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George Reid (Scottish politician)
Encyclopedia
George Newlands Reid, PC
(born 4 June 1939), is a Scottish
politician
. From February 1974 to 1979 he served as a Scottish National Party
Member of Parliament
for Clackmannan and East Stirlingshire
. He was elected in 1999 as a Member
of the newly established Scottish Parliament
as a regional MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife
. From 2003 to 2007 he served as member for the Ochil constituency
and was appointed as the Scottish Parliament's second Presiding Officer
.
In May 2008, Reid was appointed as the Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
for the duration of the General Assembly's sitting that year. In 2011, he was appointed as Her Majesty's Lord Lieutenant of Clackmannanshire
.
, near Alloa
, Clackmannanshire
, Scotland, and educated at Dollar Academy
and the University of St Andrews
, Fife
, Scotland, where he was awarded a Master's degree
with First Class Honours
in History
in 1962. He then continued with further studies in Switzerland
and Union College
in the United States
, obtaining a diploma
in international relations
.
He worked as a broadcast
journalist
and television producer
for the BBC
, Granada Television
and Scottish Television
, and as a print journalist for several newspapers. In this time he produced over 200 television documentaries, including Emmy winner Contract 736, about the construction of the RMS Queen Elizabeth 2.
(SNP) Member of Parliament
for Clackmannan and East Stirlingshire
in the February 1974 general election
, with a majority of 3,610. He more than doubled his majority to 7,341 in the October 1974 general election
, but then lost by a narrow 984 votes in the UK general election, 1979
.
During his time as an MP he served as a member of the Parliamentary Assemblies of the Council of Europe
and Western European Union
.
, he presented Agenda
, which was produced by Kirsty Wark
. He was producer of the famous reportage by Michael Buerk
of the Ethiopian famine of 1984 that inspired the Band Aid
and Live Aid
charity campaigns, which led him to be headhunted by the International Red Cross and Red Crescent. He was Director of Public Affairs there for 12 years, based in Geneva
, Switzerland
, but working worldwide in conflict and disaster
zones. After relief efforts for the 1988 Armenian earthquake he was recognised with the Gold Medal of the Supreme Soviet of Armenia
and the Pirogov Gold Medal of the USSR.
European politics to argue a case for why a party like the SNP could be expected to prosper if a Scottish Parliament
was established. Labour
Shadow
Secretary of State for Scotland
George Robertson
's contrary claim that devolution
would "kill the SNP stone dead" was dismissed by Reid by saying "Ho, ho, ho".
He stood in the Ochil constituency
, which covered approximately the same area as his old seat, at Westminster
in the UK general election 1997
, coming in second. When the new Labour
administration moved forward with proposals for a Scottish Parliament, Reid first served on the pre-establishment Consultative Steering Group, and then was elected in the first election in 1999 to represent Mid Scotland and Fife
.
At the opening of the Parliament Reid was defeated 82 votes to 44 by Sir David Steel
(a Liberal Democrat, the last-ever leader of the British Liberal Party
) for the position of Presiding Officer
of the Scottish Parliament
and was instead elected a Deputy Presiding Officer.
At the 2003 Scottish Parliament Election Reid succeeded in winning the Ochil constituency
first past the post. He was then elected by his fellow MSPs to succeed David Steel as Presiding Officer. As the office is non-partisan, he took voluntary suspension from his political party
, the SNP.
As the Presiding Officer has a role in advising The Queen, Reid was appointed a member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
in 2004. At the official opening of the controversial new Scottish Parliament building
that year, he made a keynote speech in which he paid tribute to the construction as an architectural achievement, and urged parliamentarians to "listen to the building" to inspire them in their future endeavours.
As Presiding Officer he also led the creation of a Scottish Futures Forum, to promote cross-party strategic thinking. He was appointed President of the Royal Commonwealth Society Scotland
, and became Patron
of the Scottish Disability Equality Forum. During his time as Presiding Officer he won the Herald newspaper's Scottish Politician of the Year
award in 2003 and 2005, making him the only person so far to have won the award on two occasions.
. Reid also joined the European Union
's Caucasus
-Caspian
diplomatic commission. On April 19, 2007, he was made a Freeman of the County of Clackmannanshire.
He was then appointed Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
in January 2008, to serve as the Queen's personal representative to the Church of Scotland
. This position is second only to the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh
in the ceremonial Order of Precedence
.. In 2011 he was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Clackmannanshire
.
He also serves as an Honorary Professor in the School of Law at Glasgow University, and holds Honorary Doctorates from the University of St Andrews
, University of Edinburgh
, University of Stirling
and Queen Margaret University. Reid is married with two children.
