Roseanna cunningham biography of christopher
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After the 2011 election, which saw a SNP landslide, she was appointed Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs with special responsibility for tackling sectarianism.
In Nicola Sturgeon's first reshuffle in November 2014, she was promoted to Cabinet as Cabinet Secretary for Fair Work, Skills and Training.
Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs)
18 May 2016 - 20 May 2021
Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform
Scottish Government
25 November 2014 - 18 May 2016
Cabinet Secretary for Fair Work, Skills and Training
Scottish Government
25 May 2011 - 25 November 2014
Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs
Scottish Government
12 December 2010 - 25 May 2011
Minister for the Environment and Climate Change
Scottish Government
12 February 2009 - 12 December 2010
Minister for Environment
Scottish Government
14 June 2007 - 11 February 2009
Finance Committee
Substitute Member
20 June 2007 - 11 February 2009
Rural Affairs and Environment Committee
Convener
20 June 2007 - 11 February 2009
conveners group
Member
13 June 2007 - 20 June 2007
Rural Affairs and Environment Committee
Member
21 September 2004 - 02 April 2007
conveners group
Member
21 September 2004 - 02 April 2007
Health Committee
Convener
10 September 2003 - 28 September 2004
Justice 1 Committee
Substitute Member
04 June 2003 - 27 September 2004
Environment and Rural Development Committee
Member
15 September 2004 - 21 September 2004
Health Committee
Member
30 May 2003 - 13 September 2004
Party Spokesperson on Culture
Scottish National Party
01 May 2003 - 13 September 2004
Deputy Party Leader
Scottish National Party
30 May 2003 - 13 September 2004
Party Spokesperson on Rural Development
Scottish National Party
30 May 2003 - 13 September 2004
Party Spokesperson on Sport
Scottish National Party
30 May 2003 - 13 September 2004
Party Spokesperson on the Environment
Scottish National Party
01 January 2000 - 31 March 2003
Deputy Party Leader
Scottish National Party
26 May 1999 - 31 March 2003
Party Spokesperson on Justice
Scottish National Party
16 May 2002 - 31 March 2003
Justice 2 Committee
Substitute Member
29 June 1999 - 27 September 2000
Justice and Home Affairs Committee
Convener
24 August 1999 - 27 September 2000
Conveners Liaison Group
Member
17 June 1999 - 26 June 1999
Justice and Home Affairs Committee
Member
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[10] This, combined with her persistent Scottish identity despite years abroad, prompted her to join the Scottish National Party as an overseas member in 1969 at age 18, spurred by the SNP's 1967 Hamilton by-election victory under Winnie Ewing.[10] She completed her schooling in Fremantle, Western Australia, before returning to Scotland in 1976.[9][10]Academic and early professional training
Cunningham emigrated to Australia with her family in 1960 and completed her secondary education in Fremantle, Western Australia.[9] She subsequently enrolled at the University of Western Australia, where she initially worked in the institution's library before pursuing higher education, as no immediate family members had attended university.Also in that year she helped establish the Scottish Left Review publication. She stood down as an MP in 2001, to concentrate on the Scottish Parliament.
John Swinney announced his resignation as leader of the SNP on 22 June 2004, and on the same day Roseanna Cunningham announced that she would be a candidate in the subsequent election for the party leadership.
Alex Salmond, a key figure from the party's left-leaning 79 Group, defeated Margaret Ewing with 486 votes to 186 at the annual conference in Dunfermline.[26]Cunningham, who had joined the SNP in the late 1960s and served as a research assistant at party headquarters from 1977 to 1979, aligned with Salmond through their shared membership in the 79 Group—a faction advocating socialist policies and independence—which had led to brief expulsions for both in the early 1980s under the prior conservative leadership.[27] Salmond's win represented the ascendancy of this gradualist, economically focused wing over more traditional fundamentalist elements, shifting the party's strategy toward broader electoral appeal via pragmatic arguments on oil revenues and devolution critiques.[26]The aftermath saw Salmond consolidate power by reforming party structures, emphasizing youth engagement and media savvy, which invigorated membership and set the stage for electoral gains.
