Peter McColl (born 9 May 1980) is a political campaigner and writer who was

Rector of the University of Edinburgh The Lord Rector of The University of Edinburgh is elected every three years by the students and staff at The University of Edinburgh. Seldom referred to as ''Lord Rector'', the incumbent is more commonly known just as the ''Rector''. Role Th ...

2012–2015. He has been involved with charity work and is editor of the progressive blog

Bright Green Varieties of the color green may differ in hue, chroma (also called saturation or intensity) or lightness (or value, tone, or brightness), or in two or three of these qualities. Variations in value are also called tints and shades, a tint be ...

Early life

McColl was educated at

Methodist College Belfast God with us , established = 1865 , type = Voluntary grammar , religion = Interdenominational , principal = Jenny Lendrum , chair_label = Chairwoman , chair = Revd. Dr Janet Unsworth , founder ...

. McColl is a geography graduate of 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 was previously a Vice President of the Edinburgh University Students Association. He was assessor to Mark Ballard during his term as Rector of the University from 2006–09, and was involved in the campaigns to elect both

Robin Harper Robin Charles Moreton Harper, (born 4 August 1940) is a Scottish politician, who was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Lothians region (1999–2011). He was co-convener of the Scottish Greens (2004–2008). Harper became an MSP ...

and

Tam Dalyell Sir Thomas Dalyell, 11th Baronet, , ( ; 9 August 1932 – 26 January 2017), known as Tam Dalyell, was a Scottish Labour Party politician who was a member of the House of Commons from 1962 to 2005. He represented West Lothian from 1962 to 198 ...

as rector.

Rectorship

McColl was confirmed as

on 11 January 2012, following an uncontested election. He took up the three-year post on 1 March 2012. As Rector McColl supported successful campaigns to freeze international student fees; for more affordable student housing, including the establishment of the Edinburgh Student Housing Co-operative; for the University to divest from weaponised drone manufacturing and the wider arms trade; and to stop the University using zero hour contracts. He also campaigned for better pay and conditions for academic and support staff, to improve teaching, for free education, for improved education funding, to improve university governance across Scotland, for fossil fuel divestment, and ethical procurement. In 2015 McColl became the fourth Rector to stand for re-election. He lost to his opponent, media executive Steve Morrison, who won with 61.9% of the vote.

Politics

McColl has stood as a

Scottish Green Party 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 20 ...

candidate in several elections. In the 2007 local authority elections the Greens stood candidates in all Edinburgh council wards for the first time and won three seats, although McColl himself was unsuccessful in contesting the Portobello/Craigmillar ward. In 2010 he stood in the Liberton/Gilmerton ward by-election. and in the

2012 election This national electoral calendar for 2012 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2012 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *3–4 January: ...

for the Portobello/Craigmillar Ward but was again unsuccessful. McColl was the

2015 Westminster parliamentary candidate for

Edinburgh East Edinburgh East is a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. In present form, the constituency was first used at t ...

, the party's national target seat. He was a candidate for Scottish Parliament on the Green's Lothian list for the in

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

. He is an editor of the

blog, and was voted the UK's top Green blogger in the 2011 Total Politics poll. and 7th top left wing blogger. Mccoll has also served as the Co-Chair of the Edinburgh

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation f ...

and (until 2011) as Chair of climate action group Transition Scotland Support.

References

External links

Bright Green blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:McColl, Peter Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Living people Rectors of the University of Edinburgh 1980 births People educated at Methodist College Belfast Politicians from Belfast Scottish Green Party politicians