Michael Russell
Encyclopedia
Michael William Russell, (born 9 August 1953 in Bromley
, Kent) is a Scottish National Party
(SNP) politician and Member of the Scottish Parliament
for the Argyll and Bute
constituency. He is also a television producer and director and the author of seven books.
He was Chief Executive of the SNP from 1994 to 1999 and was elected to the Scottish Parliament
as a regional MSP for the South of Scotland at the first Scottish Parliament elections in 1999. However, he lost his seat in the 2003 Scottish Parliament Election
. He was elected again in May 2007 and was appointed Minister for Environment in Scotland's first-ever SNP administration by First Minister Alex Salmond
. He was then reshuffled on 10 February 2009 to become Minister for Culture, External Affairs and the Constitution, and was later promoted on 1 December 2009 replacing Fiona Hyslop
as Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning
.
, Troon and Edinburgh University, there studying firstly Theology
and then Scottish History and Literature
. He worked in television and the media prior to establishing his own media company, Eala Bhan Ltd.
Russell married Cathleen MacAskill, a primary school head teacher,in March 1980 and they have one son Caileen.Since Augsust 1992 the family have lived in an 18th century
single story farm dwelling in Glendaruel
on the Cowal
peninsula
in Argyll and Bute
.
in the period prior to the first Scottish election and has been an active member of the SNP for over three decades, often working closely with party leader, Alex Salmond.
Originally a member of the Labour club
at Edinburgh University, Russell joined the SNP in 1974 during the February election of that year, was active in Edinburgh, in the Western Isles and in the Inverness constituency and stood for the first time for as an SNP candidate in 1984 in Clydesdale
in a local government election. He was then the Clydesdale candidate for the Westminster Parliament in June 1987
. Later that year he became the elected Vice Convenor of the SNP responsible for Publicity (succeeding Alex Salmond) and in 1990 was Salmond's campaign manager
during the SNP leadership campaign.
During that time he worked as Executive Director of Network Scotland, a media and educational company, but he gave up his party posts in 1991 to concentrate on establishing his own TV production company, Eala Bhan Ltd. He returned to active politics in December 1994 when he became the SNP's first full time Chief Executive. In that role, he was the party's election director
for the 1997 and 1999 campaigns as well as for the successful Perth and Kinross
by-election in 1995 (having been deputy campaign director in the 1992 General Election
and for the Govan
and Glasgow Central
by-elections of 1987 and 1988).
list for the 1999 Scottish Parliament elections (as well as standing for the Cunninghame South
Constituency which he also fought in 2003) and after his election was appointed SNP Business Manager
in the new Parliament which resulted in him becoming a founding member of the Parliamentary Bureau. After John Swinney
was elected leader of the SNP in 2000, Russell became Shadow Minister for Education and Culture, a post he held until 2003. He was named as "Debater of the Year" in the Herald Awards in 2000, and was nominated for "Scottish Politician of the Year
" in the same awards in 2002 as well as for the Channel 4
"Scottish Politician of the Year" title.
When he lost his seat at the end of the first Scottish Parliament, Russell focused on his work as an author and newspaper columnist, commenting on various aspects of Scottish culture and Scottish politics. He did, however, stand for the leadership of the SNP in 2004, in the election prompted by John Swinney's resignation. He finished third behind Alex Salmond
and Roseanna Cunningham
. Russell continued as a political commentator generating some controversy with his strongly pro-modernisation views which were more fully expressed in a book co-written with entrepreneur Dennis MacLeod called Grasping The Thistle (2006).
Many SNP members saw Russell's absence from the Scottish Parliament
as a great loss to the SNP's profile and performance there. In 2006 he was once again placed second on the SNP regional list in the South of Scotland
though this time the list was chosen by a one member, one vote
system for which Russell had argued over a long period and was re-elected to Parliament in 2007. He was also the party's candidate in the Dumfries
constituency.
Following the SNP's narrow victory at the 2007 Scottish Parliament Election
, Russell was appointed the Minister for Environment.
In the first reshuffle of the SNP Government in February 2009, Russell was moved to be Minister for Culture, External Affairs and the Constitution.
In December 2009 Russell was promoted to the Scottish Cabinet as Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning
following the demotion of Fiona Hyslop
.
, who was awarded £750,000 compensation by the Scottish Executive
in a February 2006 out-of-court settlement. The Justice 1 committee of the Scottish parliament conducted a nine-month inquiry into the McKie case in 2006, and its report was published on 15 February 2007. In April 2007, Michael Russell and Shirley's father, Iain McKie, published a book on what they described as the worst miscarriage of justice in a generation: Shirley McKie - The Price of Innocence (ISBN 9781841585758). Shirley McKie's case assumed an international significance with a possible linkage to the case of convicted Lockerbie bomber, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, who was granted leave to appeal against his conviction for a second time by the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission
on 28 June 2007. Megrahi's appeal
began in Edinburgh on 28 April 2009, and a public inquiry
into the McKie case started in Glasgow on 2 June 2009.
