Alex Wood
Encyclopedia
Alex Wood is a former Labour
leader of Edinburgh
City Council in Scotland
. He was educated at Paisley Grammar School, the New University of Ulster, Moray House College of Education, Edinburgh University and Stirling University.
He was a member of the Labour Party from 1969 until 1987. He was a member of the National Committee of the Labour Party Young Socialists from 1973 to 1975. In the early 1970s Wood was a leading figure in the entryist Revolutionary Socialist League (aka Militant Tendency
) in Scotland who left that party after it decided to support the creation of a devolved
Scottish Assembly
. Subsequently, he became a trenchant critic of Militant.
He subsequently became a leading figure in the Labour Co-ordinating Committee
in Scotland and wrote its pamphlet on Labour and Ireland. He was Labour Parliamentary candidate for Dumfries in 1979, and for West Edinburgh in 1983 (having been elected to Edinburgh District Council in 1980 and having become leader of the Edinburgh District Council Labour Group in 1982) and in May 1984 became leader of the first ever majority
Labour administration in the city.
Members of the Labour group of councillors felt however that his politics were further left than theirs and in May 1986 voted they had no confidence in his leadership. He was replaced as council leader with Mark Lazarowicz
.
Subsequently Wood resigned his council seat, left Labour and joined the 1988 version of the Scottish Socialist Party
.
Shortly after the demise of the SSP, Wood joined the Scottish National Party, of which he remains a member.
A teacher by profession, he retired as headteacher of Wester Hailes Education Centre in Edinburgh in August 2011. He had also been seconded (2008-09)as Headteacher to Tynecastle High School. He writes on educational issues in SecEd and The Herald, writes a monthly column in the Times Educational Supplement Scotland and contributes to the Scottish Review, Lothian Life and the Caledonian Mercury.
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...
leader of Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
City Council in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. He was educated at Paisley Grammar School, the New University of Ulster, Moray House College of Education, Edinburgh University and Stirling University.
He was a member of the Labour Party from 1969 until 1987. He was a member of the National Committee of the Labour Party Young Socialists from 1973 to 1975. In the early 1970s Wood was a leading figure in the entryist Revolutionary Socialist League (aka 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...
) in Scotland who left that party after it decided to support the creation of a devolved
Devolution
Devolution is the statutory granting of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to government at a subnational level, such as a regional, local, or state level. Devolution can be mainly financial, e.g. giving areas a budget which was formerly administered by central government...
Scottish Assembly
Scottish Assembly
The Scottish Assembly was a proposed legislature for Scotland that would have devolved a set list of powers from the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
. Subsequently, he became a trenchant critic of Militant.
He subsequently became a leading figure in the Labour Co-ordinating Committee
Labour Co-ordinating Committee
The Labour Co-ordinating Committee was a factional body inside the British Labour Party established in 1978 and wound-up in 1995. In that period it moved from a group established to challenge to leadership of the party from the left to the vanguard of Tony Blair's drive to modernise the party's...
in Scotland and wrote its pamphlet on Labour and Ireland. He was Labour Parliamentary candidate for Dumfries in 1979, and for West Edinburgh in 1983 (having been elected to Edinburgh District Council in 1980 and having become leader of the Edinburgh District Council Labour Group in 1982) and in May 1984 became leader of the first ever majority
Majority
A majority is a subset of a group consisting of more than half of its members. This can be compared to a plurality, which is a subset larger than any other subset; i.e. a plurality is not necessarily a majority as the largest subset may consist of less than half the group's population...
Labour administration in the city.
Members of the Labour group of councillors felt however that his politics were further left than theirs and in May 1986 voted they had no confidence in his leadership. He was replaced as council leader with Mark Lazarowicz
Mark Lazarowicz
Mark Lazarowicz, is a British Labour Co-operative politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Edinburgh North and Leith since 2001...
.
Subsequently Wood resigned his council seat, left Labour and joined the 1988 version of the Scottish Socialist Party
Scottish Socialist Party (1987-1990)
The Scottish Socialist Party was a small political party operating in Scotland. It was primarily a left-wing breakaway from the Scottish National Party although it succeeded in recruiting a number of Labour Party members, including the former Labour Group leader in Edinburgh council, Alex Wood...
.
Shortly after the demise of the SSP, Wood joined the Scottish National Party, of which he remains a member.
A teacher by profession, he retired as headteacher of Wester Hailes Education Centre in Edinburgh in August 2011. He had also been seconded (2008-09)as Headteacher to Tynecastle High School. He writes on educational issues in SecEd and The Herald, writes a monthly column in the Times Educational Supplement Scotland and contributes to the Scottish Review, Lothian Life and the Caledonian Mercury.