Andrew Dearg Wightman is a Scottish
Independent politician, who served as a
Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the
Lothian region from 2016 to 2021. He was elected as a member of the
Scottish Greens
The Scottish Greens (also known as the Scottish Green Party; gd, Pàrtaidh Uaine na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Green Pairtie) are a green political party in Scotland. The party has seven MSPs in the Scottish Parliament as of May 2021. As of the 2 ...
, but resigned from the party in 2020 and served out the rest of his term as an
independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
. He is also a writer and researcher best known for his work on land ownership in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
. He is the author of ''Who Owns Scotland'' (1996) and ''The Poor Had No Lawyers'' (2015).
Background
Wightman was born in Dundee. He graduated from the
University of Aberdeen
, mottoeng = The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom
, established =
, type = Public research universityAncient university
, endowment = £58.4 million (2021)
, budget ...
in 1985 with a degree in forestry. He was a co-founder of
Reforesting Scotland
Reforesting Scotland is a membership organisation concerned with the ecological and social regeneration of Scotland. It aims to significantly increase the forested areas of the country.
History
Reforesting Scotland is an environmental charity est ...
, an environmental charity dedicated to substantial reforestation and the promotion of a sustainable forest culture.
He began his career as a scientist working on renewable energy at the University of Aberdeen and then as a Projects Officer with Central Scotland Countryside Trust. He was appointed as the first development officer of Reforesting Scotland in 1991. He became a self-employed writer and researcher in 1993. Over the next 20 years, he contributed to a wide range of debates on land use, land reform, the Crown estate, common good land, local democracy and fiscal reform. Author of a number of reports on these topics, he also served as a Specialist Adviser to the
UK Parliament
The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprema ...
's Scottish Affairs Committee Inquiry on land reform 2014–2015.
He appeared in the documentary ''
You've Been Trumped'' (2011), which dealt with
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
's controversial golf course development at
Balmedie
Balmedie ( gd, Baile Mheadhain) is a large village in Aberdeenshire in Scotland. It lies north of the city of Aberdeen, in the civil parish of Belhelvie. The long and wide beach is bordered by an extensive dune system that stretches from Aberd ...
,
Aberdeenshire where he advised Michael Forbes on his land dispute with Trump, as well as the 2016 sequel ''
You've Been Trumped Too''.
He was coordinator of the Land Action Scotland campaign. The campaign has the stated aim of supporting local residents through seeking to democratise companies that are run by a handful of people who are not living on the land involved.
In February 2015, Wightman was announced as being a member of the
Commission on Local Tax Reform.
This cross-party group was set up by the
Scottish Government, tasked with examining alternatives to the
Council Tax
Council Tax is a local taxation system used in England, Scotland and Wales. It is a tax on domestic property, which was introduced in 1993 by the Local Government Finance Act 1992, replacing the short-lived Community Charge, which in turn re ...
. The final report ''Just Change: A New Approach to Local Taxation'' was published on 14 December 2015.
Political career
Wightman became a member of the
Scottish Greens
The Scottish Greens (also known as the Scottish Green Party; gd, Pàrtaidh Uaine na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Green Pairtie) are a green political party in Scotland. The party has seven MSPs in the Scottish Parliament as of May 2021. As of the 2 ...
in 2009. In March 2015, the Scottish Greens balloted their members to select candidates for the 2016 election, and Wightman was placed second on their Lothian list. He was elected as an MSP on 5 May 2016. On 23 May he was announced as the Scottish Greens spokesperson on Communities (including Housing), Land Reform and Local Government.
Wightman was one of a group of Scottish politicians (two MSPs, an MP and three MEPs) who instituted proceedings against HM Government to clarify, through a judgment of the
European Court of Justice, whether the
Article 50 notice that formally started the
Brexit
Brexit (; a portmanteau of "British exit") was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 CET).The UK also left the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC ...
process could be revoked unilaterally by the United Kingdom. In December 2018, the ECJ handed down its ''Wightman'' judgment in which it held that the Brexit notification could indeed be revoked unilaterally.
On 18 December 2020, Wightman announced his resignation from the Scottish Greens following a vote on an amendment to the Forensic Medical Services (Victims of Sexual Offences) (Scotland) Bill, alleging that the party was intolerant to discussion of potential clashes between transgender and women's rights. He stated in his resignation letter that voting for the amendment (and against the party whip) would have resulted in "complaints and disciplinary action leading to possible suspension, deselection or expulsion".
The Scottish Greens' co-leader
Lorna Slater
Lorna Slater (born 27 September 1975) is a Canadian-born Scottish politician who has served as Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity since 2021. She has served as co-leader of the Scottish Greens alongside Patrick Harvi ...
later dismissed the impact of Wightman's resignation, saying in an interview to ''
The Scotsman
''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until August 2004. Its pare ...
'' that although his departure had come as a "massive shock", it wasn't a big issue: "
ightmanhas very specific followers, but most people have no idea who he is." She also said that Wightman had not engaged with women's and LGBT groups within the Scottish Greens before his departure.
In August 2021, Wightman explained in his blog that he resigned from the Greens because he wanted "an environment that is more tolerant, questioning, critical, empathetic and more willing to listen".
Wightman later stood unsuccessfully as an independent candidate for the
Highlands and Islands
The Highlands and Islands is an area of Scotland broadly covering the Scottish Highlands, plus Orkney, Shetland and Outer Hebrides (Western Isles).
The Highlands and Islands are sometimes defined as the area to which the Crofters' Act of 18 ...
region in the
2021 Scottish Parliament election
The 2021 Scottish Parliament election took place on 6 May 2021, under the provisions of the Scotland Act 1998. All 129 Members of the Scottish Parliament were elected in the sixth election since the parliament was re-established in 1999. The e ...
.
In November 2022, Wightman announced that he would not support
Scottish independence "until there is sustained support for it".
Published work
* ''From
Fraser Darling to
Terry Wogan
Sir Michael Terence Wogan (; 3 August 1938 – 31 January 2016) was an Irish radio and television broadcaster who worked for the BBC in the UK for most of his career. Between 1993 and his semi-retirement in December 2009, his BBC Radio 2 week ...
: A Perspective on Scotland's Forests'', in Mollison, Denis (ed.) (1992), ''Wilderness with People: The Management of Wild Land'',
John Muir Trust
The John Muir Trust (JMT) is a Scottish charity, established in 1983 to conserve wild land and wild places for the benefit of all. The Trust runs an environmental award scheme, manages several estates, mainly in the Highlands and Islands of Scot ...
, pp. 56 – 63
* ''Scottish Woodlands in a Global Context'', in
Ashmole, Philip (ed.) (1994), ''Restoring Borders Woodland'',
Peeblesshire Environmental Concern, pp. 6 – 10
* ''Who Owns Scotland'' (Canongate, 1996)
* ''Scotland: Land and Power. An Agenda for Land Reform'' (Luath, 1999)
* ''The Poor Had No Lawyers'' (
Birlinn Books, Third Edition, 2015)
References
External links
*
Land MattersAndy Wightman's blog
Who Owns Scotland''Wightman v Brexit Secretary'' case, European Court of Justice
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wightman, Andy
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
Alumni of the University of Aberdeen
Scottish male writers
Scottish Green Party MSPs
Members of the Scottish Parliament 2016–2021
Politicians from Dundee
Land reform in Scotland