Jack McConnell

The Right Honourable Jack McConnell (born June 30 1960) became the First Minister of Scotland in 2001. He is the leader of the Labour Party in Scotland, and the Member of the Scottish Parliament for Motherwell and Wishaw.

McConnell was born in Irvine, Scotland, and grew up on the Isle of Arran. He attended the University of Stirling, where he was elected head of the Student's Association. He graduated with a BSc Dip Ed and went on to teach mathematics at Lornshill Academy in Alloa from 1983 to 1992. In 1984, aged 22, McConnell was elected to Stirling District Council where he served for 8 years.

His confident, or brash, demeanor in politics has earned him the nickname "Jumping Jack Flash". An example of his ability to manage his public image was the timing of his statement that he had been unfaithful to his wife, Bridget. He admitted this at the start of his leadership campaign, which prevented the tabloid newspapers from raking up any gossip about his private life during the campaign.

He is a member of Amnesty International, despite doing little to close down the Dungavel detention centre which locks up people fleeing violence and oppression, including children as young as a few months old.

Jack McConnell

See also