Pauline McNeill was heavily involved in the Campaign for a Scottish Assembly and was elected in 1999 to represent the area where she lived as Glasgow Kelvin’s first ever Member of the Scottish Parliament. She was re-elected in 2003 and in 2007.
A qualified graphic illustrator, graduate of the University of Strathclyde Law School and former President of the National Union of Students in Scotland, before being elected she was a trades union official, representing health service, hospitality and factory workers.
In the first term of the new Parliament she was elected Vice-Chair of the Scottish Parliamentary Labour Party before being appointed as Justice Committee Convener, leading consideration of a wide range of legislation, including land reform, familiy law, Mesothelioma compensation and reform of the High Court. She also chaired two Parliamentary Inquiries, one into the Crown and Procurator Fiscal Service and another on the Shirley McKie fingerprint affair. Her Justice Committee won Committee of the Year at the 2006 Scottish Politician of the Year Awards adding to her 2005 Equality Network 'Friend for Life' Award for her work on civil partnerships and gender recognition. In 2007 she was awarded an Honourary Fellowship by Glasgow Metropolitan College and she is currently Honourary President of Glasgow Universtiy Labour Club.
She convenes Parliament’s cross-party group on Palestine, a cause she has been involved in since her student days, and another group on the contemporary music industry. The latter group, which she founded, brings together leading figures from the Scottish music industry and has published the Manifesto for Music, launched the Live Music Code of Conduct and was instrumental in the establishment of the Scottish Music Industry Association, Pauline McNeill’s involvement reflects her previous experience as a band manager and keen musician.
In 2006 Pauline McNeill was a UN observer in the Palestinian Authority elections and later that year she also visited the Lebanon, in the aftermath of the Israeli bombings there, previously she spoke out as a strident opponent of the war in Iraq.
As a constituency MSP, she has also campaigned on affordable housing, public transport and hospital services. Following the elections in May 2007 Pauline McNeill was appointed Shadow Minister for Children and Early Years and is currently Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Justice.
"Being sworn in as Glasgow Kelvin MSP
in May 2007"
Pauline's Cross-Party Group Membership
Pauline's Register of Interests