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Andrew Dearg Wightman is a Scottish Independent politician, who served as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the
Lothian region Lothian (; sco, Lowden, Loudan, -en, -o(u)n; gd, Lodainn ) is a region of the Scottish Lowlands, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills and the Moorfoot Hills. The principal settlement is the Scott ...
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 ...
, but resigned from the party in 2020 and served out the rest of his term as an independent. He is also a writer and researcher best known for his work on land ownership in Scotland. 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's Scottish Affairs Committee Inquiry on land reform 2014–2015. He appeared in the documentary ''
You've Been Trumped ''You've Been Trumped'' is a 2011 documentary by British filmmaker Anthony Baxter. The film documents the construction of a luxury golf course on a beach in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, by developer Donald Trump and the subsequent struggl ...
'' (2011), which dealt with Donald Trump'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 Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially different boundaries. The Aberdeenshire Council area includ ...
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 repla ...
. 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 ...
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 The European Court of Justice (ECJ, french: Cour de Justice européenne), formally just the Court of Justice, is the supreme court of the European Union in matters of European Union law. As a part of the Court of Justice of the European Uni ...
, 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 or ...
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 Har ...
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 1886 ...
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 ele ...
. 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: 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 Peeblesshire ( gd, Siorrachd nam Pùballan), the County of Peebles or Tweeddale is a historic county of Scotland. Its county town is Peebles, and it borders Midlothian to the north, Selkirkshire to the east, Dumfriesshire to the south, and Lan ...
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 Matters
Andy 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