Hubbry Logo
Sandra WhiteSandra WhiteMain
Open search
Sandra White
Community hub
Sandra White
logo
8 pages, 0 posts
0 subscribers
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Sandra White
Sandra White
Sandra White
View on Wikipedia
from Wikipedia

Sandra White (born 17 August 1951) is a retired Scottish National Party (SNP) politician. She was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Glasgow electoral region from 1999 until 2011, and then the MSP for the Glasgow Kelvin constituency from 2011 until she stood down from the Scottish Parliament at the May 2021 election.

Key Information

Political career

[edit]

White served as an SNP councillor in Renfrewshire. She contested Glasgow Kelvin in 1999, where she came second to the Labour Party candidate by 4,408 votes, but was elected to the Scottish Parliament on the Glasgow regional list. She served as an SNP parliamentary group whip in the first parliamentary session. Contesting Glasgow Kelvin in 2003, she came second to Labour by a smaller margin of 3,289 votes.[1] She was re-elected on the regional list, topping the SNP's list of candidates for the Glasgow region, and was given her party's Deputy Social Justice portfolio.

White's campaigns included against closures and downgrading the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Yorkhill and the Queen Mother's Hospital.[2][3][4] She has also campaigned against racism[5] and for improved treatment of asylum seekers, including joining an occupation against dawn raids.[6] Her other campaigns included the successful attempts to save the 7:84 theatre group from threatened loss of funding by the Scottish Arts Council[7] and involvement in Stop the War Coalition events,[8] while high-profile constituency work has included the August 2006 case of an 86-year-old widow who was threatened with court by Glasgow Housing Association.[9]

White was re-elected on the regional list in 2007 and, in the 2011 election, she again contested the Glasgow Kelvin seat, this time defeating the sitting Labour MSP Pauline McNeill by 882 votes. She sat as deputy convener of the Public Petitions Committee and Equal Opportunities Committee.

In November 2015 White retweeted an antisemitic cartoon showing piglets suckling a large pig with the word “Rothschild” written on it and showing a bank with a Star of David.[10] The tweet had originally been sent by a Twitter user who had repeatedly posted antisemitic messages and images.[10] After The Jewish Chronicle brought the tweet to the attention of the SNP, the party's spokesperson said the tweet had been re-tweeted in error, and had since been deleted.[10]

In August 2020, White announced that she would not be standing for re-election at the upcoming Holyrood election.[11]

Personal life

[edit]

White was born on 17 August 1951 to Elizabeth Rodgers and Henry Harley. She married David White in 1971, and has two sons and one daughter. Her interests outside politics are walking, reading and gardening.[12]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Sandra White

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Sandra White (born 17 August 1951) is a retired Scottish politician of the Scottish National Party (SNP). She served as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Glasgow on the regional list from 1999 to 2011 and for the Glasgow Kelvin constituency from 2011 until her retirement in 2021. She was among the inaugural cohort of MSPs when the devolved parliament opened in 1999 and held multiple committee roles, including convener of the Social Security Committee, member of the Health and Sport Committee, deputy convener of the Equal Opportunities Committee, and others. White's political journey began with community activism in Paisley, where she established local children's play schemes before serving as an SNP councillor in Renfrewshire's Foxbar ward. Born in Glasgow to Elizabeth Rodgers and Henry Harley, she was educated at Cardonald College and worked as a press officer for the William Wallace Society prior to full-time politics. She describes herself primarily as a community activist focused on constituent support and local regeneration. She married David White in 1971 and has two sons and one daughter. During her career, White championed social justice, equal opportunities, and improved conditions for asylum seekers. She served as Parliamentary Liaison Officer to the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and participated in campaigns against dawn raids on asylum seekers and for better treatment of refugees. She reflected on the parliament's early collaborative spirit giving way to greater partisanship over time, particularly amid debates on independence, and advocated strongly for Scottish independence. In 2015, White apologised after retweeting an antisemitic cartoon, stating it was done in error. She has been a consistent voice on Glasgow-specific issues and cross-party efforts in the parliament's formative years.

Early life

Sandra White was born on 17 August 1951 in Glasgow, Scotland. She is the daughter of Elizabeth Rodgers and Henry Harley. She was educated at Cardonald College and worked as a press officer for the William Wallace Society. She began her activism by establishing children's play schemes in Paisley and served as an SNP councillor in Renfrewshire's Foxbar ward for ten years before entering the Scottish Parliament in 1999.

Career

White was elected to the Scottish Parliament in 1999 as an additional member for the Glasgow region. She contested the Glasgow Kelvin constituency in 1999, 2003, and 2007 but won it in 2011. She served until 2021, when she retired. She held various roles including SNP whip, deputy spokesperson for social justice, convener of the Social Security Committee (2016–2017), member of the Health and Sport Committee (2017–2021), and deputy convener of the Equal Opportunities Committee (2014–2016). She campaigned on issues such as hospital services, asylum seeker rights, anti-racism, and opposition to the Iraq War.

Personal life

White married David White in 1971. They have two sons and one daughter. She maintains interests in walking, reading, and gardening.

Legacy and remembrance

White is remembered as a dedicated backbench MSP and activist focused on equality, fairness, and compassion. Tributes upon her retirement highlighted her as a "true giant of Scottish politics" and a key figure in the independence movement and grassroots activism.
Add your contribution
Related Hubs
User Avatar
No comments yet.