Reid is also currently in talks with the National Trust for Scotland
: he has been asked to lead its impending wide-ranging internal governance review. He has highlighted three key areas for the Trust's report: the report must be properly resourced and completed within six months, it must be a transparent process with regular feedback, and it must be open to all opinions.
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...
(born 4 June 1939), is a Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. From February 1974 to 1979 he served as a 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....
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Clackmannan and East Stirlingshire
Clackmannan and Eastern Stirlingshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Clackmannan and Eastern Stirlingshire was a parliamentary constituency in the Clackmannan area of Central Scotland. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.The constituency was created for the...
. He was elected in 1999 as a 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 newly established 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...
as a regional MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife
Mid Scotland and Fife (Scottish Parliament electoral region)
Mid Scotland and Fife is one of the eight electoral regions of the Scottish Parliament which were created in 1999. Nine of the parliament's 73 first past the post constituencies are sub-divisions of the region and it elects seven of the 56 additional-member Members of the Scottish Parliament...
. From 2003 to 2007 he served as member for the Ochil constituency
Ochil (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Ochil was a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elected one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
and was appointed as the Scottish Parliament's second Presiding Officer
Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament
The Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament is the speaker of the Scottish Parliament, elected by the Members of the Scottish Parliament, by means of an exhaustive ballot. He or she also heads the Corporate Body of the Scottish Parliament and as such is viewed as a figurehead for the entire...
.
In May 2008, Reid was appointed as the Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
The Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the British Sovereign's personal representative to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland , reflecting the Church's role as the national church of Scotland, and the Sovereign's role as protector and member of...
for the duration of the General Assembly's sitting that year. In 2011, he was appointed as Her Majesty's Lord Lieutenant of Clackmannanshire
Lord Lieutenant of Clackmannanshire
This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Clackmannanshire.The official title of the office has varied over time as follows:* David Erskine, 9th Earl of Buchan 1713 – 1715* incomplete before 1794...
.
Early life and work
George Reid was born in 1939 at TullibodyTullibody
Tullibody is a town set in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies north of the River Forth near to the foot of the Ochil Hills within the Forth Valley. The town is south-west of Alva, north-west of Alloa and east-northeast of Stirling...
, near Alloa
Alloa
Alloa is a town and former burgh in Clackmannanshire, set in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on on the north bank of the Firth of Forth close to the foot of the Ochil Hills, east of Stirling and north of Falkirk....
, Clackmannanshire
Clackmannanshire
Clackmannanshire, often abbreviated to Clacks is a local government council area in Scotland, and a lieutenancy area, bordering Perth and Kinross, Stirling and Fife.As Scotland's smallest historic county, it is often nicknamed 'The Wee County'....
, Scotland, and educated at Dollar Academy
Dollar Academy
Dollar Academy was founded in 1818, which makes it the oldest co-educational day and boarding school in the world. The open campus occupies a site in the centre of the thriving town of Dollar in Central Scotland, less than 40 minutes drive from the two main Scottish cities, Glasgow and Edinburgh...
and the University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
, Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
, Scotland, where he was awarded a Master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
with First Class Honours
British undergraduate degree classification
The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading scheme for undergraduate degrees in the United Kingdom...
in History
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
in 1962. He then continued with further studies in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and Union College
Union College
Union College is a private, non-denominational liberal arts college located in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents. In the 19th century, it became the "Mother of Fraternities", as...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, obtaining a diploma
Diploma
A diploma is a certificate or deed issued by an educational institution, such as a university, that testifies that the recipient has successfully completed a particular course of study or confers an academic degree. In countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia, the word diploma refers to...
in international relations
International relations
International relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...
.
He worked as a broadcast
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and television producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, Granada Television
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
and Scottish Television
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 as a print journalist for several newspapers. In this time he produced over 200 television documentaries, including Emmy winner Contract 736, about the construction of the RMS Queen Elizabeth 2.
Westminster Parliament
Reid was elected as the Scottish National PartyScottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
(SNP) Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Clackmannan and East Stirlingshire
Clackmannan and Eastern Stirlingshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Clackmannan and Eastern Stirlingshire was a parliamentary constituency in the Clackmannan area of Central Scotland. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.The constituency was created for the...
in the February 1974 general election
United Kingdom general election, February 1974
The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,...
, with a majority of 3,610. He more than doubled his majority to 7,341 in the October 1974 general election
United Kingdom general election, October 1974
The United Kingdom general election of October 1974 took place on 10 October 1974 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. It was the second general election of that year and resulted in the Labour Party led by Harold Wilson, winning by a tiny majority of 3 seats.The election of...
