Rosemary McKenna
Encyclopedia
Rosemary McKenna CBE
(born 8 May 1941) is a British
Labour Party
politician, who was the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East
until 2010.
Cornelius Harvey and a Scottish mother, Susan, she went to St Augustine's RC Secondary School on Liddesdale Road in Milton
, East Dunbartonshire
. From 1958-65, she worked as a secretary. She joined the Labour Party in 1966 when she moved to Cumbernauld. She studied at the Roman Catholic
Notre Dame College of Education, receiving a Diploma in Primary Education in 1974. She was a primary school teacher from 1974-94 before becoming a local councillor and eventual Provost
of the former Cumbernauld and Kilsyth
District Council.
to represent the former Cumbernauld and Kilsyth
seat, which she retained at the 2001 election
.
The seat was abolished for the 2005 general election
and she contested the new Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East
constituency, winning with a 1.1% swing against her to the Scottish National Party
. She retired at the 2010 general election.
She was responsible for chairing the Labour Party's vetting procedure for candidates for the first election for the Scottish Parliament
. This process saw many of the more left-oriented candidates rejected, including Dennis Canavan
, Ian Davidson
, Michael Connarty
, all of whom were sitting Members of Parliament at the time, as well as Tommy Shephard, a former General Secretary
of the Labour Party in Scotland.
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...
(born 8 May 1941) is a British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
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...
politician, who was the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East
Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East (UK Parliament constituency)
Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was created for the 2005 general election, replacing Cumbernauld and Kilsyth and part of Strathkelvin and Bearsden....
until 2010.
Early life
Born to the IrishIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
Cornelius Harvey and a Scottish mother, Susan, she went to St Augustine's RC Secondary School on Liddesdale Road in Milton
Milton, Glasgow
Milton is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is situated north of the River Clyde.Building on Milton in Glasgow started in the late 1940s as part of a general post-war construction programme by Glasgow Corporation to deal with the housing shortage and slum clearances.The housing scheme...
, East Dunbartonshire
East Dunbartonshire
This article is about the East Dunbartonshire council area of Scotland. See also East Dunbartonshire .East Dunbartonshire is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders onto the north-west of the City of Glasgow. It contains many of the suburbs of Glasgow as well as containing many of...
. From 1958-65, she worked as a secretary. She joined the Labour Party in 1966 when she moved to Cumbernauld. She studied at the Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
Notre Dame College of Education, receiving a Diploma in Primary Education in 1974. She was a primary school teacher from 1974-94 before becoming a local councillor and eventual Provost
Provost (civil)
A provost is the ceremonial head of many Scottish local authorities, and under the name prévôt was a governmental position of varying importance in Ancien Regime France.-History:...
of the former Cumbernauld and Kilsyth
Cumbernauld and Kilsyth
Cumbernauld and Kilsyth 1975-96Cumbernauld and Kilsyth was formerly one of nineteen local government districts in the Strathclyde region of Scotland....
District Council.
Parliamentary career
McKenna was first elected in 1997United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
to represent the former Cumbernauld and Kilsyth
Cumbernauld and Kilsyth (UK Parliament constituency)
Cumbernauld and Kilsyth was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 until 2005, when it was absorbed into the new constituency of Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East as part of a major reorganisation of Scottish...
seat, which she retained at the 2001 election
United Kingdom general election, 2001
The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...
.
The seat was abolished for the 2005 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
and she contested the new Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East
Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East (UK Parliament constituency)
Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was created for the 2005 general election, replacing Cumbernauld and Kilsyth and part of Strathkelvin and Bearsden....
constituency, winning with a 1.1% swing against her to the 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....
. She retired at the 2010 general election.
She was responsible for chairing the Labour Party's vetting procedure for candidates for the first election for 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...
. This process saw many of the more left-oriented candidates rejected, including Dennis Canavan
Dennis Canavan
Dennis Andrew Canavan is a Scottish politician, and was an Independent Member of the Scottish Parliament for Falkirk West.-Early life:He was born in Cowdenbeath....
, Ian Davidson
Ian Davidson (Scottish politician)
Ian Graham Davidson is a Scottish Labour Co-operative politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Glasgow South West since 2005...
, Michael Connarty
Michael Connarty
Michael Connarty is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Linlithgow and Falkirk East since 2005, and a variation of the same seat since 1992.-Early life:...
, all of whom were sitting Members of Parliament at the time, as well as Tommy Shephard, a former General Secretary
General Secretary
The office of general secretary is staffed by the chief officer of:*The General Secretariat for Macedonia and Thrace, a government agency for the Greek regions of Macedonia and Thrace...
of the Labour Party in Scotland.