Kenyon Wright
Encyclopedia
Canon Kenyon Wright is a retired Episcopalian
clergyman who chaired the Scottish Constitutional Convention
, that laid the groundwork for the creation of the Scottish Parliament
in 1997.
in 1932, the son of a textile technician, and attended Paisley Grammar School
, followed by Glasgow and Cambridge Universities.
From 1955, he served as a Methodist missionary in India
, and in 1963, was appointed Director of the Ecumenical, Social and Industrial Institute in Durgapur, India.
In 1970, he returned to the United Kingdom
as Director of Urban Ministry, at Coventry Cathedral
and then in 1974 was promoted to Canon Residentiary at the Cathedral and Director of its International Ministry.
In 1981, he came back to Scotland and became General Secretary of the Scottish Council of Churches. In 1990, he became Director of Kairos
(Centre for a Sustainable Society).
(1989-1999). The convention was aimed at drawing up a blueprint for Scottish devolution and included representatives of local government, the Scottish Churches, Trade Unions
, Small Business Federation
and the Scottish Labour, Liberal Democrat
and Green
parties. The Scottish Conservative Party and Scottish National Party
declined to be involved. The task of finding a consensus among the participating groups remained formidable, the Conservative Secretary of State for Scotland, Malcolm Rifkind
was reported as saying "if the disparate parties reached a common conclusion he would jump off the roof of the Scottish Office
". Nevertheless, on St Andrew's Day 1990, the convention delivered its first report recommending a legislature
elected by proportional representation
financed by assigned revenues from taxes raised in Scotland.
Of course, any agreement which was rejected by the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher
could not become law. Wright responded to this political reality by appealing to the idea of Scottish popular sovereignty
. At the first meeting of the Convention he famously remarked: "What if that other voice we all know so well responds by saying, 'We say no, and we are the state',? Well we say yes - and we are the people."
In 1997, when the Labour party came to power in the United Kingdom, the convention formed the basis of the Scotland Act that the Secretary of State for Scotland
Donald Dewar
successfully steered through the Westminster Parliament
. However, the Labour Party also insisted on a referendum before the Scottish Parliament came into being. During this 1997 referendum, Wright was a prominent campaigner for the "yes/yes" vote.
Wright was made a CBE
in 2000.
In 2001 he stood in the Banff and Buchan by-election
for the Liberal Democrats
, unsuccessfully contesting the Scottish Parliamentary seat vacated by the resignation of Alex Salmond
. He joined the Liberal Democrats only the year before, having stayed out of party politics as chairman of the convention. In the 2003 Scottish Parliamentary elections, he contested the Stirling constituency
.
More recently, Wright has backed calls for a devolved English Parliament
.
He is a Fellow of the Scottish Council for Development and Industry
.
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....
clergyman who chaired the Scottish Constitutional Convention
Scottish Constitutional Convention
The Scottish Constitutional Convention was an association of Scottish political parties, churches and other civic groups, that developed a framework for a Scottish devolution. It is credited as having paved the way for the establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1999.The Convention was...
, that laid the groundwork for the creation 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...
in 1997.
Life and career
Wright was born in PaisleyPaisley
Paisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...
in 1932, the son of a textile technician, and attended Paisley Grammar School
Paisley Grammar School
Paisley Grammar School, known for a period following 1896 as the Paisley Grammar School and William B. Barbour Academy, is a non-denominational state comprehensive secondary school in Paisley, the largest town in Renfrewshire, Scotland. The school was founded in 1576 and was formerly a selective...
, followed by Glasgow and Cambridge Universities.
From 1955, he served as a Methodist missionary in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, and in 1963, was appointed Director of the Ecumenical, Social and Industrial Institute in Durgapur, India.
In 1970, he returned to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
as Director of Urban Ministry, at Coventry Cathedral
Coventry Cathedral
Coventry Cathedral, also known as St Michael's Cathedral, is the seat of the Bishop of Coventry and the Diocese of Coventry, in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The current bishop is the Right Revd Christopher Cocksworth....
and then in 1974 was promoted to Canon Residentiary at the Cathedral and Director of its International Ministry.
In 1981, he came back to Scotland and became General Secretary of the Scottish Council of Churches. In 1990, he became Director of Kairos
Kairos
Kairos is an ancient Greek word meaning the right or opportune moment . The ancient Greeks had two words for time, chronos and kairos. While the former refers to chronological or sequential time, the latter signifies a time in between, a moment of indeterminate time in which something special...
(Centre for a Sustainable Society).
Campaigning for a Scottish Parliament
Wright was a long-time campaigner for Scottish devolution. On 30 March 1989, he became was executive chairman of the cross-party Scottish Constitutional ConventionScottish Constitutional Convention
The Scottish Constitutional Convention was an association of Scottish political parties, churches and other civic groups, that developed a framework for a Scottish devolution. It is credited as having paved the way for the establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1999.The Convention was...
