John McAllion | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Scottish Parliament forDundee East | |
| In office 6 May 1999 – 1 May 2003 | |
| Preceded by | Parliament established |
| Succeeded by | Shona Robison |
| Member of Parliament forDundee East | |
| In office 11 June 1987 – 14 May 2001 | |
| Preceded by | Gordon Wilson |
| Succeeded by | Iain Luke |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1948-02-13)13 February 1948 (age 77) Glasgow, Scotland |
| Political party | Scottish Socialist Party (since 2006) |
| Other political affiliations | Scottish Labour Party (1970s) Labour (1982–2006) |
John McAllion (born 13 February 1948) is a campaigner for theScottish Socialist Party, as well as a formerLabour PartyMember of Parliament (MP),Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP), and convenor ofTayside Regional Council. He is also convener of the Scottish Fairtrade Forum.[1]
McAllion was born in Glasgow, where he was educated at St Augustine's RC Comprehensive School inMilton. Following a brief period spent working as a clerical employee for thePost Office, he was admitted to theUniversity of St Andrews to study modern and medieval history, graduating with a second-class honours degree in 1972.[2] After a further year atDundee College of Education, he was then employed by the city's education department to teach history atSt Saviour's RC High School (1973–78) and social studies at Balgowan School (1978–82).[2]
McAllion was originally a member of theScottish Labour Party (SLP) that was formed in 1976 byJim Sillars; when the SLP collapsed, he chose to join theLabour Party (unlike Sillars, who joined theScottish National Party). In 1982 he was recruited by the Glasgow Labour MPBob McTaggart as a research assistant. Two years later, he was elected to Tayside Regional Council, becoming the council's convenor in 1986. At the1987 general election McAllion was elected as the Labour MP forDundee East, defeating SNP leaderGordon Wilson, who had been the sitting MP since February 1974.
McAllion was a member of Scottish Labour Action, putting him on theScottish nationalist wing of the Labour Party, and of theCampaign for Socialism, placing him firmly on the left of the party. As befitted a member of the Scottish Labour Action group he strongly favouredhome rule for Scotland, and was often outspoken in his defence of civic-minded Scottish nationalism. In1999 he was elected to theScottish Parliament to representDundee East.
As an MSP, he furthered his reputation as a left-winger, rebelling several times against the Labour-ledScottish Executive. He was also convenor of the Scottish Parliament's Petitions Committee. In 2000 he helped establish theScottish Left Review publication. At the2003 parliament election he lost his seat toShona Robison, the SNP candidate. TheScottish Socialist Party (SSP) pulled out of contesting the seat in favour of McAllion, but ironically this may have assisted his defeat.[citation needed]
After the election defeat, McAllion resigned his membership of the Labour Party, subsequently joining the Scottish Socialist Party. On 9 February 2006, McAllion stood for the SSP in theDunfermline and West Fife by-election, coming fifth of nine candidates with 1.6% of the vote.[3][4]
He was elected to the SSP executive at its conference in March 2006. He was elected co-chair (along with Morag Balfour) at its conference in October 2007, but he stood down during his term of office for personal reasons. However, he has remained active in campaigning with the party, particularly in the run-up to theindependence referendum.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forDundee East 1987–2001 | Succeeded by |
| Scottish Parliament | ||
| New constituency | Member of the Scottish Parliament forDundee East 1999–2003 | Succeeded by |