, but then lost by a narrow 984 votes in the UK general election, 1979
United Kingdom general election, 1979
The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats...
.
During his time as an MP he served as a member of the Parliamentary Assemblies of the Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
and Western European Union
Western European Union
The Western European Union was an international organisation tasked with implementing the Modified Treaty of Brussels , an amended version of the original 1948 Treaty of Brussels...
.
Red Cross
After leaving Westminster he briefly returned to journalism. For BBC ScotlandBBC Scotland
BBC Scotland is a constituent part of the British Broadcasting Corporation, the publicly-funded broadcaster of the United Kingdom. It is, in effect, the national broadcaster for Scotland, having a considerable amount of autonomy from the BBC's London headquarters, and is run by the BBC Trust, who...
, he presented Agenda
Agenda (BBC Scotland programme)
-Past Presenters & Reporters:*James Cox*John Foster*George Reid...
, which was produced by Kirsty Wark
Kirsty Wark
Kirsteen Anne Wark is a British journalist and television presenter best known for fronting the BBC Two's news and current affairs programme Newsnight since 1993, and its weekly arts annexe Newsnight Review which is now relaunched as "The Review Show".-Biography:Wark was born in Dumfries to Jimmy...
. He was producer of the famous reportage by Michael Buerk
Michael Buerk
Michael Duncan Buerk is a BBC journalist and newsreader, most famous for his reporting of the Ethiopian famine on 23 October 1984, which inspired the Band Aid charity record.-Early life:...
of the Ethiopian famine of 1984 that inspired the Band Aid
Band Aid (band)
Band Aid was a charity supergroup featuring British and Irish musicians and recording artists. It was founded in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia by releasing the song "Do They Know It's Christmas?" for the Christmas market that year. The single...
and Live Aid
Live Aid
Live Aid was a dual-venue concert that was held on 13 July 1985. The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine. Billed as the "global jukebox", the event was held simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom ...
charity campaigns, which led him to be headhunted by the International Red Cross and Red Crescent. He was Director of Public Affairs there for 12 years, based in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, but working worldwide in conflict and disaster
Disaster
A disaster is a natural or man-made hazard that has come to fruition, resulting in an event of substantial extent causing significant physical damage or destruction, loss of life, or drastic change to the environment...
zones. After relief efforts for the 1988 Armenian earthquake he was recognised with the Gold Medal of the Supreme Soviet of Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
and the Pirogov Gold Medal of the USSR.
The Scottish Parliament
In 1995 ish Reid re-entered Scottish politics by delivering the annual Donaldson Lecture at the SNP conference, drawing on his knowledge of continentalContinental Europe
Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands....
European politics to argue a case for why a party like the SNP could be expected to prosper if a 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...
was established. Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
Shadow
Shadow Cabinet
The Shadow Cabinet is a senior group of opposition spokespeople in the Westminster system of government who together under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition form an alternative cabinet to the government's, whose members shadow or mark each individual member of the government...
Secretary of State for Scotland
Secretary of State for Scotland
The Secretary of State for Scotland is the principal minister of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Scotland. He heads the Scotland Office , a government department based in London and Edinburgh. The post was created soon after the Union of the Crowns, but was...
George Robertson
George Robertson, Baron Robertson of Port Ellen
George Islay MacNeill Robertson, Baron Robertson of Port Ellen, is a British Labour Party politician who was the tenth Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, between October 1999 and early January 2004; he succeeded Javier Solana in that position...
's contrary claim that devolution
Devolution
Devolution is the statutory granting of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to government at a subnational level, such as a regional, local, or state level. Devolution can be mainly financial, e.g. giving areas a budget which was formerly administered by central government...
would "kill the SNP stone dead" was dismissed by Reid by saying "Ho, ho, ho".
He stood in the Ochil constituency
Ochil (UK Parliament constituency)
Ochil was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1997 until 2005. It elected one Member of Parliament Ochil was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1997 until 2005. It elected one Member of...
, which covered approximately the same area as his old seat, at Westminster
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
in the UK general election 1997
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
, coming in second. When the new Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
administration moved forward with proposals for a Scottish Parliament, Reid first served on the pre-establishment Consultative Steering Group, and then was elected in the first election in 1999 to represent Mid Scotland and Fife
Mid Scotland and Fife (Scottish Parliament electoral region)
Mid Scotland and Fife is one of the eight electoral regions of the Scottish Parliament which were created in 1999. Nine of the parliament's 73 first past the post constituencies are sub-divisions of the region and it elects seven of the 56 additional-member Members of the Scottish Parliament...
