Maggie Chapman

Last updated

Maggie Chapman
MSP
Maggie Chapman MSP.jpg
Official portrait, 2021
Member of the Scottish Parliament
for North East Scotland
(1 of 7 Regional MSPs)
Incumbent
Assumed office
6 May 2021

Maggie Chapman (born 27 June 1979) is a Scottish politician and lecturer [1] who is a Scottish Green Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for North East Scotland. She was co-convenor of the Scottish Greens from November 2013 to August 2019, serving with Patrick Harvie, and was the party's lead candidate for the 2019 European election. [2]

Contents

She was a councillor for the Leith Walk ward of The City of Edinburgh Council from 2007 to 2015 and represented the Scottish Greens on the Smith Commission for further devolution of powers to the Scottish Parliament.

Chapman was the Rector of the University of Aberdeen, having been elected in 2014, and again in 2018. Her term ended on the 31 March 2021.

She was the lead Green candidate for the North East region at the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, and was elected as one of eight Green MSPs. [3]

Early life and education

Chapman was born in 1979 in Salisbury, Zimbabwe Rhodesia. [4] Her family had moved from South Africa in 1978 for her father to take up the post of director at the college of music. [4] [5] She grew up there, educated at a mixed-race school, with the country having achieved independence from the United Kingdom as the Republic of Zimbabwe whilst she was a baby. [4] Her mother was a nurse who worked as a theatre sister and midwife. [4]

Chapman moved to Scotland to study Zoology at the University of Edinburgh, graduating in 2001. [6] She went on to complete a Master's degree in Environmental Management at the University of Stirling in 2003, then returned to Edinburgh University to study for a PhD in Geography. [6] [7] In 2015, she clarified that she had not completed her doctoral studies. [8] As a student, she had been an activist for Edinburgh University Students' Association. [9] [10]

Professional life

Chapman has worked in the west of Scotland in Environmental Management, and as a community carer throughout Edinburgh. [11] [12]

Until June 2015 she was a lecturer in cultural geography, environmental ethics and social justice at Edinburgh Napier University. [5] She retains a role in teaching through her support for the Educational Institute of Scotland. [13]

In mid-2015 she took up a post at the Muslim Women's Resource Centre in Dundee. [14]

Political career

Chapman was first elected as a councillor for the Leith Walk ward in the 2007 City of Edinburgh Council election, becoming one of the three first Green councillors in Edinburgh. She was re-elected in 2012. [15] Later that year she became the first ever convener of the council's Petitions Committee. [16] During her time as a councillor, Chapman has advocated for causes that include: the living wage, participatory budgeting, better private tenancy rights, [17] and better support for non-profits. [18] She has also organised and voted against the privatisation of council services and cuts to services. [19] In June 2015, she announced she was standing down as a councillor, to concentrate on the Scottish Parliament election that was to be held in May 2016. [14] She was selected as the party's lead candidate for the North East region. [20]

In November 2013, she was elected unopposed as the Scottish Greens' female co-convenor, succeeding Glasgow councillor Martha Wardrop, [21] and was re-elected to the position in 2016. [20] [22]

Chapman was the party's lead candidate in the 2014 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom for the Scotland constituency. [23] [24] She was not elected.

Chapman is a socialist, environmentalist and feminist. She has been active in a number of political campaigns, including the Radical Independence Campaign. [25] [26]

In September 2014, Chapman became a member of the Smith Commission into further devolution for the Scottish Parliament. [27]

In 2015, Chapman was challenged as co-convenor by activist Zara Kitson in the party's internal elections. Kitson was second on the party list for Glasgow in the 2016 Scottish Parliament election and was nominated by former MSP Mark Ruskell and endorsed by MSP and former convenor Alison Johnstone. The election was notable as it was the first time an incumbent co-convenor faced a serious challenge, all to date had been re-elected as the sole nominees.

