Peter Wishart
Encyclopedia
Peter "Pete" Wishart (born 9 March 1962) is the Scottish National Party
(SNP) Member of Parliament
(MP) for Perth and North Perthshire
. He was the SNP Chief Whip
at Westminster
from 2001–2007 and is currently the party's Westminster Spokesperson for the Constitution, Home Affairs, Culture, Media and Sport and International Development. He is also a notable musician chiefly associated with the folk-rock band Runrig
.
in 1962, Wishart was educated at Queen Anne High School Dunfermline
and Moray House College, Edinburgh
. Wishart lives in Perth
and has one son and enjoys walking in the Perthshire
hills. Wishart is a trained Community Worker and has been a Director of the Fast Forward charity that promotes healthy lifestyles for young people. He was a member of the Scotland Against Drugs Campaign Committee and has contributed to many national forums looking at the problem of drugs within Scottish society.
Wishart was for 15 years a member of the Scottish group Runrig
, and was the first MP to have appeared on the TV show Top of the Pops
. Before Runrig, he had been in one of the lineups of Big Country
. Donnie Munro
, former lead singer of Runrig was to go on to an unsuccessful political career as a Labour party candidate. Wishart is a founder member of the parliamentary rock group MP4
. The other members are Ian Cawsey
(bass guitar and vocals), Greg Knight
MP (drums) and Kevin Brennan
MP (lead guitar and vocals).
, taking John Swinney
's old seat of Tayside North
. Since arriving at Westminster, he has served as the SNP's Chief Whip
, in which role he has pressed the government for greater parliamentary rights, such as better representation on committees, for both the SNP and other minority parties. He has also campaigned for copyright
term extension.
In the light of the reduction in the number of Scottish MPs at Westminster, Wishart's former constituency was abolished in a radical boundary revision, and at the 2005 election
he won the new constituency of Perth and North Perthshire for the SNP with a majority of 1,521 over the Conservatives. The Perth and North Perthshire seat was created after boundary changes in Scotland and takes in East and Highland Perthshire, the City of Perth and the Carse of Gowrie. Wishart sat on the Scottish Affairs Select Committee. In November 2010, Wishart suggested that Scottish football
referees should declare which club sides they support.
Profiles
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) 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 Perth and North Perthshire
Perth and North Perthshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Perth and North Perthshire is a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
. He was the SNP Chief Whip
Chief Whip
The Chief Whip is a political office in some legislatures assigned to an elected member whose task is to administer the whipping system that ensures that members of the party attend and vote as the party leadership desires.-The Whips Office:...
at Westminster
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...
from 2001–2007 and is currently the party's Westminster Spokesperson for the Constitution, Home Affairs, Culture, Media and Sport and International Development. He is also a notable musician chiefly associated with the folk-rock band Runrig
Runrig
Runrig are a Scottish Celtic rock group formed in Skye, in 1973 under the name 'The Run Rig Dance Band'. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included songwriters Rory Macdonald and Calum Macdonald. The current line-up also includes longtime members Malcolm Jones, Iain Bayne, and more...
.
Background
Born in DunfermlineDunfermline
Dunfermline is a town and former Royal Burgh in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. According to a 2008 estimate, Dunfermline has a population of 46,430, making it the second-biggest settlement in Fife. Part of the town's name comes from the Gaelic word...
in 1962, Wishart was educated at Queen Anne High School Dunfermline
Queen Anne High School Dunfermline
Queen Anne High School, named after Queen Anne of Denmark, is a large non-denominational secondary school of around 1,700 - the ninth largest in Scotland...
and Moray House College, 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...
. Wishart lives in Perth
Perth, Scotland
Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...
and has one son and enjoys walking in the Perthshire
Perthshire
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth , is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south...
hills. Wishart is a trained Community Worker and has been a Director of the Fast Forward charity that promotes healthy lifestyles for young people. He was a member of the Scotland Against Drugs Campaign Committee and has contributed to many national forums looking at the problem of drugs within Scottish society.
Wishart was for 15 years a member of the Scottish group Runrig
Runrig
Runrig are a Scottish Celtic rock group formed in Skye, in 1973 under the name 'The Run Rig Dance Band'. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included songwriters Rory Macdonald and Calum Macdonald. The current line-up also includes longtime members Malcolm Jones, Iain Bayne, and more...
, and was the first MP to have appeared on the TV show Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
. Before Runrig, he had been in one of the lineups of Big Country
Big Country
Big Country are a Scottish rock band formed in Dunfermline, Fife in 1981. They were most popular in the early to mid-1980s, but they still release material for a cult following...
. Donnie Munro
Donnie Munro
Donnie Munro is a Scottish musician, and former lead singer of the band Runrig.A native speaker of Scottish Gaelic, much of his work is in that language.-Early life:...
, former lead singer of Runrig was to go on to an unsuccessful political career as a Labour party candidate. Wishart is a founder member of the parliamentary rock group MP4
MP4 (band)
MP4 is a rock band made up of four British Members of Parliament.-Members:It was founded as MP3 in 2004 by Pete Wishart on keyboards, Ian Cawsey on bass guitar and vocals, and Greg Knight on drums...
. The other members are Ian Cawsey
Ian Cawsey
Ian Arthur Cawsey is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Brigg and Goole from 1997 until his defeat at the 2010 general election.-Early life:...
(bass guitar and vocals), Greg Knight
Greg Knight
Gregory Knight is a British politician and author. He is Conservative Member of Parliament for East Yorkshire.-Education and professional life:...
MP (drums) and Kevin Brennan
Kevin Brennan (politician)
Kevin Denis Brennan is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Cardiff West since 2001, and was a Minister of State at both the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department for Children, Schools and Families before the 2010 general election...
MP (lead guitar and vocals).
House of Commons
He was first elected to the House of Commons at the 2001 general electionUnited 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...
, taking 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...
's old seat of Tayside North
Tayside North (UK Parliament constituency)
North Tayside was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 until 2005. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post voting system....
. Since arriving at Westminster, he has served as the SNP's Chief Whip
Chief Whip
The Chief Whip is a political office in some legislatures assigned to an elected member whose task is to administer the whipping system that ensures that members of the party attend and vote as the party leadership desires.-The Whips Office:...
, in which role he has pressed the government for greater parliamentary rights, such as better representation on committees, for both the SNP and other minority parties. He has also campaigned for copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
term extension.
In the light of the reduction in the number of Scottish MPs at Westminster, Wishart's former constituency was abolished in a radical boundary revision, and at the 2005 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....
he won the new constituency of Perth and North Perthshire for the SNP with a majority of 1,521 over the Conservatives. The Perth and North Perthshire seat was created after boundary changes in Scotland and takes in East and Highland Perthshire, the City of Perth and the Carse of Gowrie. Wishart sat on the Scottish Affairs Select Committee. In November 2010, Wishart suggested that Scottish football
Football in Scotland
Association football is the national sport in Scotland and highly popular throughout the country. There is a long tradition of "football" games in Orkney, Lewis and southern Scotland, especially the Scottish Borders, although many of these include carrying the ball and passing by hand, and despite...
referees should declare which club sides they support.
External links
Profiles