Kenneth Macintosh
Encyclopedia
Kenneth "Ken" Macintosh (born 15 January 1962) is a Scottish
Labour Party
politician and the MSP
for the Eastwood
constituency. He was first elected in the 1999 Scottish Parliament election and retained his seat in the 2003, 2007 and the 2011 elections. He is currently the Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education, shadowing Mike Russell.
, Macintosh was educated at the Portree
and Oban
primary schools before attending Royal High School, Edinburgh. He graduated from the University of Edinburgh
with an History MA (Hons) in 1984.
Both his parents were headteachers. His father Dr Farquhar Macintosh CBE was a Gaelic speaker from Skye
, a leading intellectual in Scottish education and was Rector of the Royal High in Edinburgh and chair of the Scottish Examination Board
. His mother, Margaret Macintosh, is from Peebles
and was head of Drummond Community High
and assistant head of Wester Hailes
.
for the BBC News
Network. He also worked on Breakfast with Frost
, Breakfast News
, and the Nine O'Clock News. He was also worked as a researcher on election
programmes
for both David Dimbleby
and Jonathan Dimbleby
.
with a majority of 2,125.
In February 2002, Macintosh was appointed as a ministerial parliamentary aide (MPA) to Minister for Education and Young People, Cathy Jamieson
. He resigned from this role in September 2002 when he voted against the Labour-Liberal Democrat Coalition
Scottish Executive
over the closure of the A&E department at the Glasgow Victoria Infirmary
.
In 2005 Macintosh had to resign from his position as Deputy Convenor on the Standards Committee
after it was revealed he had failed to declare £330 of hospitality from McDonald's
within the required time.
In 2006 and 2007 Macintosh has proposed a Member's Bill to the Scottish Parliament
providing for the tougher regulation of sunbed
parlour
s, which passed successfully. Since his election in 1999 has been a member of the cross-party group on cancer. From February 2007 to April 2007, he was a Ministerial Parliamentary Aide to the First Minister
Jack McConnell
.
Macintosh was re-elected as MSP for Eastwood at the 2007 election
with a narrow majority of 913, where he fought off a strong challenge from the Conservative Party's Jackson Carlaw
. Macintosh was appointed Shadow Minister for Schools and Skills
.
Macintosh considered running for the 2008 Scottish Labour leadership election
but pulled out and instead backed Andy Kerr's candidacy.
At the 2011 parliamentary election he once again defeated Jackson Carlaw with an increased majority of 2,012. The swing was 8.7% from Conservative to Labour. Macintosh had feared losing the constituency following boundary changes (with the removal of Barrhead
, Neilston
and Uplawmoor
) which gave a notional Conservative majority of almost 3500. After the party's loss to the SNP, Macintosh was made Shadow Culture and External Affairs Secretary. Only a week later though, he took over the Shadow Education portfolio after MSP Malcolm Chisholm
resigned over an internal party disagreement.
on 12 September 2011. MSP colleagues who have so far endorsed his leadership bid include: his campaign manager Michael McMahon
, Claire Baker
, Mary Fee
, Neil Bibby
, Mark Griffin, Kezia Dugdale
and Jenny Marra
. Macintosh is also supported by East Renfrewshire MP Jim Murphy
, co-author of the Review of the Labour Party in Scotland
. Murphy and Macintosh together share the same constituency office in Clarkston, East Renfrewshire
.
In an early address to party members, Macintosh said he was a devolutionist
, not a unionist.
On 28 October 2011, Macintosh officially launched his leadership campaign at Cumbernauld College
in North Lanarkshire
. He described the 2011 Holyrood election result as a "disaster", and that the party had been too negative and if it did not change it "will consign ourselves to steady decline and years of opposition. We need to unite as a party and to start talking positively about our values, what Labour stands for and not just what we are against."
was unable to recall Ken Macintosh's name during a TV interview with BBC Scotland
, during the September 2011 Labour Party Conference. After the interview, Miliband telephoned Macintosh to apologise for his mistake. Later, Macintosh tried to downplay the incident saying "I don't think anyone should read anything into it – half the time I can't even remember the names of my own kids." He added: "What really caught my attention about the interview is that, like me, Ed’s making a strong and positive case for Scotland to remain in the UK."
with their six children.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
Labour Party
Scottish Labour Party
The Scottish Labour Party is the section of the British Labour Party which operates in Scotland....
politician and the 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:...
for the Eastwood
Eastwood (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Eastwood is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the first past the post method of election...
constituency. He was first elected in the 1999 Scottish Parliament election and retained his seat in the 2003, 2007 and the 2011 elections. He is currently the Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education, shadowing Mike Russell.
