Catherine MacIntoch "Kay" Carmichael (22 November 1925 – 26 December 2009) (''née'' Rankin) was an influential figure in Scottish politics and an activist against
nuclear submarine
A nuclear submarine is a submarine powered by a nuclear reactor, but not necessarily nuclear-armed. Nuclear submarines have considerable performance advantages over "conventional" (typically diesel-electric) submarines. Nuclear propulsion, ...
s 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 ...
.
Life
Carmichael was born at
Shettleston
Shettleston ( sco, Shuttlestoun, gd, Baile Nighean Sheadna) is a district in the east end of Glasgow in Scotland.
Toponymy
The origin of the name 'Shettleston' is not clear and, like many place-names of possibly medieval origin, has had a mult ...
,
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
on 22 November 1925. She studied at the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
and went on to hold the post of Senior Lecturer at the
University of Glasgow
, image = UofG Coat of Arms.png
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Coat of arms
Flag
, latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis
, motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita
, ...
. At the age of 20 she joined the
Independent Labour Party
The Independent Labour Party (ILP) was a British political party of the left, established in 1893 at a conference in Bradford, after local and national dissatisfaction with the Liberals' apparent reluctance to endorse working-class candidates ...
in Scotland. Her activism included "guerrilla raids" into
Faslane Naval Base
His Majesty's Naval Base, Clyde (HMNB Clyde; also HMS ''Neptune''), primarily sited at Faslane on the Gare Loch, is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Devonport and HMNB Portsmouth). It ...
to plant flowers for which she was sentenced to two weeks in prison. Whilst a member of the UK Government’s Supplementary Benefits Commission in the late 1970s she chose to live for a short while on benefits in the
Lilybank
Lilybank is a neighbourhood in the east of Glasgow, Scotland. Neighbouring areas Newbank to the west, Braidfauld to the east and the eastern part of Parkhead to the north. The A74 London Road runs to the south, with the land on the opposite si ...
area of Glasgow. In 1977, BBC Scotland made a documentary based on her experiences. ‘Lilybank:The Fourth World’ was widely resented by residents, decried as ‘poverty porn’ by academics while being praised for its ‘realism’ by others.
She was married to
Neil Carmichael, Baron Carmichael of Kelvingrove, a Scottish MP who became a
life peer and Member of the House of Lords in 1983: they divorced in 1987. Together they had one daughter. She then married social policy expert
David Donnison
David Vernon Donnison (19 January 1926 – 28 April 2018) was a British academic and social scientist, who was Professor of Social Administration at the London School of Economics from 1961 to 1969, and Professor of Town and Regional Planning (19 ...
.
["David Donnison, social policy expert whose research into poverty changed the lives of many"](_blank)
Duncan MacLennan and David Webster, The Scotsman, 11 May 2018
Books
* ''It Takes a Lifetime to Become Yourself: A Collection of Writings'' by Kay Carmichael, edited by David Donnison (Scotland Street Press, 2017)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carmichael, Kay
Scottish women activists
Scottish activists
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
1925 births
2009 deaths
Alumni of the University of Glasgow
British anti–nuclear weapons activists
Politicians from Glasgow
Carmichael of Kelvingrove
Spouses of life peers