In 2011 Russell was referred to the parliamentary standards watchdog over allegations that he tried to influence school closures for his own electoral benefit. "The MSP was reported to Holyrood's standards watchdog after a leaked email revealed he quizzed SNP councillors about their support for the axing of local schools. The message, sent from Mr Russell's parliamentary account, concerned proposed closures in the area where he is due to seek election in May. He now represents the South of Scotland but will stand as a candidate in Argyll & Bute."
Kilmodan Primary,the school nearest to Rusell's home was later amongst those saved from closure as well as Toward primary school where his wife Cathleen was head teacher(Cathleen had also been head techer at Kilmodan).
Russell was also accused of interfering in school closure decisions taken by councils. "The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities
(Cosla), the body which represents council leaders, has now written to Mr Russell accusing him of failing to act in a “consistent, pragmatic and limited way”."
Russell was further accused of "bullying" in his dealings with Shetland Islands Council where the council was asked to postpone cost-cutting school closures."Mr Russell was last night accused of "bullying" councils into agreeing to his moratorium.A senior local government source said: "Russell is acting like a school bully on this and bullying councils into backing this delay.""
Bromley
Bromley is a large suburban town in south east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Bromley. It was historically a market town, and prior to 1963 was in the county of Kent and formed the administrative centre of the Municipal Borough of Bromley...
, Kent) is a 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....
(SNP) politician and Member of the Scottish Parliament
Member of the Scottish Parliament
Member of the Scottish Parliament is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament.-Methods of Election:MSPs are elected in one of two ways:...
for the Argyll and Bute
Argyll and Bute (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Argyll and Bute is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the first past the post method of election...
constituency. He is also a television producer and director and the author of seven books.
He was Chief Executive of the SNP from 1994 to 1999 and was elected to 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...
as a regional MSP for the South of Scotland at the first Scottish Parliament elections in 1999. However, he lost his seat in the 2003 Scottish Parliament Election
Scottish Parliament election, 2003
The Scottish Parliament election, 2003, was the second general election of the Scottish Parliament. It was held on 1 May 2003 and it brought no change in terms of control of the Scottish Executive...
. He was elected again in May 2007 and was appointed Minister for Environment in Scotland's first-ever SNP administration by First Minister 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 was then reshuffled on 10 February 2009 to become Minister for Culture, External Affairs and the Constitution, and was later promoted on 1 December 2009 replacing Fiona Hyslop
Fiona Hyslop
Fiona Hyslop is the Scottish Government's Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs and Scottish National Party Member of the Scottish Parliament for Linlithgow.-Family life and background:...
as Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning
Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning
The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning is a position in the Scottish Government cabinet responsible for the Education department...
.
Background
Educated at the Marr CollegeMarr College
-History:Marr College was funded from the money left to the town of Troon by C. K. Marr. It opened in 1935.-Notable former pupils:*Ronni Ancona, actress*Tom Brighton, footballer*Gordon Brown, rugby player*Alan Hutton, footballer*Donald Jack, writer...
, Troon and Edinburgh University, there studying firstly Theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
and then Scottish History and Literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
. He worked in television and the media prior to establishing his own media company, Eala Bhan Ltd.
Russell married Cathleen MacAskill, a primary school head teacher,in March 1980 and they have one son Caileen.Since Augsust 1992 the family have lived in an 18th century
18th century
The 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar.During the 18th century, the Enlightenment culminated in the French and American revolutions. Philosophy and science increased in prominence. Philosophers were dreaming about a better age without the Christian fundamentalism of...
single story farm dwelling in Glendaruel
Glendaruel
Glendaruel is a glen in the Cowal Peninsula in Argyll, Scotland.The main village in Glendaruel is the Clachan of Glendaruel.-Features:The present Kilmodan Church was built in the Clachan of Glendaruel in 1610...
on the Cowal
Cowal
thumb|Cowal shown within ArgyllCowal is a peninsula in Argyll and Bute in the Scottish Highlands.-Description:The northern part of Cowal is mostly the mountainous Argyll Forest Park. Cowal is separated from the Kintyre peninsula to the west by Loch Fyne, and from Inverclyde and North Ayrshire to...
peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
in Argyll and Bute
Argyll and Bute
Argyll and Bute is both one of 32 unitary council areas; and a Lieutenancy area in Scotland. The administrative centre for the council area is located in Lochgilphead.Argyll and Bute covers the second largest administrative area of any Scottish council...
.
Political career
Russell was Chief Executive of 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....
in the period prior to the first Scottish election and has been an active member of the SNP for over three decades, often working closely with party leader, Alex Salmond.
