John Swinney
Encyclopedia
John Ramsey Swinney is the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth in the Scottish Government and the Scottish National Party Member
of the Scottish Parliament
for Perthshire North
, having previously represented North Tayside (1999-2011). Perthshire North takes in Highland and East Perthshire, the Carse of Gowrie and the Perth City Centre ward of Perth and Kinross Council.
He joined the Scottish National Party
in 1979 at the age of 15 and has held a number of posts within the party at local and national level, including National Secretary, Vice Convener for Publicity and Deputy Leader. In 2000, Swinney was elected Leader (or National Convenor) of the SNP, becoming Leader of the Opposition in the Scottish Parliament
. He stood down as SNP leader in 2004 and became Convener of the Scottish Parliament's European and External Relations Committee.
Swinney was previously a Member of Parliament
(MP) for Tayside North
in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, before taking the same seat in the Scottish Parliament's 1999, 2003 and 2007 elections. In 2007 he achieved the largest constituency vote for any candidate in Scotland. At the election in May 2011, he was re-elected with 18,219 votes, and a majority of 10,353. Swinney's vote was the second highest in Scotland, second only to First Minister
, Alex Salmond
MSP.
Born in Edinburgh
, Swinney was educated at Forrester High School
and the University of Edinburgh
, graduating in 1986 as a Master of Arts with Honours in Politics. Prior to his election to the UK Parliament in 1997, Swinney was employed as Strategic Planning Principal with Scottish Amicable and was a business and economic development consultant for five years. Swinney is married and has three children.
. He involved himself in the SNP Youth Wing
and gradually became more active in the party, becoming firstly the SNP Assistant National Secretary and then the National Secretary in 1986, at the age of 22. He was educated at Forrester High School and the University of Edinburgh
, where he graduated with an MA
in Politics.
Swinney was a research officer for the Scottish Coal Project (1987–1988), a senior management consultant with Development Options (1988–1992), and a strategic planning principal with Scottish Amicable (1992–1997). In the SNP, he served as National Secretary until 1992, then Vice Convenor, later Senior Vice-Convenor (Deputy Leader) 1992-1997. At the time of the 1990 leadership contest he supported Margaret Ewing
in her bid to become SNP leader, but this did not stop him becoming politically close to the man who went on to win that contest, Alex Salmond
.
, he was elected as Member of Parliament
(MP) for the Tayside North
constituency, and in 1999 he was elected to represent the same area at the Scottish Parliament
.
He stood down as a Westminster MP at the 2001 general election
election in order to avoid splitting his time, in line with all of his colleagues who found themselves in a similar 'dual mandate' position.
His surname was the subject of some confusion during his four-year spell at Westminster. Every time he was called to speak by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons
Sir Alan Haselhurst
, he was referred to as 'Mr. John Sweeney', although Swinney noticeably never corrected this.
's decision to step down as party leader, was marked by serious argument between the SNP Gradualist
wing of the party, who in the main supported Swinney and SNP Fundamentalist
wing, who in the main supported Alex Neil. Swinney won the contest but the media raised some doubt about his ability to lead the party following poor SNP performances in the 2001 UK General Election and the 2003 Scottish Parliamentary Election. He successfully defeated a leadership challenge from Bill Wilson in 2003, defeating Wilson by 577 votes to 111.
Though retaining its two seats at the 2004 European elections
, in a smaller field of 7 (Scotland up until then had 8 MEPs) the Scottish press and certain elements within the Fundamentalist wing of the Party depicted the result as a disaster for the SNP putting further pressure on Swinney who resigned soon afterwards on 22 June 2004.
, Swinney led coalition talks with the Scottish Green Party
. He was later appointed Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth
in the Cabinet of the minority SNP government.
His role will oversee the economy, local government, the budget, energy, tourism, climate change, public transport and Scottish Water. The size of his portfolio drew criticism from former First Minister, Jack McConnell
, who described it as a "shambles of a department". However, Alex Salmond stated that Swinney would have "a work rate the size of Jupiter" to handle his brief.
As response to Swinney not notifying the Scottish Parliament that he had let the Scottish Variable Rate lapse due to not funding this tax mechanism, the Scottish Parliament voted to censure him and called his actions "an abuse of power".