(1989-1999). The convention was aimed at drawing up a blueprint for Scottish devolution and included representatives of local government, the Scottish Churches, Trade Unions
Scottish Trades Union Congress
The Scottish Trades Union Congress is the co-ordinating body of trade unions, and local Trades Councils, in Scotland. With 39 affiliated unions as of 2007, the STUC represents around 630,000 trade unionists....
, Small Business Federation
Federation of Small Businesses
The Federation of Small Businesses was formed in 1974 and is the UK's leading business organisation representing small and medium sized businesses.- About the FSB :...
and the Scottish Labour, Liberal Democrat
Scottish Liberal Democrats
The Scottish Liberal Democrats are one of the three state parties within the federal Liberal Democrats; the others being the Welsh Liberal Democrats and the Liberal Democrats in England...
and Green
Scottish Green Party
The Scottish Green Party is a green party in Scotland. It has two MSPs in the devolved Scottish Parliament, Alison Johnstone, representing Lothian, and Patrick Harvie, for Glasgow.-Organisation:...
parties. The Scottish Conservative Party and Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
declined to be involved. The task of finding a consensus among the participating groups remained formidable, the Conservative Secretary of State for Scotland, Malcolm Rifkind
Malcolm Rifkind
Sir Malcolm Leslie Rifkind KCMG QC MP is a British Conservative Party politician and Member of Parliament for Kensington. He served in various roles as a cabinet minister under Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major, including Secretary of State for Scotland , Defence Secretary and...
was reported as saying "if the disparate parties reached a common conclusion he would jump off the roof of the Scottish Office
Scottish Office
The Scottish Office was a department of the United Kingdom Government from 1885 until 1999, exercising a wide range of government functions in relation to Scotland under the control of the Secretary of State for Scotland...
". Nevertheless, on St Andrew's Day 1990, the convention delivered its first report recommending a legislature
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
elected by proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
financed by assigned revenues from taxes raised in Scotland.
Of course, any agreement which was rejected by the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
could not become law. Wright responded to this political reality by appealing to the idea of Scottish popular sovereignty
Popular sovereignty
Popular sovereignty or the sovereignty of the people is the political principle that the legitimacy of the state is created and sustained by the will or consent of its people, who are the source of all political power. It is closely associated with Republicanism and the social contract...
. At the first meeting of the Convention he famously remarked: "What if that other voice we all know so well responds by saying, 'We say no, and we are the state',? Well we say yes - and we are the people."
In 1997, when the Labour party came to power in the United Kingdom, the convention formed the basis of the Scotland Act that the Secretary of State for Scotland
Secretary of State for Scotland
The Secretary of State for Scotland is the principal minister of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Scotland. He heads the Scotland Office , a government department based in London and Edinburgh. The post was created soon after the Union of the Crowns, but was...
Donald Dewar
Donald Dewar
Donald Campbell Dewar was a British politician who served as a Labour Party Member of Parliament in Scotland from 1966-1970, and then again from 1978 until his death in 2000. He served in Tony Blair's cabinet as Secretary of State for Scotland from 1997-1999 and was instrumental in the creation...
successfully steered through the Westminster Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
. However, the Labour Party also insisted on a referendum before the Scottish Parliament came into being. During this 1997 referendum, Wright was a prominent campaigner for the "yes/yes" vote.
Wright was made a CBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in 2000.
In 2001 he stood in the Banff and Buchan by-election
Banff and Buchan by-election, 2001
The Banff and Buchan by-election to the Scottish Parliament was held on June 7, 2001, the same day as a UK general election and also a Scottish Parliament by-election in Strathkelvin and Bearsden...
for the Liberal Democrats
Scottish Liberal Democrats
The Scottish Liberal Democrats are one of the three state parties within the federal Liberal Democrats; the others being the Welsh Liberal Democrats and the Liberal Democrats in England...
, unsuccessfully contesting the Scottish Parliamentary seat vacated by the resignation of Alex Salmond
Alex Salmond
Alexander Elliot Anderson "Alex" Salmond MSP is a Scottish politician and current First Minister of Scotland. He became Scotland's fourth First Minister in May 2007. He is the Leader of the Scottish National Party , having served as Member of the Scottish Parliament for Gordon...
. He joined the Liberal Democrats only the year before, having stayed out of party politics as chairman of the convention. In the 2003 Scottish Parliamentary elections, he contested the Stirling constituency
Stirling (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Stirling is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
.
More recently, Wright has backed calls for a devolved English Parliament
Devolved English parliament
A devolved English parliament or assembly, giving separate decision-making powers to representatives for voters in England similar to the representation given by the National Assembly for Wales, Scottish Parliament and the Northern Ireland Assembly, is currently a growing issue in the politics of...
.
He is a Fellow of the Scottish Council for Development and Industry
Scottish Council for Development and Industry
The Scottish Council for Development and Industry , founded in 1931, is a non-governmental, membership organisation which aims to strengthen Scotland’s economic competitiveness through influencing government and key stakeholders to create sustainable economic prosperity for Scotland.SCDI has about...
.
Sources
- Kenyon Wright Profile BBC politics 1997 (accessed 16 June 2007)