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Richard Baker (Scottish politician)
Encyclopedia
Richard Baker is a Scottish Labour
politician, and member
of the Scottish Parliament
(MSP) for the North East Scotland region. He was first elected in the 2003 general election, when he was the youngest sitting MSP, and since May 2011 is Labour's Finance spokesperson in the Scottish Parliament. He was previously their Justice spokesperson.
Baker was born in Edinburgh to an Episcopalian
priest father and English teacher mother, and is godson
to the then Episcopalian Bishop of Aberdeen
. He was educated at the independent St. Bees School
in Cumbria and at Aberdeen University.
He was the elected President of the National Union of Students Scotland
from 1998 till 2000, having previously been the North of Scotland Area Convener for that union, and before that the Senior Vice-President (an elected, full-time sabbatical officer
post) at the University of Aberdeen
Students' Representative Council (now Aberdeen University Students' Association
) in the academic year 1995/96.
In 2004 he was a member of the Scottish Parliament team in the TV general knowledge program, University Challenge
— The Professionals. He and fellow team members Robin Harper
(Green), Jamie Stone
(Lib Dem) who was captain, and Stewart Stevenson
(SNP) beat a Welsh Assembly team by 110 points to 75. Both teams comfortably surpassed the record low score of 25 achieved by the House of Commons team in 2003.
His wife, Claire Brennan-Baker became an MSP after the 2007 election, but for the Mid Scotland and Fife region.
Scottish Labour Party
The Scottish Labour Party is the section of the British Labour Party which operates in Scotland....
politician, 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...
(MSP) for the North East Scotland region. He was first elected in the 2003 general election, when he was the youngest sitting MSP, and since May 2011 is Labour's Finance spokesperson in the Scottish Parliament. He was previously their Justice spokesperson.
Baker was born in Edinburgh to an Episcopalian
Scottish Episcopal Church
The Scottish Episcopal Church is a Christian church in Scotland, consisting of seven dioceses. Since the 17th century, it has had an identity distinct from the presbyterian Church of Scotland....
priest father and English teacher mother, and is godson
Godson
Loongson is a family of general-purpose MIPS-compatible CPUs developed at the Institute of Computing Technology , Chinese Academy of Sciences in the People's Republic of China. The chief architect is Professor Hu Weiwu....
to the then Episcopalian Bishop of Aberdeen
Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney
The Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney is one of the seven dioceses of the Scottish Episcopal Church. In mainland Scotland, the diocese covers the City of Aberdeen and most of Aberdeenshire...
. He was educated at the independent St. Bees School
St. Bees School
St. Bees School is a co-educational independent school in the West Cumbrian village of St Bees. Founded in 1583 by the then Archbishop of Canterbury Edmund Grindal as a boys' "free grammar school", today it is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference with around 300 pupils aged...
in Cumbria and at Aberdeen University.
He was the elected President of the National Union of Students Scotland
National Union of Students Scotland
The National Union of Students Scotland is an autonomous body within the National Union of Students. It is the national representative body of 530,000 students studying in further and higher education in Scotland and was formed following the merger of NUS in Scotland with the Scottish Union of...
from 1998 till 2000, having previously been the North of Scotland Area Convener for that union, and before that the Senior Vice-President (an elected, full-time sabbatical officer
Sabbatical officer
A sabbatical officer is a full-time officer elected by the members of a students' union , commonly at a higher education establishment such as a university...
post) at the University of Aberdeen
University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...
Students' Representative Council (now Aberdeen University Students' Association
Aberdeen University Students' Association
Aberdeen University Students' Association is the students' association of the University of Aberdeen, an ancient university in the city of Aberdeen in north east Scotland...
) in the academic year 1995/96.
In 2004 he was a member of the Scottish Parliament team in the TV general knowledge program, University Challenge
University Challenge
University Challenge is a British quiz programme that has aired since 1962. The format is based on the American show College Bowl, which ran on NBC radio from 1953 to 1957, and on NBC television from 1959 to 1970....
— The Professionals. He and fellow team members Robin Harper
Robin Harper
Robin Harper FRSSA is a Scottish politician, and was a Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Lothians region. He was co-convener of the Scottish Green Party...
(Green), Jamie Stone
Jamie Stone
James "Jamie" Stone is a Scottish Liberal Democrat politician. He was a member of the Scottish Parliament for the constituency of Caithness, Sutherland, and Easter Ross, which is the northern-most mainland Scotland constituency and one of the largest constituencies in Britain...
(Lib Dem) who was captain, and Stewart Stevenson
Stewart Stevenson
Stewart Stevenson is a Scottish politician who became a member of the Scottish Parliament in 2001....
(SNP) beat a Welsh Assembly team by 110 points to 75. Both teams comfortably surpassed the record low score of 25 achieved by the House of Commons team in 2003.
His wife, Claire Brennan-Baker became an MSP after the 2007 election, but for the Mid Scotland and Fife region.
External links
- Richard Baker MSP - Scottish Parliament Official Biography
- Richard Baker MSP - Personal website
- Scottish Labour Party - Crime & Justice