Originally a member of the Labour club
Scottish Labour Students
Scottish Labour Students , is a student society, affiliated to the Scottish Labour Party and forms an important part of the UK-wide organisation Labour Students....
at Edinburgh University, Russell joined the SNP in 1974 during the February election of that year, was active in Edinburgh, in the Western Isles and in the Inverness constituency and stood for the first time for as an SNP candidate in 1984 in Clydesdale
Clydesdale
Clydesdale was formerly one of nineteen local government districts in the Strathclyde region of Scotland.The district was formed by the Local Government Act 1973 from part of the former county of Lanarkshire: namely the burghs of Biggar and Lanark and the First, Second and Third Districts...
in a local government election. He was then the Clydesdale candidate for the Westminster Parliament in June 1987
United Kingdom general election, 1987
The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...
. Later that year he became the elected Vice Convenor of the SNP responsible for Publicity (succeeding Alex Salmond) and in 1990 was Salmond's campaign manager
Campaign manager
A campaign manager is a paid or volunteer individual, whose role is to coordinate the campaign's operations such as fundraising, advertising, polling, getting out the vote , and other activities supporting the effort, directly.Apart from the candidate, they are often a campaign's most visible leader...
during the SNP leadership campaign.
During that time he worked as Executive Director of Network Scotland, a media and educational company, but he gave up his party posts in 1991 to concentrate on establishing his own TV production company, Eala Bhan Ltd. He returned to active politics in December 1994 when he became the SNP's first full time Chief Executive. In that role, he was the party's election director
Political campaign staff
Political campaign staff are the people who formulate and implement the strategy needed to win an election. Many people have made careers out of working full-time for campaigns and groups that support them, but in other campaigns much of the staff might be unpaid volunteers...
for the 1997 and 1999 campaigns as well as for the successful Perth and Kinross
Perth and Kinross
Perth and Kinross is one of 32 council areas in Scotland, and a Lieutenancy Area. It borders onto the Aberdeenshire, Angus, Dundee City, Fife, Clackmannanshire, Stirling, Argyll and Bute and Highland council areas. Perth is the administrative centre...
by-election in 1995 (having been deputy campaign director in the 1992 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 1992
The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil...
and for the Govan
Govan
Govan is a district and former burgh now part of southwest City of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the south bank of the River Clyde, opposite the mouth of the River Kelvin and the district of Partick....
and Glasgow Central
Glasgow Central
Glasgow Central has more than one meaning:*Glasgow Central railway station, a railway station in Glasgow, Scotland*Glasgow Central , a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, from 1885 to 1997 and from 2005 to present...
by-elections of 1987 and 1988).
Scottish Parliament
He was placed second by the party on the South of ScotlandSouth of Scotland (Scottish Parliament electoral region)
South of Scotland is one of the eight electoral regions of the Scottish Parliament which were created in 1999. 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...
list for the 1999 Scottish Parliament elections (as well as standing for the Cunninghame South
Cunninghame South (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Cunninghame South is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament. It elects one MSP by the first past the post method of election once every four years. Currently, the constituency comprises of the towns of Irvine, Kilwinning and Stevenston, located within the North Ayrshire council area in...
Constituency which he also fought in 2003) and after his election was appointed SNP Business Manager
Minister for Parliamentary Business
The Cabinet Secretary for Parliamentary Business and Government Strategy is a cabinet post is the Scottish Government whose job it is to steer government business through the Scottish Parliament...
in the new Parliament which resulted in him becoming a founding member of the Parliamentary Bureau. After John Swinney
John Swinney
John Ramsey Swinney is the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth in the Scottish Government and the Scottish National Party Member of the Scottish Parliament for Perthshire North, having previously represented North Tayside...
was elected leader of the SNP in 2000, Russell became Shadow Minister for Education and Culture, a post he held until 2003. He was named as "Debater of the Year" in the Herald Awards in 2000, and was nominated for "Scottish Politician of the Year
Scottish Politician of the Year
Scottish Politician of the Year is an annual award established in 1999. It is held by The Herald newspaper in Prestonfield, Edinburgh, Scotland....
" in the same awards in 2002 as well as for the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
"Scottish Politician of the Year" title.
When he lost his seat at the end of the first Scottish Parliament, Russell focused on his work as an author and newspaper columnist, commenting on various aspects of Scottish culture and Scottish politics. He did, however, stand for the leadership of the SNP in 2004, in the election prompted by John Swinney's resignation. He finished third behind 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...
and Roseanna Cunningham
Roseanna Cunningham
Roseanna Cunningham is the Scottish Government's Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs and Scottish National Party Member of the Scottish Parliament for Perthshire South and Kinross-shire, having previously represented Perth.-Early life:Raised in Australia, she returned to Scotland and...