At a nomination meeting, opponents challenged her over a past personal relationship with Donald Bain, a former SNP researcher convicted in 1974 for involvement in an Irish Republican Army (IRA) bomb plot in Glasgow. She worked as a solicitor for Dumbarton District Council and Glasgow District Council. She had initially been left off the SNP's candidate shortlist over her brief relationship in the 1970s with Donald Bain, the former husband of SNP stalwart Margaret Ewing, on the grounds that the issue could prove an embarrassment to the party.
An update in December 2020 responded to new 75% reduction targets by 2030, incorporating green recovery measures post-COVID-19, such as low-carbon heat transitions.[50] The Climate Change Committee noted strengths in sectoral plans but urged faster action on high-consumption behaviors like meat and dairy reductions to meet 2030 goals.[45] In May 2019, she addressed Parliament on the global climate emergency, reinforcing Scotland's leadership in stringent targets despite UK-wide policy constraints like VAT on renewables.[51]Environmentally, her portfolio advanced the Third Land Use Strategy in March 2021, integrating biodiversity, food security, and flood risk management to support climate resilience, with regional partnerships piloted from November 2020 to optimize land for carbon capture.[52] Policies included continuous improvement in seaweed harvesting regulations, reviewed in 2018 amid sustainability concerns, and alignment with EU environmental principles post-Brexit.[53] Critics, including environmental groups, highlighted delays in transitioning fossil fuel sites like Mossmorran and insufficient IPCC-aligned pledges in 2018, attributing gaps to devolution limits rather than policy intent.[54][55] Cunningham's tenure ended in May 2021 with the formation of the fourth Sturgeon government, during which she reflected on land reform's consensus-building as a foundation for ongoing diversification.[49]
Political positions and views
Stance on Scottish independence and nationalism
Roseanna Cunningham has been a vocal advocate for Scottish independence since her early involvement with the Scottish National Party (SNP), joining the party in 1967 at age 15 after being inspired by Winnie Ewing's 1967 Hamilton by-election victory.However, her candidacy faced significant internal party opposition during the selection process. In 1975, she graduated with a Bachelor of ArtsHonours degree in politics.[10][11]Returning to Scotland around 1976, Cunningham shifted focus to legal studies in 1980, obtaining a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Edinburgh in 1982.[9][10] She then completed a Diploma in Legal Practice at the University of Aberdeen in 1983, a qualification essential for admission as a solicitor in Scotland, marking her entry into professional legal training.[9] This postgraduate diploma provided practical instruction in Scottish legal procedures, ethics, and advocacy, bridging academic knowledge with vocational requirements for legal practice.[10]
Pre-political career
Legal practice and professional experience
Cunningham qualified as a solicitor in 1983 following completion of her Diploma in Legal Practice from the University of Aberdeen.[12] She began her legal career in the public sector, serving as a trainee solicitor and then solicitor at Dumbarton District Council from 1983 to 1986.[12] From 1986 to 1989, she worked as a solicitor in the Court Department of Glasgow District Council.[12]In 1989, Cunningham transitioned to private practice as a solicitor at the Glasgow firm Ross, Harper & Murphy.[12] She was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates in 1990, enabling her to practise as an advocate at the Scottish Bar.[12][7] Her legal practice focused on areas consistent with local government and court work, though specific cases handled pre-politics remain undocumented in public records.[9] She continued practising until her election to Parliament in 1995, becoming a non-practising member of the Faculty in 2002 amid her political duties.[7]Entry into politics
Initial SNP involvement and motivations
Cunningham first engaged with the Scottish National Party (SNP) as a teenager living in Australia, where her family had emigrated in the early 1960s.Homesickness for Scotland, which she described as fostering a deep "psychological predisposition" to her political career, prompted her to write to the SNP in 1967 at age 15, shortly before her 16th birthday and coinciding with Winnie Ewing's landmark by-election victory in Hamilton that reinvigorated Scottish nationalism.[13]She formally joined the SNP as an overseas member in 1969, motivated by a profound attachment to her Scottish identity and a conviction in the need for independence, which she had articulated even in school essays supporting SNP figures like Robert McIntyre.