in Edinburgh, Scotland, on 4 July 2006...
defamation action. During the trial Tommy Sheridan
Tommy Sheridan
Tommy Sheridan is a Scottish socialist politician. He has had various prominent roles within the socialist movement in Scotland and is currently one of two co-convenors of the left-wing Scottish political party Solidarity....
's counsel alleged that Alan McCombes
Alan McCombes
Alan William McCombes has been a leading member of the Scottish Socialist Party for several years, and was the editor of the Scottish Socialist Voice.-Background:...
and Carolyn Leckie were lovers and "had wanted to take over at the top".
At the SSP conference in 2008 Leckie declined nomination for any national posts within the party, but remains an activist within the party, particularly within the Socialist Women's Network
Socialist Women's Network
The Socialist Women's Network is the women's wing of the Scottish Socialist Party and campaigns on issues particularly affecting women. Although primarily made up of party members, the SWN is open to all women who are interested in women's issues from a socialist perspective...
.