She stood in the 2016 Scottish Parliament election as the party's lead candidate for the North East region but despite the Greens increasing their number of MSPs from two to six, Chapman was not elected. [28]

In 2019, she was once again selected as the party's lead candidate for the European Parliament election for the Scotland constituency. [29] She was not elected. [30]

At the 2019 Scottish Green leadership election, Chapman lost to Lorna Slater. [31]

In the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, Chapman lead the North East regional list for the Scottish Greens. [3] Her successful election to Holyrood was announced on 8 May 2021, two days after the election. [32] This made her the first Green MSP in the North East since Shiona Baird lost her seat in 2007. [33] Upon being sworn in, Chapman repeated her affirmation in Shona. [34]

Chapman was criticised for comments she made during a discussion on gender recognition reform with broadcaster LBC. The MSP said she agreed with children as young as 8 being allowed to make their own decision about whether to legally change their gender. [35]

Rector

In November 2014, she was elected as Rector of the University of Aberdeen after a vote by the student body of the University. [36] She was installed as rector at a ceremony in March 2015, having intimated that she would be active in the role. [37]

Chapman ran for a second term in November 2017, but the election was annulled after allegations that her supporters had torn down posters belonging to rival candidates, which Chapman and her campaign team denied. A document released by the University indicated that the election committee disagreed with the initial decision to annul the results as Chapman had not been given a right of reply to the allegations but did not overturn it. In the end, the election was re-run in February 2018. Chapman won re-election, defeating Aberdeen law student Israr Khan by a margin of 1,248 votes to 891. [38]

Controversies

Allegations of lying about qualifications

On 5 December 2015, Chapman was accused of lying about her qualifications to both party members and the University of Aberdeen. Questions were asked after it emerged she did not hold a doctorate in geography from the University of Edinburgh as mentioned in her biography on the Scottish Greens’ and University of Aberdeen websites. Ms Chapman said the false claims were the result of an error. Aberdeenshire’s only Scottish Green councillor at the time, Martin Ford, said: “I hope Maggie will do the right thing and resign.” [39]

Failure to declare financial interest

On 10 May 2023, Chapman was sanctioned after the standards committee found she had failed to declare a financial interest during an evidence session on the Gender Recognition Reform Bill. [40]

Response to 2023 Hamas attack on Israel

In October 2023, Chapman tweeted that the Hamas attack on Israel, which killed 1,300 and took more hostage, was "decolonisation", not "terrorism". She later deleted her posts after facing criticism and said that she did not support the initial statement. A year later, Ms Chapman u-turned and stood by her previous comments. She also stated that "Hamas was democratically elected by the Palestinian people in Gaza." [41] [42]

Personal life

Her father, Neil Chapman, was a professional classical musician. [43] She has a sister, Catherine. [43] She plays the fiddle and enjoys exploring Scotland. [44]

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 7 MSPs of 129 in the Scottish Parliament, the party holds 35 of the 1226 councillors at Scottish local Government level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robin Harper</span> British politician (born 1940)

Robin Charles Moreton Harper, is a Scottish politician, who was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Lothians region (1999–2011).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margaret Curran</span> British politician (born 1958)

Margaret Patricia Curran, Baroness Curran, is a Scottish Labour Party politician. She served in the House of Commons as the member of Parliament (MP) for Glasgow East from 2010 and 2015, and was Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland from 2011 until 2015. Curran was previously the member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Glasgow Baillieston from 1999 to 2011, and held a number of posts within the Scottish Executive, including as Minister for Parliamentary Business, Minister for Social Justice, and Minister for Communities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Ballard</span> British politician (born 1971)

Mark Ballard is a former Scottish Green Party politician. He was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Lothians region from 2003 to 2007, and co-convener of the Edinburgh Green Party from 2007 to 2010. He was Lord Rector of the University of Edinburgh from 2006 to 2009, and now works for the National Deaf Children's Society

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Ruskell</span> Scottish Green politician

Mark Christopher Ruskell is a Scottish Green Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP). He was elected to represent Mid Scotland and Fife from 2003−2007, then elected again in 2016 and re-elected in 2021. In the Scottish Parliament, Ruskell is the Greens' spokesperson on Climate, Energy, Environment, Food and Farming.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Harvie</span> Co-Leader of the Scottish Green Party

Patrick Harvie is a Scottish politician who served as Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants' Rights from 2021 to 2024. He has served as one of two co-leaders of the Scottish Greens since 2008, and is one of the first Green politicians in the UK to serve as a government minister. Harvie has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Glasgow region since 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elaine Murray</span> British politician (born 1954)

Elaine Kildare Murray is a retired Scottish Labour politician. She was leader of Dumfries and Galloway Council for the 2017–2022 term. She was also the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Dumfries from 1999 to 2011, and then for Dumfriesshire from 2011 to 2016. At the 1999, 2003 and 2007 elections, Murray increased her percentage share of the vote. She was Shadow Minister for the Environment in the Scottish Parliament. She lost her seat in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maureen Watt</span> Scottish politician (born 1951)

Maureen Elizabeth Watt is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician and former Minister for Mental Health in the Scottish Government. She was the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) representing the constituency of Aberdeen South and North Kincardine from 2011 to 2021 when she retired, having previously served as a regional member for North East Scotland from 2006 until 2011.

