Emma Roddick

Last updated

(1 of 7 Regional MSPs)
Emma Roddick
MSP
Emma Roddick 2021.jpg
Emma Roddick in the Scottish Parliament on 13 May 2021
Minister for Equalities, Migration and Refugees
Assumed office
29 March 2023
Assumed office
8 May 2021
Personal details
Born (1997-07-30) 30 July 1997 (age 26)
Political party Scottish National Party

Emma Roddick (born 30 July 1997) is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician serving as the Minister for Equalities, Migration and Refugees since 2023. [1] She has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Highlands and Islands since May 2021.

Contents

Early life

Roddick was born to Sue, a social worker, and Davy Roddick and lived in Alness from an early age. [2] Both of her parents had died by the time she was elected in May 2021. She formerly worked for the Scottish Ambulance Service. [3]

Roddick, who has Borderline personality disorder (BPD) and PTSD, [4] started a petition in 2017 to improve the available services from Scotland's NHS24 helpline. [5] In 2020 the campaign proved successful, and NHS 24 added option 3 to their service. [6]

Political career

In November 2019 she was elected in a by-election as a Councillor, representing the Inverness Central ward of the Highland Council. [7] Shortly after starting her campaign, she became the target of mostly anonymous online death and rape threats, [8] and had her home broken into twice. [9] The month before, she refused to sign a petition opposing the Gender Recognition Act reforms, claiming the petition had "transphobic undertones". [10] [9]

On 8 May 2021 she was elected as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Highlands and Islands. [11] She was one of the youngest candidates seeking election, and the youngest MSP elected. [12] [13]

After her election in 2021, Roddick, who had been homeless in the past, spoke about the financial burdens of running for office which provide barriers to young and working-class people running, [13] and highlighted the initial cost of being an MSP. [14]

In 2023, she was appointed to the Yousaf government as Minister for Equalities, Migration and Refugees. [15]

Personal life

Roddick plays the fiddle. [16] She lives in Merkinch in Inverness [17] and identifies as bisexual. [18] [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scottish Greens</span> Scottish political party

The Scottish Greens are a green political party in Scotland. The party has seven MSPs in the Scottish Parliament as of May 2021. As of the 2022 local elections, the party sits on 13 of the 32 Scottish local councils, with a total of 35 councillors. They hold two ministerial posts in the Yousaf government following a power-sharing agreement with the SNP in August 2021, marking the first time Green party politicians formed part of a government in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob Gibson</span> Scottish politician (born 1945)

Robert McKay Gibson is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician. He was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) from 2003 until 2016, first as a Highlands and Islands regional member from 2003 until 2011, then representing the Caithness, Sutherland and Ross constituency from 2011 until 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eleanor Scott</span> Scottish politician and medical doctor

Eleanor Roberta Scott is a Scottish politician and physician. She was Scottish Greens Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Highlands and Islands from 2003–2007, then female co-convener of the party from 2008–2011 with Patrick Harvie.

Alasdair Morrison is a Scottish Labour Party politician. He was the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Western Isles constituency from 1999 to 2007.

Elaine Thomson is a former Scottish Labour Party politician. She was the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Aberdeen North constituency from 1999 to 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of the Highland council area</span>

The politics of the Highland council area in Scotland are evident in the deliberations and decisions of the Highland Council, in elections to the council, and in elections to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (Westminster) and the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood). In the European Parliament the area was within the Scotland constituency, which covers all of the 32 council areas of Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean Urquhart</span> Scottish politician (born 1949)

Jean Urquhart is a Scottish politician. She was formerly a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP), first elected in 2011 for the Highlands and Islands region as a Scottish National Party (SNP) member, then continuing to sit as an independent after she left the SNP in October 2012. She had been an SNP councillor at the Highland Council from 2003 to 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Finnie</span> Scottish politician (born 1956)

John Bradford Finnie is a Scottish Greens politician. He was the Green Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Highlands and Islands region from 2016 up until 2021, having previously sat as a Scottish National Party (SNP) member from 2011 to 2012 then as an independent from 2012 to 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drew Hendry</span> Scottish National Party politician

Andrew Egan Henderson Hendry, known as Drew Hendry, is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey since 2015. Hendry has served as the SNP's Economy Spokesperson in the House of Commons since September 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gail Ross</span> Scottish politician

Gail Elizabeth Ross is a former Scottish National Party (SNP) politician, who served as the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross from the election in May 2016 up until 2021 when she decided to not seek re-election. She was a councillor on the Highland Council 2011–2016, and civic leader of Caithness 2012–2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kate Forbes</span> Former Scottish Finance and Economy Secretary

Kate Elizabeth Forbes is a Scottish politician. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch constituency since the 2016 Scottish Parliament election. She also served as the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy from 2020 to 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maree Todd</span> Scottish Social Care, Mental Wellbeing & Sport Minister

Maree Todd is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician who has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross since May 2021. She was previously an MSP for the Highlands and Islands from the election in May 2016. She has been serving as the Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport since March 2023. She previously served as the Minister for Public Health, Women's Health and Sport from 2021 to 2023, and as the Minister for Children and Young People from 2017 to 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Scottish National Party depute leadership election</span>

There was a Scottish National Party leadership election to choose the new Depute leader of the Scottish National Party at the SNP's conference on 14–15 October 2016. The SNP's Westminster Group Leader Angus Robertson MP won the election.

