Frances Curran
Encyclopedia
Frances Curran is a leading activist in the Scottish Socialist Party
. She was a member of the Scottish Parliament
for West of Scotland during 2003-07. She was an unsuccessful candidate in the July 2008 Glasgow East by-election
. During the campaign, she was informed that the police had received death threats against her.
She was formerly a member of the Labour Party
and organiser for the entryist left wing Militant tendency
group within the Party. As a member of the Labour Party, she served as Youth representative on the party's National Executive Committee
as a representative of the Militant-dominated Labour Party Young Socialists
in the early 1980s. She joined the Scottish Socialist Party when it was formed in 1998.
at the 2005 G8 Summit - as part of the G8 Alternatives group. The previous week, she and other SSP MSPs took part in a protest within the Scottish Parliament, which led to them being suspended for the month of September and fined £30,000. This protest was due to their claim that the First Minister
had gone back on his word that the parliament would support the rally outside the Perthshire hotel.
She has been campaigning for nutritious school meals to be provided free of charge to all Scottish schoolchildren, to tackle the twinned problems of ill health and bad diet in Scottish schoolchildren. Her campaign has attracted a wide base of support from a number of children's and health related charities. A bill to this effect was proposed in parliament in 2002 but was defeated, the bill is was resubmitted, following a Scottish Executive
consultation which found that 96% of respondents were in favour of free school meals, however ran out of time before the end of her parliamentary term. The SNP eventually introduced a pilot scheme to provide free meals to children in primaries 1-3 in the wake of this popular support.
As part of the Save Our Services campaign Frances was involved in community occupations to stop the closure of a school and community centre.
In January 2007 she was arrested but not charged at a peaceful anti-nuclear protest at Faslane as part of the Faslane 365 campaign.
The SSP selected her as its no. 1 candidate in the Glasgow regional list for the Scottish Parliament election, 2011
.
At the SSP conference in April 2011 she stood down as joint national spokesperson, for family reasons, and to concentrate on the post of Glasgow West branch secretary.
Scottish Socialist Party
The Scottish Socialist Party is a left-wing Scottish political party. Positioning itself significantly to the left of Scotland's centre-left parties, the SSP campaigns on a socialist economic platform and for Scottish independence....
. She was a member 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 West of Scotland during 2003-07. She was an unsuccessful candidate in the July 2008 Glasgow East by-election
Glasgow East by-election, 2008
The 2008 Glasgow East by-election was a by-election for the UK Parliamentary constituency of Glasgow East which was held on 24 July 2008. The election was triggered when, on 30 June 2008, the sitting MP David Marshall stood down due to ill health....
. During the campaign, she was informed that the police had received death threats against her.
She was formerly 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...
and organiser for the entryist left wing Militant tendency
Militant Tendency
The Militant tendency was an entrist group within the British Labour Party based around the Militant newspaper that was first published in 1964...
group within the Party. As a member of the Labour Party, she served as Youth representative on the party's National Executive Committee
National Executive Committee
The National Executive Committee or NEC is the chief administrative body of the UK Labour Party. Its composition has changed over the years, and includes representatives of affiliated trade unions, the Parliamentary Labour Party and European Parliamentary Labour Party, Constituency Labour Parties,...
as a representative of the Militant-dominated Labour Party Young Socialists
Labour Party Young Socialists
The Labour Party Young Socialists was the name of the youth section of the British Labour Party from 1965 until 1993. The LPYS was the most successful of the youth sections of the Labour Party in the post war period, at one point having nearly 600 branches and attendances at its national...
in the early 1980s. She joined the Scottish Socialist Party when it was formed in 1998.
Campaigning
In July 2005, Curran played a leading role in organising the peaceful protest outside GleneaglesGleneagles
Gleneagles may refer to the following:*Gleneagles, Scotland**The July 2005 G8 Summit held at Gleneagles, Scotland*Gleneagles Agreement*Gleneagles Hotel, Auchterarder*Gleneagles Hotel, Torquay, the inspiration for Fawlty Towers....
at the 2005 G8 Summit - as part of the G8 Alternatives group. The previous week, she and other SSP MSPs took part in a protest within the Scottish Parliament, which led to them being suspended for the month of September and fined £30,000. This protest was due to their claim that the First Minister
First Minister of Scotland
The First Minister of Scotland is the political leader of Scotland and head of the Scottish Government. The First Minister chairs the Scottish Cabinet and is primarily responsible for the formulation, development and presentation of Scottish Government policy...
had gone back on his word that the parliament would support the rally outside the Perthshire hotel.
She has been campaigning for nutritious school meals to be provided free of charge to all Scottish schoolchildren, to tackle the twinned problems of ill health and bad diet in Scottish schoolchildren. Her campaign has attracted a wide base of support from a number of children's and health related charities. A bill to this effect was proposed in parliament in 2002 but was defeated, the bill is was resubmitted, following a Scottish Executive
Scottish Executive
The Scottish Government is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was established in 1999 as the Scottish Executive, from the extant Scottish Office, and the term Scottish Executive remains its legal name under the Scotland Act 1998...
consultation which found that 96% of respondents were in favour of free school meals, however ran out of time before the end of her parliamentary term. The SNP eventually introduced a pilot scheme to provide free meals to children in primaries 1-3 in the wake of this popular support.
As part of the Save Our Services campaign Frances was involved in community occupations to stop the closure of a school and community centre.
In January 2007 she was arrested but not charged at a peaceful anti-nuclear protest at Faslane as part of the Faslane 365 campaign.
The SSP selected her as its no. 1 candidate in the Glasgow regional list for the Scottish Parliament election, 2011
Scottish Parliament election, 2011
The 2011 Scottish Parliament general election was held on Thursday, 5 May 2011 to elect 129 members to the Scottish Parliament.The election delivered the first majority government since the opening of Holyrood, a remarkable feat as the mixed member proportional representation system is used to...
.
At the SSP conference in April 2011 she stood down as joint national spokesperson, for family reasons, and to concentrate on the post of Glasgow West branch secretary.