Annabel Goldie

Infobox MSP
honorific-prefix =
name = Annabel Goldie
honorific-suffix =

---

imagesize = 150px
caption =
office = Leader of the Scottish Conservatives
term_start = 31 October, 2005
term_end =
deputy = Murdo Fraser
predecessor = David McLetchie
successor =
constituency_MP2 = West of Scotland
parliament2 = Scottish
majority2 =
term_start2 = 6 May 1999
term_end2 =
predecessor2 =
successor2 =
birth_date = Birth date and age|1950|2|27|df=yes
birth_place = Glasgow, Scotland
death_date =
death_place =
birthname =
nationality =
party = Scottish Conservative Party
spouse =
relations =
children =
residence =
alma_mater = University of Strathclyde
occupation =
profession =
cabinet =
committees =
religion =


website = [http://www.scottishconservatives.com/people/msps/msp.aspx?fld_user_id=248 Conservative Profile]
footnotes =

Annabel Goldie (born 27 February 1950, Glasgow) is a Scottish politician, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives in the Scottish Parliament, and chairwoman of the party's Shadow Cabinet. She is a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the West of Scotland Region.

Education, life and early career

Annabel Goldie has resided in Renfrewshire for the course of her life. Previously living in the countryside between Kilmacolm and Lochwinnoch, Goldie has been a resident of the nearby village of Bishopton for the past forty years. [ [http://www.bcomm-scotland.gov.uk/5th_westminster/localinquiries/renfrewshire2/Transcript%20of%20Proceedings.htm THE ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER: *** Local Inquiry, I have been appointed for that purpose by the Secretary of State for Scotland at the request of the Boundary Commission to hold this Inquiry, that is all under Section 6 and paragraph 6 of Schedule 1 to ... ] ] First educated at Kilmacolm Primary School and Greenock Academy, she went on to study at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, graduating with an LL.B in 1971. She has been a solicitor with Glasgow law firm Donaldson, Alexander, Russell & Haddow since 1978. [ [http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/msp/membersPages/annabel_goldie/index.htm Scottish Parliament Biography] ] She is also an Elder in the Church of Scotland.

Goldie first stood for election to the House of Commons in the 1992 general election for the West Renfrewshire and Inverclyde constituency, coming second with 32.9% of the vote. [ [http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/0,,-1969,00.html Guardian- Annabel Goldie profile] ]

She is a Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Renfrewshire. [ [http://www.scottishconservatives.com/people/shadow_cabinet/shadow_cabinet_member.aspx?fld_user_id=248 About Annabel] ]

Member of the Scottish Parliament

Goldie was elected to the Scottish Parliament in the 1999 election as an additional member for the West of Scotland electoral region, and subsequently became deputy leader of the Scottish Conservatives. She retained this seat in the 2003 election and again in 2007.

In addition to her appearance on the regional list ballots, she has also stood as a candidate in the West Renfrewshire constituency for the Scottish Parliament in 1999, 2003 and 2007. While increasing the Conservative share of the vote each time, she has yet to be elected although raised her position from third to second place in 2007 with a reduced Labour majority.

Leader of the Scottish Conservatives

On 31 October, 2005, Goldie became acting leader after David McLetchie resigned as leader of the Scottish Conservatives following adverse publicity created by the publishing of details of expenses he claimed for taxi journeys. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4393622.stm BBC News-"McLetchie resigns as Tory leader"] ]

Goldie put herself forward as a leadership candidate on 2 November, 2005 - a joint nomination with Murdo Fraser as her proposed deputy. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4398056.stm BBC News- "Top Tories make deal over leader"] ] Their nomination was unopposed and Goldie was appointed leader on 8 November, 2005, the first woman to lead the Scottish Conservative Party. In her maiden speech as leader, she promised to act against "disloyalty and disobedience" in the party and in a reference to Margaret Thatcher she said "I think you may take it matron's handbag will be in hyper-action. There could be worse precedents to follow". [ [http://politics.guardian.co.uk/scotland/story/0,,1637127,00.html Guardian- "Goldie to lead Scottish Tories"] ]

At her first party conference in March 2006, Goldie set out her plans to make the Scottish Conservatives the "principal party of opposition in Scotland". However her second conference as party leader was overshadowed by a leaked memo by David Mundell, the only Scottish Conservative MP in the British House of Commons, and Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland, in which he criticised Goldie's leadership. [ [http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=380902007 Scotsman.com- "Mundell heaps praise on Goldie"] ]

She has won praise for her leadership of the party into the 2007 Scottish Parliament election and personally as a skilled debater and been labelled a "much-liked public figure". [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/6604155.stm 'Nag' who won her party's respect] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.scottishconservatives.com/people/msps/msp.aspx?fld_user_id=248 Scottish Conservative biography]
* [http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/msp/membersPages/annabel_goldie/index.htm Scottish Parliament biography]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4416194.stm Goldie 'ready to wield handbag'] , "BBC News", 8 November 2005