Shirley-Anne Somerville
Encyclopedia
Shirley-Anne Somerville (born 2 September 1974) was a Scottish
politician
and SNP
MSP for the Lothians region
from 2007 to 2011.
and attended Kirkcaldy High School
, followed by the University of Strathclyde
, where she took a B.A.
(Hons.) in Economics and Politics (1996), the University of Stirling
, where she took a Diploma in Housing Studies (1999), and Queen Margaret University College
, where she took a Diploma in Public Relations. She worked as a parliamentary researcher for Duncan Hamilton MSP
from 1999–2001, then as a Policy and Public Affairs Officer at the Chartered Institute of Housing
from 2001 to 2004, and as a Media and Campaigns Officer at the Royal College of Nursing
from 2004 to 2007.
's candidate for Kirkcaldy
at the 2001 UK general election
, where she came in 2nd place with 22.2% of the vote, and for the Edinburgh Central
constituency in the 2007 Scottish Parliament election
, where she came in 3rd place with 25.5% of the vote. On 31 August 2007, Stefan Tymkewycz
resigned his seat in the Scottish Parliament
representing the Lothians region
in order to concentrate on serving as a City of Edinburgh councillor, and Somerville was selected to succeed him.
Somerville has spoken in favour of the legalisation of Same-sex marriage in Scotland before the Public Petitions Committee, stating that "Civil partnerships have been a positive step forward from what we had in the past, but there still remains an inequality in the law."
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...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and SNP
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
MSP for the Lothians region
Lothians (Scottish Parliament electoral region)
The Lothians was one of the eight electoral regions of the Scottish Parliament from 1999 to 2011. 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 2007 to 2011.
Early life
Somerville was born on 2 September 1974 in KirkcaldyKirkcaldy
Kirkcaldy is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. The town lies on a shallow bay on the northern shore of the Firth of Forth; SSE of Glenrothes, ENE of Dunfermline, WSW of Dundee and NNE of Edinburgh...
and attended Kirkcaldy High School
Kirkcaldy High School
Kirkcaldy High School is a comprehensive state school in Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland.Kirkcaldy High school was admitted to the "Schools of Ambition" programme in 2007....
, followed by the University of Strathclyde
University of Strathclyde
The University of Strathclyde , Glasgow, Scotland, is Glasgow's second university by age, founded in 1796, and receiving its Royal Charter in 1964 as the UK's first technological university...
, where she took a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
(Hons.) in Economics and Politics (1996), the 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:...
, where she took a Diploma in Housing Studies (1999), and Queen Margaret University College
Queen Margaret University College
Queen Margaret University is a Modern University located in Musselburgh, East Lothian near Edinburgh in Scotland...
, where she took a Diploma in Public Relations. She worked as a parliamentary researcher for Duncan Hamilton MSP
Duncan Hamilton (politician)
Duncan Hamilton is a Scottish lawyer and politician. He was a Scottish National Party Member of the Scottish Parliament for Highlands and Islands region from 1999 to 2003.He writes a column for The Scotsman newspaper.-Education:...
from 1999–2001, then as a Policy and Public Affairs Officer at the Chartered Institute of Housing
Chartered Institute of Housing
The Chartered Institute of Housing is the professional body for those working in the housing profession in the UK. It has a royal charter, gained in 1984. Currently CIH has over 21,000 members, mostly in the UK but also overseas, notably in Hong Kong...
from 2001 to 2004, and as a Media and Campaigns Officer at the Royal College of Nursing
Royal College of Nursing
The Royal College of Nursing is a union membership organisation with over 395,000 members in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1916, receiving its Royal Charter in 1928, Queen Elizabeth II is the patron...
from 2004 to 2007.
Scottish Parliament
Somerville had stood as the SNPScottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
's candidate for Kirkcaldy
Kirkcaldy (UK Parliament constituency)
Kirkcaldy was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom in Fife, returning one Member of Parliament . It existed from the February 1974 election until its abolition in 2005.-Boundaries:...
at the 2001 UK 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...
, where she came in 2nd place with 22.2% of the vote, and for the Edinburgh Central
Edinburgh Central (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Edinburgh Central is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
constituency in the 2007 Scottish Parliament 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...
, where she came in 3rd place with 25.5% of the vote. On 31 August 2007, Stefan Tymkewycz
Stefan Tymkewycz
Stefan Tymkewycz is a Scottish National Party politician, and a former Member of the Scottish Parliament for Lothians region. He was elected during the 2007 election for the Lothians region. Tymkewycz is also a councillor for Craigentinny/Duddingston ward on the City of Edinburgh Council, and...
resigned his seat 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...
representing the Lothians region
Lothians (Scottish Parliament electoral region)
The Lothians was one of the eight electoral regions of the Scottish Parliament from 1999 to 2011. 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...
in order to concentrate on serving as a City of Edinburgh councillor, and Somerville was selected to succeed him.
Somerville has spoken in favour of the legalisation of Same-sex marriage in Scotland before the Public Petitions Committee, stating that "Civil partnerships have been a positive step forward from what we had in the past, but there still remains an inequality in the law."