Patrick Harvie
Encyclopedia
Patrick Harvie is the co-convenor of the Scottish Green Party
(with Eleanor Scott
) and Member
of the Scottish Parliament
for the Glasgow region
. He was first elected in the 2003 election and was re-elected in the 2007 election and in the 2011 election.
between 1984-1991, and attended Manchester Metropolitan University
where he was briefly a member of the Labour party
.
From 1997 till his election in 2003, Harvie worked within the Gay Men's Project at the sexual health organisation PHACE Scotland (now part of the Terrence Higgins Trust
) initially as a youth worker
and later as Development Worker for the Lanarkshire Health Board
area. Although this work was principally concerned with HIV
prevention, it also involved Harvie in equality
campaigning. During this period, he was active in the campaign to repeal Section 2A of the Local Government Act
, more commonly known as Section 28
. This campaign was successful, and Harvie has stated that the experience prompted him to become more actively involved in politics, leading to his joining the Scottish Green Party
.
in Glasgow, and for more 'mainstream' issues such as opposition to the Identity Cards Bill.
Quickly after becoming an MSP he caused some controversy by proposing civil partnership legislation in the Scottish Parliament
. Though this legislation was ultimately handled at Westminster and covered the whole UK, the distinctive Scottish proposals helped to stimulate some public debate north of the border, both on the issue of same-sex relationships and on the process known as a Legislative Consent Motion by which the Scottish Parliament
allows Westminster to legislate for the whole UK.
Harvie was a member of the Communities Committee of the Scottish Parliament throughout the 2003-7 session, and through this committee he worked on the Anti-social behaviour
Bill, the Charities Bill and the Housing
Bill, as well as on issues of homelessness
, debt
, the planning system and building standards. In 2004 Harvie was given the 'One to Watch' award at the annual Scottish Politician of the Year
event. In addition to the Communities portfolio, Harvie covered the Justice portfolio for the Greens, and has been active on a number of civil liberties
issues. He has also been convener of the Cross Party Group (CPG) on Human Rights, and helped to establish a CPG on Sexual Health.
Following the Green Party's disappointing performance in the 2007 election, Harvie was returned with a reduced share of the vote. However the tight parliamentary arithmetic and a constructive relationship with the Scottish National Party
led to a Co-operation Agreement between the two parties. Under this, Harvie was nominated to convene the Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee.
, Honorary Vice-President of the Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association
and a patron of Parents' Enquiry Scotland. He is a board member of the Glasgay! Festival
, and a member of Greenpeace
, Friends of the Earth
, the Equality Network, Stonewall (UK)
, Amnesty International
, Humanist Society of Scotland
and the Campaign Against the Arms Trade. From 2003 till 2007, Harvie wrote a weekly column in the Scottish edition of the Big Issue.
He is bisexual, and is the first openly bisexual party leader in the United Kingdom
. He was also a candidate in the election for Rector of the University of Glasgow in February 2008.
Harvie is an advocate of Open Source
and Free Software
, and a Linux
user. His use of Twitter
during an important political dinner drew much media comment.
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:...
(with Eleanor Scott
Eleanor Scott
Dr Eleanor Scott is a Scottish politician. She is a former Scottish Green Party Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Highlands and Islands.-Background and career:...
) and 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 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 the Glasgow region
Glasgow (Scottish Parliament electoral region)
Glasgow 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...
. He was first elected in the 2003 election and was re-elected in the 2007 election and in the 2011 election.
Background, education and career
Harvie went to Dumbarton AcademyDumbarton Academy
Dumbarton Academy is a non denomonational secondary school in West Dunbartonshire and serves the town of Dumbarton and the surrounding area.-Admissions:It is situated near the railway, off the B830 in the east of Dumbarton...
between 1984-1991, and attended Manchester Metropolitan University
Manchester Metropolitan University
Manchester Metropolitan University is a university in North West England. Its headquarters and central campus is in the city of Manchester, but there are outlying facilities in the county of Cheshire. It is the third largest university in the United Kingdom in terms of student numbers, behind the...
where he was briefly a member of the Labour party
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...
.
From 1997 till his election in 2003, Harvie worked within the Gay Men's Project at the sexual health organisation PHACE Scotland (now part of the Terrence Higgins Trust
Terrence Higgins Trust
Terrence Higgins Trust is a British charity that campaigns on various issues related to AIDS and HIV. In particular, the charity aims to reduce the spread of HIV and promote good sexual health ; to provide services on a national and local level to people with, affected by, or at risk of...
) initially as a youth worker
Youth Worker
A Youth worker is a person that works with young people to engage them in informal education. Youth workers can work in many contexts. In the UK and elsewhere, the main distinction is usually made between statutory, those who work as part of a government run initiative, and non-statutory, those...
and later as Development Worker for the Lanarkshire Health Board
NHS Lanarkshire
NHS Lanarkshire is responsible for improving the health of more than 553,000 people living within the council areas of North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire in Scotland. NHS Lanarkshire employs approximately 12,000 staff...
area. Although this work was principally concerned with HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
prevention, it also involved Harvie in equality
Egalitarianism
Egalitarianism is a trend of thought that favors equality of some sort among moral agents, whether persons or animals. Emphasis is placed upon the fact that equality contains the idea of equity of quality...
campaigning. During this period, he was active in the campaign to repeal Section 2A of the Local Government Act
Local Government Act
Local Government Act is a stock short title used for legislation in Australia, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom, relating to local government....