The 2017 Highland Council election was held on 4 May 2017 to elect members of the Highland Council. The election used the 21 wards created under the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004; each ward elected three or four councillors using the single transferable vote system. A total of 74 councillors were elected, six less than in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karen Adam</span> Scottish National Party politician

Karen Adam is a Scottish politician who has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Banffshire and Buchan Coast since 2021. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she was previously a councillor for the Mid-Formartine ward of Aberdeenshire from 2017 until her election as an MSP in May 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siobhian Brown</span> Scottish Victims & Community Safety Minister

Siobhian Brown is a politician in Scotland, serving as Minister for Victims and Community Safety since 2023 and a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Ayr since 2021. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she was a councillor for the Ayr West ward of South Ayrshire Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Audrey Nicoll</span> Scottish National Party politician

Audrey Elizabeth Nicoll is a Scottish politician who has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Aberdeen South and North Kincardine since 2021. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she has represented the Torry/Ferryhill ward in the Aberdeen City Council since 2019

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douglas Lumsden</span> Scottish Conservative politician

Douglas Aaron Lumsden is a Scottish Conservative Party politician. He has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the North East Scotland region since the election in May 2021. He was previously the co-leader of Aberdeen City Council.

Elections to The Highland Council were held on 5 May 2022, the same day as the 31 other Scottish local government elections. The election used the 21 wards created under the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, with 74 councillors being elected. Each ward elected either 3 or 4 members, using the STV electoral system.

The 2023 Scottish National Party leadership election took place in February and March 2023 to choose the leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) to succeed Nicola Sturgeon, who announced her resignation on 15 February. Nominations closed on 24 February 2023 with three candidates: Kate Forbes, Ash Regan, and Humza Yousaf. Yousaf was elected the new leader on 27 March with 48.2% of first preference votes and 52.1% of the vote after third-placed candidate Regan's second preferences were redistributed. Yousaf was elected as the First Minister of Scotland on 28 March 2023.

References

  1. ↑ "Full ministerial team confirmed". www.gov.scot. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  2. ↑ Glen, Louise (27 January 2021). "'She touched the lives of so many' – tributes paid to Highland social worker". Inverness Courier. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  3. ↑ Dixon, Andrew (14 October 2019). "SNP announce Inverness Central ward by-election candidate for Highland Council seat". The Inverness Courier . Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  4. ↑ Garavelli, Dani (12 May 2021). "Scotland will benefit from its newly diverse parliament". the Guardian. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  5. ↑ Henderson, Michelle (27 October 2017). "Mental health campaign thrives into action". Press and Journal. Aberdeen Journals Ltd. DC Thomson Media. Archived from the original on 6 November 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  6. ↑ "Inverness councillor Emma Roddick delighted with mental health campaign success". 5 February 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  7. ↑ Macaulay, Susy (15 November 2019). "SNP take Inverness Central ward by massive margin". The Press and Journal . Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  8. ↑ Macaulay, Susy (20 December 2019). "Online bullying and abuse an everyday event for Highland councillors". Press and Journal. Aberdeen Journals Ltd. DC Thomson Media. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  9. 1 2 Rodger, Hannah (8 December 2019). "Police investigating fake Joanna Cherry violence threat posts". HeraldScotland. Herald and Times Group. Newsquest Media Group. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  10. ↑ Rodger, Hannah (27 October 2019). "SNP women's officer who called trans woman "mental pervy git" and compared another to serial killer Ed Kemper reported to HQ". HeraldScotland. Herald and Times Group. Newsquest Media Group. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  11. ↑ "Scotland Election 2021 > Highlands and Islands". BBC News . Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  12. ↑ Aitken, Mark. "The voice of young Scotland: Five of the election's youngest candidates on the issues that matter most to their generation". The Sunday Post. DC Thomson Media. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  13. 1 2 Roddick, Emma (11 May 2021). "We need to talk about the financial barriers to becoming an MSP". The National. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  14. ↑ Mac Dougall, David (11 May 2021). "'Aw, diddums': Scottish Conservative Annie Wells mocks new Highlands MSP over financial concerns". Press and Journal. Aberdeen Journals Ltd. DC Thomson Media. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  15. ↑ Paton, Craig (29 March 2023). "Yousaf says SNP is 'united' as he appoints supporters to his first Cabinet". Evening Standard. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
  16. ↑ Roddick, Emma. "Twitter Profile". Twitter. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  17. ↑ White, Gregor (3 November 2019). "LONGER READ: Inverness by-election candidates explain why they want your vote". Inverness Courier. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  18. ↑ Roddick, Emma [@emma_roddick] (17 May 2020). "So, it's #IDAHOBIT2020
    Let's chat about bi erasure! Thread"     (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  19. ↑ Brown, Hannah (4 July 2022). "Queer MSP Emma Roddick 'gutted' after Shetland Pride speech cancelled 'in favour' of older male MP Alistair Carmichael". The Scotsman . Edinburgh.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.