Subsequently, a freedom of information request showed that even if Swinney had funded the mechanism, problems and delays in the HM Revenue & Customs computer system made any collection of the tax impossible. The Scottish Government added, "The power has not lapsed, the HMRC simply does not have an IT system capable of delivering a ten-month state of readiness."
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 Perthshire North
Perthshire North (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Perthshire North is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
, having previously represented North Tayside (1999-2011). Perthshire North takes in Highland and East Perthshire, the Carse of Gowrie and the Perth City Centre ward of Perth and Kinross Council.
He joined 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....
in 1979 at the age of 15 and has held a number of posts within the party at local and national level, including National Secretary, Vice Convener for Publicity and Deputy Leader. In 2000, Swinney was elected Leader (or National Convenor) of the SNP, becoming Leader of the Opposition 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...
. He stood down as SNP leader in 2004 and became Convener of the Scottish Parliament's European and External Relations Committee.
Swinney was previously a 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,...
(MP) for Tayside North
Tayside North (UK Parliament constituency)
North Tayside was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 until 2005. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post voting system....
in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, before taking the same seat in the Scottish Parliament's 1999, 2003 and 2007 elections. In 2007 he achieved the largest constituency vote for any candidate in Scotland. At the election in May 2011, he was re-elected with 18,219 votes, and a majority of 10,353. Swinney's vote was the second highest in Scotland, second only to 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...
, Alex Salmond
Alex Salmond
Alexander Elliot Anderson "Alex" Salmond MSP is a Scottish politician and current First Minister of Scotland. He became Scotland's fourth First Minister in May 2007. He is the Leader of the Scottish National Party , having served as Member of the Scottish Parliament for Gordon...
MSP.
Born in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Swinney was educated at Forrester High School
Forrester High School
Forrester High School is a secondary school in Edinburgh.-Headteacher & SMT:The Headteacher is Derek Curran he is assisted by his Depute Headteachers Karen Scott, Mo Cunningham, Bob Wilson and Business Manager Neil Hunter.-Houses:...
and the 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...
, graduating in 1986 as a Master of Arts with Honours in Politics. Prior to his election to the UK Parliament in 1997, Swinney was employed as Strategic Planning Principal with Scottish Amicable and was a business and economic development consultant for five years. Swinney is married and has three children.
Background and early career
Swinney joined the SNP at the age of 15, citing his anger at the way in which Scotland had been portrayed by television commentators at the Commonwealth Games1978 Commonwealth Games
The 1978 Commonwealth Games were held in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, from 3 to 12 August 1978, two years after the 1976 Summer Olympics were held in Montreal, Quebec...
. He involved himself in the SNP Youth Wing
Young Scots for Independence
Young Scots for Independence is the youth wing of the Scottish National Party . It is not to be confused with Federation of Student Nationalists, which is for those in higher education, and whose membership is not restricted by age, unlike the YSI.The YSI is autonomous from the SNP and as such is...
and gradually became more active in the party, becoming firstly the SNP Assistant National Secretary and then the National Secretary in 1986, at the age of 22. He was educated at Forrester High School and the 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...
, where he graduated with an MA
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...
in Politics.
Swinney was a research officer for the Scottish Coal Project (1987–1988), a senior management consultant with Development Options (1988–1992), and a strategic planning principal with Scottish Amicable (1992–1997). In the SNP, he served as National Secretary until 1992, then Vice Convenor, later Senior Vice-Convenor (Deputy Leader) 1992-1997. At the time of the 1990 leadership contest he supported 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...
in her bid to become SNP leader, but this did not stop him becoming politically close to the man who went on to win that contest, Alex Salmond
Alex Salmond
Alexander Elliot Anderson "Alex" Salmond MSP is a Scottish politician and current First Minister of Scotland. He became Scotland's fourth First Minister in May 2007. He is the Leader of the Scottish National Party , having served as Member of the Scottish Parliament for Gordon...
.
House of Commons (1997 - 2001)
At the 1997 general electionUnited 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...
, he was elected as 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,...
