Colin Fox

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This article is about the Scottish politician. For the Canadian actor, see Colin Fox (actor).
Colin Fox
Colin Fox
Convenor of the Scottish Socialist Party
In office
13 February 2005 – present
Born 17 June 1959 (1959-06-17) (age 48)
Motherwell, Scotland
Political party Scottish Socialist Party

Colin Fox (born June 17, 1959, Motherwell) is the joint national spokesperson of the Scottish Socialist Party (along with Frances Curran) and a former member for Lothian in the Scottish Parliament. He lives in The Inch, Edinburgh, with his partner and his two children.

He was a leading activist in the struggle against the poll tax in Edinburgh[1] as a member of Scottish Militant Labour, and became Lothian regional organiser of the SSP. He was selected as its leading candidate in Lothian region for the Scottish Parliament election of 2003, and was elected[2]. He lost his seat in the 2007 election

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[edit] Campaigning

He is the justice spokeman for the SSP, and has campaigned for the abolition of prescription charges, including putting a Bill to that effect before parliament[3].

In June 2005 he took part in a peaceful protest, interrupting Question Time in the Scottish Parliament, along with the other three SSP MSPs, to highlight their claim that parliament had failed to secure the right to demonstrate outside the Gleneagles Hotel where the G8 were meeting. As a consequence, he was suspended from the Scottish Parliament for the whole of September and the salaries of the four MSPs and their staff were stopped.[4]

[edit] Other information

On November 28, 2004 he announced his candidature for Convenor of the Scottish Socialist Party after the resignation of Tommy Sheridan. At the SSP conference on February 13, 2005 Fox was elected with 252 votes against 154 for Alan McCombes[5]. He was re-elected unopposed at the February 2006, October 2006 and October 2007 conferences.

He co-organises the Edinburgh Mayday Festival and re-founded the Edinburgh People's Festival in 2002. He is also on the editorial board of the Scottish Left Review.

He was one of several SSP members who gave evidence in the Sheridan defamation case[6]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Profile: SSP leadership hopefuls
  2. ^ Colin Fox, SSP Candidates, Lothians Region 2003
  3. ^ MSPs support free prescriptions
  4. ^ MSPs suspended after G8 protest
  5. ^ Fox elected as new leader of SSP
  6. ^ Battle looms on 'Sheridan confession'

[edit] External links

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Scottish Socialist Party politicians

Former MSPs
Frances Curran • Colin Fox • Rosie Kane • Carolyn Leckie