, more commonly known as Section 28
Section 28
Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 caused the controversial addition of Section 2A to the Local Government Act 1986 , enacted on 24 May 1988 and repealed on 21 June 2000 in Scotland, and on 18 November 2003 in the rest of Great Britain by section 122 of the Local Government Act 2003...
. This campaign was successful, and Harvie has stated that the experience prompted him to become more actively involved in politics, leading to his joining 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:...
.
Member of the Scottish Parliament
Harvie has gained attention both for issues strongly associated with the Greens, such as campaigning against the extension to the M74 motorwayM74 motorway
The A74 and M74 motorways form a major motorway in Scotland. Following an extension opened on 28 June 2011, it connects the M8 motorway west of Glasgow to the English border at Gretna, creating an alternative route for traffic moving from the south to the west of the city...
in Glasgow, and for more 'mainstream' issues such as opposition to the Identity Cards Bill.
Quickly after becoming an MSP he caused some controversy by proposing civil partnership legislation 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...
. Though this legislation was ultimately handled at Westminster and covered the whole UK, the distinctive Scottish proposals helped to stimulate some public debate north of the border, both on the issue of same-sex relationships and on the process known as a Legislative Consent Motion by which 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...
allows Westminster to legislate for the whole UK.
Harvie was a member of the Communities Committee of the Scottish Parliament throughout the 2003-7 session, and through this committee he worked on the Anti-social behaviour
Anti-social behaviour
Anti-social behaviour is behaviour that lacks consideration for others and that may cause damage to society, whether intentionally or through negligence, as opposed to pro-social behaviour, behaviour that helps or benefits society...
Bill, the Charities Bill and the Housing
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
Bill, as well as on issues of homelessness
Homelessness
Homelessness describes the condition of people without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are unable or unwilling to acquire and maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or lack "fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence." The legal definition of "homeless" varies from country...
, debt
Debt
A debt is an obligation owed by one party to a second party, the creditor; usually this refers to assets granted by the creditor to the debtor, but the term can also be used metaphorically to cover moral obligations and other interactions not based on economic value.A debt is created when a...
, the planning system and building standards. In 2004 Harvie was given the 'One to Watch' award at the annual 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....
event. In addition to the Communities portfolio, Harvie covered the Justice portfolio for the Greens, and has been active on a number of civil liberties
Civil liberties
Civil liberties are rights and freedoms that provide an individual specific rights such as the freedom from slavery and forced labour, freedom from torture and death, the right to liberty and security, right to a fair trial, the right to defend one's self, the right to own and bear arms, the right...
issues. He has also been convener of the Cross Party Group (CPG) on Human Rights, and helped to establish a CPG on Sexual Health.
Following the Green Party's disappointing performance in the 2007 election, Harvie was returned with a reduced share of the vote. However the tight parliamentary arithmetic and a constructive relationship with 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....
led to a Co-operation Agreement between the two parties. Under this, Harvie was nominated to convene the Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee.
Positions held
- MSP for Glasgow regionGlasgow (Scottish Parliament electoral region)Glasgow 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...
(2003-present) - Green Party Spokesperson for Justice and Communities (2003-2005)
- Green Party Spokesperson for Justice, Communities, Europe and Constitutional Affairs (2005-2007)
- Convener of the Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee (2007-2011)
- Co-convenor, Scottish Green Party (2008-present)
Other
Harvie is an Honorary Associate of the National Secular SocietyNational Secular Society
The National Secular Society is a British campaigning organisation that promotes secularism and the separation of church and state. It holds that no-one should gain advantage or disadvantage because of their religion or lack of religion. It was founded by Charles Bradlaugh in 1866...
, Honorary Vice-President of the Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association
Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association
The Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association is a democratic, membership-based, Humanist campaigning organisation that represents the many non-religious in the lesbian and gay community in the United Kingdom and beyond...
and a patron of Parents' Enquiry Scotland. He is a board member of the Glasgay! Festival
Glasgay! Festival
Glasgay! Festival is a gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender arts festival in Glasgow,Scotland.As part of the diversity of Glasgow's cultural scene, Glasgow hosts an annual Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Arts Festival in November, organised by GALA Scotland Ltd.-History:First held in 1993,...
, and a member of Greenpeace
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
, Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Earth International is an international network of environmental organizations in 76 countries.FOEI is assisted by a small secretariat which provides support for the network and its agreed major campaigns...
, the Equality Network, Stonewall (UK)
Stonewall (UK)
Stonewall is a lesbian, gay and bisexual rights charity in the United Kingdom named after the Stonewall Inn of Stonewall riots fame. Now the largest gay equality organization not only in the UK but in Europe, it was formed in 1989 by political activists and others lobbying against section 28 of the...
, Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
, Humanist Society of Scotland
Humanist Society of Scotland
The Humanist Society of Scotland is a Scottish voluntary charitable organisation that promotes humanist views. It is a member of the European Humanist Federation and the International Humanist and Ethical Union.-History and aims:...
and the Campaign Against the Arms Trade. From 2003 till 2007, Harvie wrote a weekly column in the Scottish edition of the Big Issue.
He is bisexual, and is the first openly bisexual party leader in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. He was also a candidate in the election for Rector of the University of Glasgow in February 2008.
Harvie is an advocate of Open Source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
and Free Software
Free software
Free software, software libre or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients can also do...
, and a Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
user. His use of Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
during an important political dinner drew much media comment.