Scottish Young Greens (SYG) is the independent youth wing of the Scottish Greens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 Scottish Parliament election</span>

The 2007 Scottish Parliament election was held on Thursday 3 May 2007 to elect members to the Scottish Parliament. It was the third general election to the devolved Scottish Parliament since it was created in 1999. Local elections in Scotland fell on the same day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Wilson (Scottish Green politician)</span>

John Gordon Wilson is a Scottish politician. He was formerly a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Central Scotland region from 2007 until 2016. He sat as a Scottish National Party (SNP) member and then as an independent after 2014. He stood unsuccessfully as a Green Party candidate in the Coatbridge and Chryston constituency at the 2016 Scottish Parliament election and then as an independent candidate in the 2017 Scottish local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nigel Don</span> Scottish composer and politician (born 1954)

Nigel Anderson Don is a Scottish composer, arranger and former politician. He was a Scottish National Party (SNP) Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for two parliamentary terms, first for the North East Scotland region 2007–2011 then for the Angus North and Mearns constituency in the 2011–2016 term.

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

Clare Anne Adamson is a Scottish politician who has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Motherwell and Wishaw since 2016. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she was previously an additional MSP for the Central Scotland region from 2011 to 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alison Johnstone</span> Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament since 2021

Alison Johnstone is a Scottish politician who has served as the Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament since 2021. Elected as a member of the Scottish Greens, she relinquished her party affiliation on becoming Presiding Officer. She has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Lothian region since 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lorna Slater</span> Co-leader of the Scottish Greens

Lorna Slater is a Scottish-Canadian politician in Scotland, who served as Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity in the Scottish Government from 2021 to 2024. She has been co-leader of the Scottish Greens, alongside Patrick Harvie, since 2019, and was one of the first Green politicians in the UK to serve as government ministers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beatrice Wishart</span> Scottish Liberal Democrat politician

Beatrice Wishart is a Scottish Liberal Democrats politician who has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Shetland since 2019. Wishart currently serves as spokesperson for both Connectivity and Rural Affairs for her party, and is Deputy Convener for the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee. She was elected at the 2019 Shetland by-election, after the sitting Liberal Democrat MSP Tavish Scott stepped down.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Scottish Greens co-leadership election</span>

The first Scottish Greens co-leadership election occurred during the summer of 2019, following a newly adopted constitution by the party. One article of the constitution stated that the positions of co-conveners would be abolished in favour of the newly established positions of co-leaders. It also said that at least one of the co-leaders had to be a woman. Both of the former co-conveners, Maggie Chapman and Patrick Harvie, contested the election, but when the results were announced at the Out of Blue Drill Hall in Edinburgh on the 1st of August 2019, only Patrick Harvie was elected, alongside Lorna Slater. All Scottish Green Party members were eligible to vote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Co-leaders of the Scottish Greens</span>

The co-leaders of the Scottish Green Party are the leaders of the Scottish Green Party. The incumbents are Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater who were elected in August 2019 as the inaugural co-leaders. The co-leaders are responsible for the political leadership of the party, and act as its principle spokespersons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Scottish Greens</span> Aspect of Scottish political history

The Scottish Greens is a centre-left to left-wing green political party in Scotland that was founded in 1990.