(MP) for the Tayside North
Tayside North (UK Parliament constituency)
North Tayside was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 until 2005. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post voting system....
constituency, and in 1999 he was elected to represent the same area at 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...
.
He stood down as a Westminster MP at the 2001 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2001
The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...
election in order to avoid splitting his time, in line with all of his colleagues who found themselves in a similar 'dual mandate' position.
His surname was the subject of some confusion during his four-year spell at Westminster. Every time he was called to speak by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons
Speaker of the British House of Commons
The Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, the United Kingdom's lower chamber of Parliament. The current Speaker is John Bercow, who was elected on 22 June 2009, following the resignation of Michael Martin...
Sir Alan Haselhurst
Alan Haselhurst
Sir Alan Gordon Barraclough Haselhurst is a British Conservative politician who is the Member of Parliament for Saffron Walden and was Chairman of Ways and Means from 14 May 1997 to 8 June 2010.-Early life, education and career:...
, he was referred to as 'Mr. John Sweeney', although Swinney noticeably never corrected this.
SNP Leader (2000 - 2004)
The leadership contest in 2000, caused by Alex SalmondAlex Salmond
Alexander Elliot Anderson "Alex" Salmond MSP is a Scottish politician and current First Minister of Scotland. He became Scotland's fourth First Minister in May 2007. He is the Leader of the Scottish National Party , having served as Member of the Scottish Parliament for Gordon...
's decision to step down as party leader, was marked by serious argument between the SNP Gradualist
SNP gradualist
The gradualist viewpoint within the Scottish National Party is the idea that Scottish independence can be won by the accumulation by the Scottish Parliament of powers that the UK Parliament currently has over a protracted period of time...
wing of the party, who in the main supported Swinney and SNP Fundamentalist
SNP fundamentalist
The fundamentalist ideology within the Scottish National Party is the belief that the SNP should emphasise its policy of Scottish independence more widely in order to achieve it...
wing, who in the main supported Alex Neil. Swinney won the contest but the media raised some doubt about his ability to lead the party following poor SNP performances in the 2001 UK General Election and the 2003 Scottish Parliamentary Election. He successfully defeated a leadership challenge from Bill Wilson in 2003, defeating Wilson by 577 votes to 111.
Though retaining its two seats at the 2004 European elections
European Parliament election, 2004 (UK)
The European Parliament election, 2004 was the UK part of the European Parliament election, 2004. It was held on 10 June. It was the first European election to be held in the United Kingdom using postal-only voting in four areas. It coincided with local and London elections.The Conservative Party...
, in a smaller field of 7 (Scotland up until then had 8 MEPs) the Scottish press and certain elements within the Fundamentalist wing of the Party depicted the result as a disaster for the SNP putting further pressure on Swinney who resigned soon afterwards on 22 June 2004.
Finance Secretary (2007 - )
After the SNP emerged as the largest party following the 2007 Scottish Parliament ElectionScottish 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...
, Swinney led coalition talks with the Scottish Green Party
Scottish Green Party
The Scottish Green Party is a green party in Scotland. It has two MSPs in the devolved Scottish Parliament, Alison Johnstone, representing Lothian, and Patrick Harvie, for Glasgow.-Organisation:...
. He was later appointed Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth
Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth
The Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth, commonly referred to as the Finance Secretary, is a member of the Cabinet in the Scottish Government...
in the Cabinet of the minority SNP government.
His role will oversee the economy, local government, the budget, energy, tourism, climate change, public transport and Scottish Water. The size of his portfolio drew criticism from former First Minister, 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...
, who described it as a "shambles of a department". However, Alex Salmond stated that Swinney would have "a work rate the size of Jupiter" to handle his brief.
As response to Swinney not notifying the Scottish Parliament that he had let the Scottish Variable Rate lapse due to not funding this tax mechanism, the Scottish Parliament voted to censure him and called his actions "an abuse of power".
Subsequently, a freedom of information request showed that even if Swinney had funded the mechanism, problems and delays in the HM Revenue & Customs computer system made any collection of the tax impossible. The Scottish Government added, "The power has not lapsed, the HMRC simply does not have an IT system capable of delivering a ten-month state of readiness."