[9] This early affiliation reflected broader causal factors, including the Ewing win's demonstration that nationalist sentiment could yield electoral success against Labour dominance, aligning with her first-principles view of self-determination as essential for Scotland's cultural and economic agency.Upon returning to Scotland in 1976, Cunningham intensified her involvement, attending her first SNP conference in Dundee in 1977 and securing full-time work as a research assistant at party headquarters within months, driven by an unwavering commitment to independence that she later stated had defined her adult life since 1967.[13][14] Her motivations extended beyond personal nostalgia to ideological dissent; in 1979, she co-founded the left-wing 79 Group with her brother Chris Cunningham to advocate for a more socialist, uncompromising approach to independence following the failed referendum, openly challenging the party's gradualist elements without contemplating departure.[14] This activism underscored her empirical focus on structural reforms to bolster the SNP's appeal amid stagnant support levels around 10% in opinion polls during the era.[10]
Early electoral efforts and setbacks
Cunningham first stood as the Scottish National Party (SNP) candidate for the Perth and Kinross constituency in the 1992 United Kingdom general election on 9 April 1992.[4] She received sufficient votes to reduce the Conservative majority to 2,094, coming second to the incumbent Conservative MP Nicholas Fairbairn, but ultimately fell short of victory.[15]Following Fairbairn's death in 1995, a by-election was called for Perth and Kinross on 25 May 1995, presenting Cunningham with an opportunity to contest the seat again.Roseanna Cunningham
Roseanna Cunningham (born 1951) is a retired Scottish politician who represented the Scottish National Party (SNP) as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Perth from 1999 to 2011 and for Perthshire South and Kinross-shire from 2011 to 2021.[1][2] Born in Glasgow, she emigrated with her family to Australia at age eight, where she was educated before returning to Scotland, qualifying as an advocate in 1990.[3][2] Elected as the SNP's MP for Perth in the 1997 general election, she served until 2001, and was among the party's founding MSPs in the inaugural Scottish Parliament.[4]Cunningham rose through SNP ranks to become the party's deputy leader from 2000 to 2004, during which she unsuccessfully contested the leadership against Alex Salmond.[1][5] In government after the SNP's 2007 and 2011 victories, she held ministerial roles including Minister for Community Safety (2009–2010) and Cabinet Secretary for Justice (2010–2014), overseeing criminal justice reforms amid debates over sentencing and prison policies.[1] She later served as Cabinet Secretary for Fair Work, Skills and Training (2014–2016) before taking the environment portfolio in 2016, where she advanced land reform initiatives and climate policies, including the Scottish Land Rights and Responsibilities Statement.[6][7] Cunningham announced her retirement from Holyrood in 2020, citing a desire to step back after over two decades in frontline politics.[7] Her tenure was marked by a focus on Scottish independence advocacy and progressive reforms in devolved areas, though not without parliamentary clashes, such as a 2017 incident where she refused to apologize for heated exchanges with opposition members.[8]
Early life and education
Upbringing and family influences
Roseanna Cunningham was born on 27 July 1951 in Glasgow, Scotland.[9] She spent the majority of her early childhood in Edinburgh and East Lothian before her family emigrated.[9]In 1960, at the age of eight, Cunningham moved with her family to Perth, Western Australia, as part of the British "Ten Pound Pom" assisted migration scheme.[9] Her parents, who were in their second marriage and relatively older, saw the relocation as an opportunity; her mother had long desired to join relatives in Australia dating back to the 1930s, while her father expressed skepticism about post-war British conditions, referencing Prime MinisterHarold Macmillan's 1957 "never had it so good" statement.In December 2010, she also took on portfolio responsibility for climate change, becoming Minister for the Environment and Climate Change. After a brief period in private practice, she became an advocate in 1990.
In the 1992 general election Cunningham stood in the Perth and Kinross constituency, only losing by around 2,000 votes.
In 1995 when she won the bitter Perth and Kinross by-election to replace the Conservative MP, Sir Nicholas Fairbairn, who had died.
She was put back in contention following an intervention by the then party leader Alex Salmond, and after Ewing made clear she had no objection to Cunningham's candidature.
In the 1997 election, she stood for the Perth constituency and was elected.
In 1999 she became the MSP for Perth and continues to represent the area in the Scottish Parliament to this day.