Early life
Born in InvernessInverness
Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
, Macintosh was educated at the Portree
Portree
Portree is the largest town on Skye in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. It is the location for the only secondary school on the Island, Portree High school. Public transport services are limited to buses....
and Oban
Oban
Oban Oban Oban ( is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. It has a total resident population of 8,120. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William and during the tourist season the town can be crowded by up to 25,000 people. Oban...
primary schools before attending Royal High School, Edinburgh. He graduated from 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...
with an History MA (Hons) in 1984.
Both his parents were headteachers. His father Dr Farquhar Macintosh CBE was a Gaelic speaker from Skye
Skye
Skye or the Isle of Skye is the largest and most northerly island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate out from a mountainous centre dominated by the Cuillin hills...
, a leading intellectual in Scottish education and was Rector of the Royal High in Edinburgh and chair of the Scottish Examination Board
Scottish Examination Board
The Scottish Examination Board was the academic examination board for schools in Scotland until 1997.It used to administer all of Scotland's academic qualifications, including Standard Grades and Highers....
. His mother, Margaret Macintosh, is from Peebles
Peebles
Peebles is a burgh in the committee area of Tweeddale, in the Scottish Borders, lying on the River Tweed. According to the 2001 Census, the population was 8,159.-History:...
and was head of Drummond Community High
Drummond Community High School
Drummond Community High School is in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is a council-run school, although the building belongs to private company Amey plc for insurance purposes. It resides on Bellevue Place, and was originally known as Bellevue High School....
and assistant head of Wester Hailes
Wester Hailes
Wester Hailes is an area in the south west of Edinburgh, Scotland.Depending on the definition, Wester Hailes sometimes takes in Sighthill, the Calders and other surrounding areas, and may be said to contain the areas of Murrayburn, Clovenstone, Westburn and Dumbryden.Wester Hailes borders on...
.
BBC career
Before Macintosh became an MSP, he was from 1987 to 1999, a television producerTelevision 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 News
BBC News
BBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
Network. He also worked on Breakfast with Frost
Breakfast with Frost
Breakfast with Frost was a talk show hosted by Sir David Frost on the BBC on Sunday mornings. The news presenter was Moira Stuart. The show ran for more than 12 years and exactly 500 editions between 3 January 1993 and 29 May 2005...
, Breakfast News
Breakfast News
Breakfast News was a breakfast news show which aired on BBC One from September 4, 1989 to September 15, 2000.The programme had been previously known as Breakfast Time....
, and the Nine O'Clock News. He was also worked as a researcher on election
Elections in the United Kingdom
There are five types of elections in the United Kingdom: United Kingdom general elections, elections to devolved parliaments and assemblies, elections to the European Parliament, local elections and mayoral elections. Elections are held on Election Day, which is conventionally a Thursday...
programmes
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
for both David Dimbleby
David Dimbleby
David Dimbleby is a British BBC TV commentator and a presenter of current affairs and political programmes, most notably the BBC's flagship political show Question Time, and more recently, art, architectural history and history series...
and Jonathan Dimbleby
Jonathan Dimbleby
Jonathan Dimbleby is a British presenter of current affairs and political radio and television programmes, a political commentator and a writer. He is the son of Richard Dimbleby and younger brother of British TV presenter David Dimbleby.-Education:Dimbleby was educated at Charterhouse School, a...
.
Member of the Scottish Parliament
At the 1999 election, he won the Eastwood constituencyEastwood (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Eastwood is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the first past the post method of election...
with a majority of 2,125.
In February 2002, Macintosh was appointed as a ministerial parliamentary aide (MPA) to Minister for Education and Young People, Cathy Jamieson
Cathy Jamieson
Catherine Mary "Cathy" Jamieson is a UK Labour party politician and the Member of Parliament for Kilmarnock & Loudoun. She has previously been Deputy Leader and Acting Leader of the Scottish Labour Party, former Minister for Justice in the Scottish Executive, and Labour Co-operative Member of the...
. He resigned from this role in September 2002 when he voted against the Labour-Liberal Democrat Coalition
Government of the 1st Scottish Parliament
The Executive of the 1st Scottish Parliament was formed following the 1999 election.- Dewar government :The Dewar government was formed by a coalition of Labour and the Liberal Democrats...