References

  1. ↑ "Maggie Chapman" . Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  2. ↑ "Scottish Greens urge voters to choose 'hope over hate'". BBC. 7 May 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  3. 1 2 "Scottish Greens to stand in 12 constituencies as party publishes full candidates' list". The National. April 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Alexander, Michael (28 April 2016). "Scottish Election 2016: Dundee-based Green Party candidate wants to give politics a good shake-up". The Courier. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  5. 1 2 "Europe Calling". Holyrood . 5 October 2013. Archived from the original on 6 February 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  6. 1 2 "More About Me". University of Edinburgh School of Geosciences. Archived from the original on 5 July 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  7. ↑ "About Maggie". maggiechapman.wordpress.com. 20 September 2008. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  8. ↑ McKiernan, Jennifer (18 November 2015). "Greens apologise after error stated co-convener and Aberdeen university rector had PhD". Evening Express . Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  9. ↑ Chapman, Maggie (11 November 2013). "Gender inequality in University Governance". maggiechapman.wordpress.com. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  10. ↑ "Student Representation". University of Edinburgh School of Geosciences. 11 September 2006. Archived from the original on 5 July 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  11. ↑ "Bid to rename Festival Square after Nelson Mandela". Edinburgh Evening News . 7 December 2013. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
  12. ↑ "Green Councillors". Scottish Green Party. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  13. ↑ "Edinburgh Napier University: branch executive". Educational Institute of Scotland. Archived from the original on 14 April 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  14. 1 2 Swanson, Ian (30 June 2015). "Maggie Chapman steps down as she bids to be MSP". The Scotsman . Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  15. ↑ "Results for Edinburgh Elections 2012" (Press release). 4 May 2012. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  16. ↑ "Edinburgh council introduces new petition scheme". The Journal . 24 October 2012. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  17. ↑ "Edinburgh councillor back calls for better regulation of private landlords". STV News . 10 March 2012. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  18. ↑ "Greens hail idea to give voters power over budget". The Scotsman. 21 March 2012. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  19. ↑ MacLeod, Michael (11 February 2011). "Edinburgh council's £90m cuts budget passes by one vote". The Guardian . Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  20. 1 2 "Maggie Chapman re-elected co-convener of Scottish Greens". BBC News. 27 November 2015.
  21. ↑ "Glasgow MSP retains Greens leader role". Evening Times . 25 November 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  22. ↑ Freeman, Tom (27 November 2015). "Maggie Chapman re-elected as Scottish Greens co-convener". Holyrood. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  23. ↑ "Elections: European". www.edinburghgreens.org.uk. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
  24. ↑ Dunion, Gary (26 November 2012). "Maggie Chapman to run for Scotland's Euro seat". Bright Green . Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  25. ↑ Gordon, Tom (24 November 2013). "Independence is a class issue ... the rich are voting no". Sunday Herald . Retrieved 8 December 2013.
  26. ↑ Beaton, Connor (8 December 2013). "Scottish left talks independence in Edinburgh". The Targe. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
  27. ↑ "Scottish referendum: Iain Gray to join powers commission". BBC News . 29 September 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  28. ↑ Davidson, Jenni (6 May 2016). "Greens triple MSPs but fail to top best ever result". Holyrood. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  29. ↑ "Scottish Greens' Euro candidates unveiled". BBC News. 25 April 2019. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  30. ↑ "The UK's European elections 2019". BBC News.
  31. ↑ Learmonth, Andrew (2 August 2019). "Chapman ousted in Scottish Greens election as members vote to change co-leaders". The National.
  32. ↑ Beattie, Kieran (8 May 2021). "First north-east Green MSP elected in more than a decade". Press and Journal. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  33. ↑ Penman, Hamish (9 May 2021). "Scottish Election: North-east MSPs set out vision for energy transition". Energy Voice. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  34. ↑ "Scottish Parliament 2021: MSPs swearing in". BBC News. Retrieved 13 May 2021. Another new Green MSP is Maggie Chapman, who repeats her affirmation in Zimbabwean Shona.
  35. ↑ Healey, Derek (17 January 2023). "Dundee-based MSP wants to 'explore' allowing children as young as eight to change gender". The Courier. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  36. ↑ "Maggie Chapman named as new University of Aberdeen rector". BBC News. 14 November 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  37. ↑ "University of Aberdeen rector Maggie Chapman unveiled on bull". BBC News. 23 March 2015.
  38. ↑ Williams, Martin. "Greens' Maggie Chapman overcomes 'dirty tricks' row to become Aberdeen University Rector". The Herald. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
  39. ↑ "Aberdeen University rector facing calls to stand down as co-leader of Scottish Greens". Press and Journal. 5 December 2015. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  40. ↑ "Green MSP sanctioned for breaching code of conduct during gender reform debate". HeraldScotland. 11 May 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  41. ↑ "Green MSP Maggie Chapman regrets 'upset' over Hamas social media post". BBC News. 14 October 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  42. ↑ "North East MSP Maggie Chapman calls Hamas the 'democratically elected' leaders of Gaza". Press and Journal. 27 October 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  43. 1 2 "Zimbabwe". maggiechapman.scot.
  44. ↑ "Meet Maggie". www.votegreen2014.org. Scottish Green Party. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
Party political offices
Preceded by Co-Convener of the Scottish Green Party
2013–2019
With: Patrick Harvie 		Succeeded by
Academic offices
Preceded by Rector of the University of Aberdeen
2014 – 2021		Succeeded by
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.