No direct involvement in justice policy execution is recorded for this period, though her background as a former advocate and earlier shadow justice spokesperson for the SNP (pre-2007 devolved government) informed her broader legislative scrutiny.[34]Cunningham's ministerial role ended on 12 December 2010 amid a government reshuffle following the SNP's transition preparations ahead of the 2011 Holyrood election, after which she returned to backbench duties until her next appointment in 2014.[1] During 2009–2010, justice portfolio responsibilities, including responses to prison overcrowding and legal aid reforms, remained under MacAskill's direct oversight, with parliamentary debates reflecting opposition critiques of SNP justice handling but no attribution to Cunningham.
[56] The group, of which she was a prominent member alongside figures like Alex Salmond and Kenny MacAskill, emphasized independence as a means to enact progressive reforms unhindered by Westminster, leading to temporary expulsions for its activists in 1982 before its dissolution in 1986.[27] This factional influence shaped her view of nationalism not as ethnic exclusivity but as a civic, class-aware movement capable of addressing economic and social inequalities, with the 79 Group credited by some observers for shifting the SNP toward a more electable, moderate left-nationalist platform.[56]In government roles and public statements, Cunningham consistently supported the SNP's independence campaigns, including the 2014 referendum buildup, where as a minister she highlighted how independence would better recognize faith communities' contributions to Scottish society.[57] She expressed impatience for independence—"wishing we could have been independent yesterday"—while cautioning against hasty processes akin to Brexit, prioritizing a measured path to sustain public support.
Instead, following a cabinet reshuffle announced by First MinisterAlex Salmond on 10 February 2009, she was appointed Minister for the Environment and Climate Change, a junior ministerial role supporting Cabinet SecretaryRichard Lochhead.[32] This appointment came after her prior service as convener of the Scottish Parliament's Rural Affairs and EnvironmentCommittee, where she had advocated for rural and environmental policies.[33]In her environmental ministerial capacity, Cunningham focused on climate change mitigation, renewable energy promotion, and waste management reforms, rather than justice-related matters such as criminal justice, policing, or prisons.[1] Her tenure involved advancing the Scottish Government's early climate targets under the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009, including consultations on emission reduction goals and support for offshore wind projects.
Critics, including legal figures, accused her of arrogance in public disputes, such as a 2014 Twitter exchange where she mocked a pro-Union campaign, prompting online abuse toward opponents and drawing rebukes for escalating tensions.[41] Following the independence referendum, a government reshuffle saw her replaced by Annabelle Ewing, transitioning Cunningham to the Cabinet Secretary for Fair Work, Skills and Training.[42]
Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform (2016–2021)
Roseanna Cunningham was appointed Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform on 18 May 2016, following the Scottish National Party's victory in the 2016 Holyrood election, marking the creation of a dedicated cabinet position to integrate these portfolios under the second Sturgeon government.[43] In this role, she oversaw policies aimed at sustainable land use, emissions reductions, and rural development, emphasizing Scotland's net-zero ambitions while addressing land ownership concentrations criticized for hindering economic and social progress.Post-2014, she welcomed any expansion in pro-independence sentiment, stating "any growth in support for independence is welcome," even as she critiqued splinter groups like Alba for fragmenting the Yes movement.[14] Her republicanism, earning her the moniker "Republican Rose," further underscores a nationalist vision rejecting monarchical continuity, advocating for Scotland to democratically select its head of state post-independence rather than retaining the Crown as interim policy.[58][59] This stance reflects a purist independence framework prioritizing sovereignty over symbolic compromises, though subordinated to party discipline during electoral pushes.[60]
Roseanna Cunningham
Cunningham was born in Glasgow and spent her early years living in East Lothian and Edinburgh.
In 2000 she was elected the SNP Senior Vice-Convener (depute leader). She was the first candidate to declare, receiving nominations from party branches but ultimately placing behind Alex Salmond, who secured 75.8% of votes in the September 2004 ballot.[30] Her candidacy highlighted her seniority and commitment to revitalizing the party, though it underscored divisions between fundamentalists favoring independence focus and gradualists open to broader appeals; Salmond's victory bridged these by promising electoral pragmatism.[30] Throughout her party service, spanning from joining as an overseas member in 1969, Cunningham's contributions included sustaining rural and Perthshire organizational strength, evidenced by her repeated electoral successes in SNP heartlands.[9][31]