.
At the opening of the Parliament Reid was defeated 82 votes to 44 by Sir David Steel
David Steel
David Martin Scott Steel, Baron Steel of Aikwood, KT, KBE, PC is a British Liberal Democrat politician who served as the Leader of the Liberal Party from 1976 until its merger with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the Liberal Democrats...
(a Liberal Democrat, the last-ever leader of the British Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
) for the position of Presiding Officer
Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament
The Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament is the speaker of the Scottish Parliament, elected by the Members of the Scottish Parliament, by means of an exhaustive ballot. He or she also heads the Corporate Body of the Scottish Parliament and as such is viewed as a figurehead for the entire...
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...
and was instead elected a Deputy Presiding Officer.
At the 2003 Scottish Parliament Election Reid succeeded in winning the Ochil constituency
Ochil (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Ochil was a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elected one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
first past the post. He was then elected by his fellow MSPs to succeed David Steel as Presiding Officer. As the office is non-partisan, he took voluntary suspension from his political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
, the SNP.
As the Presiding Officer has a role in advising The Queen, Reid was appointed a member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
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...
in 2004. At the official opening of the controversial new Scottish Parliament building
Scottish Parliament Building
The Scottish Parliament Building is the home of the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, within the UNESCO World Heritage Site in central Edinburgh. Construction of the building commenced in June 1999 and the Members of the Scottish Parliament held their first debate in the new building on 7...
that year, he made a keynote speech in which he paid tribute to the construction as an architectural achievement, and urged parliamentarians to "listen to the building" to inspire them in their future endeavours.
As Presiding Officer he also led the creation of a Scottish Futures Forum, to promote cross-party strategic thinking. He was appointed President of the Royal Commonwealth Society Scotland
Royal Commonwealth Society
The Royal Commonwealth Society is an international educational charity and a private members' club. Its mission is to support and promote the modern Commonwealth, its culture and core values...
, and became Patron
Patrón
Patrón is a luxury brand of tequila produced in Mexico and sold in hand-blown, individually numbered bottles.Made entirely from Blue Agave "piñas" , Patrón comes in five varieties: Silver, Añejo, Reposado, Gran Patrón Platinum and Gran Patrón Burdeos. Patrón also sells a tequila-coffee blend known...
of the Scottish Disability Equality Forum. During his time as Presiding Officer he won the Herald newspaper's 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 in 2003 and 2005, making him the only person so far to have won the award on two occasions.
After Presiding Officer
Reid chose not to seek re-election at the end of the 2007 Parliamentary term. As an independent figure with experience of a devolved parliament, he was chosen to lead a review of the administration of the troubled Northern Ireland AssemblyNorthern 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...
. Reid also joined the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
's Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
-Caspian
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
diplomatic commission. On April 19, 2007, he was made a Freeman of the County of Clackmannanshire.
He was then appointed Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
The Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the British Sovereign's personal representative to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland , reflecting the Church's role as the national church of Scotland, and the Sovereign's role as protector and member of...
in January 2008, to serve as the Queen's personal representative to the Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
. This position is second only to the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh
Duke of Edinburgh
The Duke of Edinburgh is a British royal title, named after the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, which has been conferred upon members of the British royal family only four times times since its creation in 1726...
in the ceremonial Order of Precedence
Order of precedence in Scotland
The order of precedence in Scotland was fixed by Royal Warrant in 1905. Amendments were made by further Warrants in 1952, 1958 and most recently in 1999 to coincide with the establishment of the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government....
.. In 2011 he was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Clackmannanshire
Lord Lieutenant of Clackmannanshire
This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Clackmannanshire.The official title of the office has varied over time as follows:* David Erskine, 9th Earl of Buchan 1713 – 1715* incomplete before 1794...
.
He also serves as an Honorary Professor in the School of Law at Glasgow University, and holds Honorary Doctorates from the University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
, University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
, University of Stirling
University of Stirling
The University of Stirling is a campus university founded by Royal charter in 1967, on the Airthrey Estate in Stirling, Scotland.-History and campus development:...
and Queen Margaret University. Reid is married with two children.
Reid is also currently in talks with the National Trust for Scotland
National Trust for Scotland
The National Trust for Scotland for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, commonly known as the National Trust for Scotland describes itself as the conservation charity that protects and promotes Scotland's natural and cultural heritage for present and future generations to...
: he has been asked to lead its impending wide-ranging internal governance review. He has highlighted three key areas for the Trust's report: the report must be properly resourced and completed within six months, it must be a transparent process with regular feedback, and it must be open to all opinions.