Alyn Smith
Encyclopedia
Alyn Smith is a Scottish
politician
, and Scottish National Party
Member of the European Parliament
for Scotland
.
He is also the SNP
's agricultural spokesman
.
and Saudi Arabia
.
He returned to Scotland in 1986, and later studied Law
and European Law at Leeds University and spent a year studying on the Erasmus Programme
at the University of Heidelberg in Germany.
He graduated from Nottingham Law School
(a department of Nottingham Trent University
) in 1996, and gained a Master's degree in European Studies
from the College of Europe
in Warsaw
. He also for one year taught English in India and worked with Scotland Europa http://www.scotlandeuropa.com/ in Brussels.
Smith later moved to London where he qualified as a lawyer with commercial law firm Clifford Chance
.
.
He contested Edinburgh West
for the SNP at the 2001 general election
, coming fourth. At the 2003 Scottish Parliament election
, he contested the same seat
, again coming fourth.
He was elected as an MEP for the first time in the 2004 European Parliament election and was re-elected in the 2009 European Parliament election
.
He is Scotland's youngest MEP and is Honorary President of both the youth wings of the SNP, the Young Scots for Independence
and the Federation of Student Nationalists
, as well as a member of the SNP's National Executive Committee.
In the European Parliament
, he is a full member of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development
and won the coveted Scottish Farmer Magazine award for "Outstanding Contribution to Scottish Agriculture" at the Highland Show in 2009. He is an alternate member of the Education and Culture Committee in addition to the Constitutional Affairs Committee
. He is a full member of the Delegation for relations with the Arabian Peninsula
, and also sits as alternate member on the Parliament's Delegation for Relations with Switzerland
, Iceland
and Norway
.
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...
politician
Politics of Scotland
The Politics of Scotland forms a distinctive part of the wider politics of Europe.Theoretically, the United Kingdom is de jure a "unitary state" with one sovereign parliament and government...
, 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....
Member of the European Parliament
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
for Scotland
Scotland (European Parliament constituency)
Scotland constitutes a single constituency of the European Parliament. For 2009 it elects 6 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.- Boundaries :...
.
He is also the SNP
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
's agricultural spokesman
Agriculture in Scotland
Agriculture in Scotland employs around 5% of the workforce of the rural regions and contribute to around 1.3% of the GVA. Other studies suggest the employment rate to be around 8% of the total rural population, and in terms of numbers the estimates indicate that around 68,000 people are directly...
.
Early life and career
He was born in Glasgow in 1973 and grew up in ScotlandScotland
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...
and Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
.
He returned to Scotland in 1986, and later studied Law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
and European Law at Leeds University and spent a year studying on the Erasmus Programme
Erasmus Programme
The Erasmus Programme , a.k.a. Erasmus Project is a European Union student exchange programme established in 1987...
at the University of Heidelberg in Germany.
He graduated from Nottingham Law School
Nottingham Law School
Nottingham Law School is a law school in the UK with over 100 full-time lecturers and 400 students. It is an academic and professional institution, part of Nottingham Trent University, situated in the East Midlands....
(a department of Nottingham Trent University
Nottingham Trent University
Nottingham Trent University is a public teaching and research university in Nottingham, United Kingdom. It was founded as a new university in 1992 from the existing Trent Polytechnic , however it can trace its roots back to 1843 with the establishment of the Nottingham Government School of Design...
) in 1996, and gained a Master's degree in European Studies
European studies
European studies is a field of study offered by many academic colleges and universities that focuses on current developments in European integration....
from the College of Europe
College of Europe
The College of Europe is an independent university institute of postgraduate European studies with the main campus in Bruges, Belgium...
in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
. He also for one year taught English in India and worked with Scotland Europa http://www.scotlandeuropa.com/ in Brussels.
Smith later moved to London where he qualified as a lawyer with commercial law firm Clifford Chance
Clifford Chance
Clifford Chance LLP is a global law firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom and a member of the 'Magic Circle' of leading UK law firms. It is one of the ten largest law firms in the world measured by both number of lawyers and revenue...
.
Political career
Prior to his election he worked on the SNP staff in HolyroodHolyrood, Edinburgh
Holyrood is an area in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Lying east of the city centre, at the end of the Royal Mile, Holyrood was once in the separate burgh of Canongate before the expansion of Edinburgh in 1856...
.
He contested Edinburgh West
Edinburgh West (UK Parliament constituency)
Edinburgh West is a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom , first used in the 1885 general election...
for the SNP at the 2001 general 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...
, coming fourth. At 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 contested the same seat
Edinburgh West (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Edinburgh West is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
, again coming fourth.
He was elected as an MEP for the first time in the 2004 European Parliament election and was re-elected in the 2009 European Parliament election
European Parliament election, 2009 (United Kingdom)
The European Parliament election was the United Kingdom's component of the 2009 European Parliament election, the voting for which was held on Thursday 4 June 2009, coinciding with the 2009 local elections in England. Most of the results of the election were announced on Sunday 7 June, after...
.
He is Scotland's youngest MEP and is Honorary President of both the youth wings of the SNP, the Young Scots for Independence
Young Scots for Independence
Young Scots for Independence is the youth wing of the Scottish National Party . It is not to be confused with Federation of Student Nationalists, which is for those in higher education, and whose membership is not restricted by age, unlike the YSI.The YSI is autonomous from the SNP and as such is...
and the Federation of Student Nationalists
Federation of Student Nationalists
The Federation of Student Nationalists is the student wing of the Scottish National Party , representing students in Scottish higher education...
, as well as a member of the SNP's National Executive Committee.
In the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
, he is a full member of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development
Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development
The Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development is a committee of the European Parliament.-Responsibilities of the Committee:AGRI is the European Parliament committee responsible for:...
and won the coveted Scottish Farmer Magazine award for "Outstanding Contribution to Scottish Agriculture" at the Highland Show in 2009. He is an alternate member of the Education and Culture Committee in addition to the Constitutional Affairs Committee
Committee on Constitutional Affairs
The Committee on Constitutional Affairs is a committee of the European Parliament dealing with institutional matters such as the treaties and the Parliament's rules of procedure. As of 2008, it is chaired by Jo Leinen MEP .-External links:*...
. He is a full member of the Delegation for relations with the Arabian Peninsula
Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula is a land mass situated north-east of Africa. Also known as Arabia or the Arabian subcontinent, it is the world's largest peninsula and covers 3,237,500 km2...
, and also sits as alternate member on the Parliament's Delegation for Relations with Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
and Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
.