Scottish Executive
Scottish Executive
The Scottish Government is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was established in 1999 as the Scottish Executive, from the extant Scottish Office, and the term Scottish Executive remains its legal name under the Scotland Act 1998...
over the closure of the A&E department at the Glasgow Victoria Infirmary
Glasgow Victoria Infirmary
The Glasgow Victoria Infirmary is a teaching hospital with an acute operational bed complement of approximately 370. The hospital is situated at Langside in the south-east of Glasgow, providing a range of high quality health care services including Accident and Emergency, General Medicine , General...
.
In 2005 Macintosh had to resign from his position as Deputy Convenor on the Standards Committee
Committees of the Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament has a number of committees, with small numbers of Members appointed to deal with particular topics or issues.Much of the work of the Scottish Parliament is done in committee...
after it was revealed he had failed to declare £330 of hospitality from McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
within the required time.
In 2006 and 2007 Macintosh has proposed a Member's Bill to 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...
providing for the tougher regulation of sunbed
Sunbed
A sunbed , tanning bed or sun tanning bed is a device which emits ultraviolet radiation to produce a cosmetic tan. Regular tanning beds use several fluorescent lamps that have phosphor blends designed to emit UV in a spectrum that is somewhat similar to the sun...
parlour
Parlour
Parlour , from the French word parloir, from parler , denotes an "audience chamber". In parts of the United Kingdom and the United States, parlours are common names for certain types of food service houses, restaurants or special service areas, such as tattoo parlors...
s, which passed successfully. Since his election in 1999 has been a member of the cross-party group on cancer. From February 2007 to April 2007, he was a Ministerial Parliamentary Aide to the 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...
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...
.
Macintosh was re-elected as MSP for Eastwood at the 2007 election
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...
with a narrow majority of 913, where he fought off a strong challenge from the Conservative Party's Jackson Carlaw
Jackson Carlaw
Jackson Carlaw is a Conservative politician and a Member of the Scottish Parliament. He was defeated as a candidate for Eastwood in the 2003, 2007, and 2011 Scottish Parliament elections...
. Macintosh was appointed Shadow Minister for Schools and Skills
Minister for Schools and Skills
The Minister for Learning and Skills is a Junior ministerial post in the Education Department of the Scottish Government. As a result, the Minister does not attend the Scottish Cabinet...
.
Macintosh considered running for the 2008 Scottish Labour leadership election
Scottish Labour Party leadership election, 2008
The 2008 Scottish Labour Party leadership election was an internal party election to choose a new leader of the Labour Party in the Scottish Parliament, and was triggered following the resignation of Wendy Alexander following a row over donations to her own leadership campaign in 2007...
but pulled out and instead backed Andy Kerr's candidacy.
At the 2011 parliamentary election he once again defeated Jackson Carlaw with an increased majority of 2,012. The swing was 8.7% from Conservative to Labour. Macintosh had feared losing the constituency following boundary changes (with the removal of Barrhead
Barrhead
Barrhead is a town in East Renfrewshire, Scotland, southwest of Glasgow on the edge of the Gleniffer Braes. As of the 2001 census its population was 19,813....
, Neilston
Neilston
Neilston is a village and parish in East Renfrewshire set in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies in the Levern Valley, southwest of Barrhead, south of Paisley, and south-southwest of Renfrew, at the southwestern fringe of the Greater Glasgow conurbation...
and Uplawmoor
Uplawmoor
Uplawmoor is a village in East Renfrewshire, Scotland. Population 590 .Historic Uplawmoor, associated for centuries with the Barony of Caldwell and the Mure family, is still a vibrant community today, although now bereft of many of the services once to be found there...
) which gave a notional Conservative majority of almost 3500. After the party's loss to the SNP, Macintosh was made Shadow Culture and External Affairs Secretary. Only a week later though, he took over the Shadow Education portfolio after MSP Malcolm Chisholm
Malcolm Chisholm
Malcolm Chisholm is a Scottish Labour Party politician, and a former Scottish Executive minister.-Background:Chisholm was educated at George Watson's College and the University of Edinburgh and became an English teacher. He is married with three children...
resigned over an internal party disagreement.
Scottish Labour Party leadership election
Ken Macintosh launched his candidacy for leader of the Scottish Labour PartyScottish Labour Party leadership election, 2011
The 2011 Scottish Labour Party leadership election is an internal party election to choose a new leader of the Scottish Labour Party. The election follows the announcement by Iain Gray that he would stand down as leader in the autumn of 2011 followin the party's heavy defeat to the Scottish...
on 12 September 2011. MSP colleagues who have so far endorsed his leadership bid include: his campaign manager Michael McMahon
Michael McMahon (Scottish politician)
Michael McMahon is a Scottish Labour politician and is the Member of the Scottish Parliament for Uddingston and Bellshill since 2011. He was previously the member for the former seat of Hamilton North and Bellshill. McMahon has been the Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Local Government for Labour in...