. Russell continued as a political commentator generating some controversy with his strongly pro-modernisation views which were more fully expressed in a book co-written with entrepreneur Dennis MacLeod called Grasping The Thistle (2006).
Many SNP members saw Russell's absence from 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...
as a great loss to the SNP's profile and performance there. In 2006 he was once again placed second on the SNP regional list in the South of Scotland
South of Scotland (Scottish Parliament electoral region)
South of Scotland is one of the eight electoral regions of the Scottish Parliament which were created in 1999. 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...
though this time the list was chosen by a one member, one vote
One member, one vote
One member, one vote , as used in the parliamentary politics of the United Kingdom, Canada, and the Canadian provinces, is a proposal to select party leaders and/or determine party policy, by a direct vote of the members of each party...
system for which Russell had argued over a long period and was re-elected to Parliament in 2007. He was also the party's candidate in the Dumfries
Dumfries
Dumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth. Dumfries was the county town of the former county of Dumfriesshire. Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South...
constituency.
Following the SNP's narrow victory at 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...
, Russell was appointed the Minister for Environment.
In the first reshuffle of the SNP Government in February 2009, Russell was moved to be Minister for Culture, External Affairs and the Constitution.
In December 2009 Russell was promoted to the Scottish Cabinet as Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning
Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning
The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning is a position in the Scottish Government cabinet responsible for the Education department...
following the demotion of Fiona Hyslop
Fiona Hyslop
Fiona Hyslop is the Scottish Government's Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs and Scottish National Party Member of the Scottish Parliament for Linlithgow.-Family life and background:...
.
Campaigner
For many years, Russell has campaigned for justice on behalf of former police detective, Shirley McKieShirley McKie
Shirley McKie is a former Scottish police detective who was accused by fingerprint analysis staff of the Scottish Criminal Record Office of leaving her thumb print on the bathroom door frame of a murder crime-scene in Kilmarnock on 14 January 1997....
, who was awarded £750,000 compensation by the 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...
in a February 2006 out-of-court settlement. The Justice 1 committee of the Scottish parliament conducted a nine-month inquiry into the McKie case in 2006, and its report was published on 15 February 2007. In April 2007, Michael Russell and Shirley's father, Iain McKie, published a book on what they described as the worst miscarriage of justice in a generation: Shirley McKie - The Price of Innocence (ISBN 9781841585758). Shirley McKie's case assumed an international significance with a possible linkage to the case of convicted Lockerbie bomber, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, who was granted leave to appeal against his conviction for a second time by the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission
Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission
The Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission is a non-departmental public body in Scotland, established by the Criminal Procedure Act 1995 ....
on 28 June 2007. Megrahi's appeal
Court of Criminal Appeal
The Court of Criminal Appeal is the name of existing courts of Scotland and Ireland, and an historic court in England and Wales.- Ireland :See Court of Criminal Appeal ...
began in Edinburgh on 28 April 2009, and a public inquiry
Public inquiry
A Tribunal of Inquiry is an official review of events or actions ordered by a government body in Common Law countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland or Canada. Such a public inquiry differs from a Royal Commission in that a public inquiry accepts evidence and conducts its hearings in a more...
into the McKie case started in Glasgow on 2 June 2009.
Controversies
In November 2009, Russell was engaged in a controversy when his most senior aide was forced to resign after being exposed by the News of the World as the author of an online political blog with controversial content. However, there was never any evidence that Russell had any direct connection with the political blog.In 2011 Russell was referred to the parliamentary standards watchdog over allegations that he tried to influence school closures for his own electoral benefit. "The MSP was reported to Holyrood's standards watchdog after a leaked email revealed he quizzed SNP councillors about their support for the axing of local schools. The message, sent from Mr Russell's parliamentary account, concerned proposed closures in the area where he is due to seek election in May. He now represents the South of Scotland but will stand as a candidate in Argyll & Bute."
Kilmodan Primary,the school nearest to Rusell's home was later amongst those saved from closure as well as Toward primary school where his wife Cathleen was head teacher(Cathleen had also been head techer at Kilmodan).
Russell was also accused of interfering in school closure decisions taken by councils. "The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities
Convention of Scottish Local Authorities
The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities is the representative association of Scottish local government and is the employers’ association on behalf of all Scottish councils...
(Cosla), the body which represents council leaders, has now written to Mr Russell accusing him of failing to act in a “consistent, pragmatic and limited way”."
Russell was further accused of "bullying" in his dealings with Shetland Islands Council where the council was asked to postpone cost-cutting school closures."Mr Russell was last night accused of "bullying" councils into agreeing to his moratorium.A senior local government source said: "Russell is acting like a school bully on this and bullying councils into backing this delay.""