, Claire Baker
Claire Baker
Claire Baker is a Scottish Labour Party politician, and Member of the Scottish Parliament for Mid Scotland and Fife since 2007...
, Mary Fee
Mary Fee
Mary Fee is a Scottish Labour Party Member of the Scottish Parliament, representing the West of Scotland region.-References:...
, Neil Bibby
Neil Bibby
Neil Bibby is a Labour Member of the Scottish Parliament, representing the West of Scotland region. Bibby was elected to the Scottish Parliament in 2011 to represent the West of Scotland region, as the Labour Party returned three members from the list.Born in Paisley, Bibby grew up in Renfrewshire...
, Mark Griffin, Kezia Dugdale
Kezia Dugdale
Kezia Dugdale is a Scottish Labour Party Member of the Scottish Parliament, representing the Lothian region.-Background:...
and Jenny Marra
Jenny Marra
Jenny Marra is a Scottish Labour Party Member of the Scottish Parliament, representing the North East Scotland electoral region. She is a member of the Education and Culture Committee and of the Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee.She is the niece of the musician Michael...
. Macintosh is also supported by East Renfrewshire MP Jim Murphy
Jim Murphy
James Francis "Jim" Murphy is a British Labour Party politician and is the Member of Parliament for East Renfrewshire....
, co-author of the Review of the Labour Party in Scotland
Review of the Labour Party in Scotland
The Murphy and Boyack review is a report being compiled by Jim Murphy and Sarah Boyack on the future structure of the Labour Party in Scotland, in response to the landslide victory by the Scottish National Party in the Scottish general election of 2011...
. Murphy and Macintosh together share the same constituency office in Clarkston, East Renfrewshire
Clarkston, East Renfrewshire
Clarkston is a small town in East Renfrewshire, Scotland. Although it is administratively outside nearby Glasgow, Clarkston is geographically an outer suburb of the city and part of the Greater Glasgow conurbation....
.
In an early address to party members, Macintosh said he was a devolutionist
Devolution in the United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, devolution refers to the statutory granting of powers from the Parliament of the United Kingdom to the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Assembly and to their associated executive bodies the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government...
, not a unionist.
On 28 October 2011, Macintosh officially launched his leadership campaign at Cumbernauld College
Cumbernauld College
Cumbernauld College is a higher and further education college in central Scotland. Cumbernauld College serves the communities of both North Lanarkshire and East Dunbartonshire, and has campuses in both Cumbernauld and Kirkintilloch, as well as further key outreach centres in Kilsyth, Airdrie,...
in North Lanarkshire
North Lanarkshire
North Lanarkshire is one of 32 council areas in Scotland. It borders onto the northeast of the City of Glasgow and contains much of Glasgow's suburbs and commuter towns and villages. It also borders Stirling, Falkirk, East Dunbartonshire, West Lothian and South Lanarkshire...
. He described the 2011 Holyrood election result as a "disaster", and that the party had been too negative and if it did not change it "will consign ourselves to steady decline and years of opposition. We need to unite as a party and to start talking positively about our values, what Labour stands for and not just what we are against."
Miliband gaffe
Despite being widely seen as a frontrunner in the leadership contest, UK Labour leader Ed MilibandEd Miliband
Edward Samuel Miliband is a British Labour Party politician, currently the Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition...
was unable to recall Ken Macintosh's name during a TV interview with BBC Scotland
BBC 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...
, during the September 2011 Labour Party Conference. After the interview, Miliband telephoned Macintosh to apologise for his mistake. Later, Macintosh tried to downplay the incident saying "I don't think anyone should read anything into it – half the time I can't even remember the names of my own kids." He added: "What really caught my attention about the interview is that, like me, Ed’s making a strong and positive case for Scotland to remain in the UK."
Personal life
He and his wife Claire live in Busby, East RenfrewshireBusby, East Renfrewshire
Busby is a village in East Renfrewshire, Scotland. Busby's close proximity to Glasgow effectively makes it a suburb of the city, though remains administratively separate. It lies on the White Cart Water south of Glasgow City Centre.-History:...
with their six children.
External links
- www.kenmacintosh.com (new website)
- kenmacintoshmsp.co.uk (old website)
- Ken Macintosh's Scottish Labour Leadership campaign site "scotlandsfuture.co.uk"
- Scottish Parliament profile