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Pete Wishart

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For persons of a similar name, see Peter Wishart (disambiguation).

Pete Wishart
MP
Official portrait, 2017
Deputy Leader of the Scottish National Party in the House of Commons
Incumbent
Assumed office
10 July 2024
LeaderStephen Flynn
Preceded byMhairi Black
Chair of the Scottish Affairs Select Committee
In office
19 June 2015 – 30 May 2024
Preceded byIan Davidson
Succeeded byPatricia Ferguson
Member of Parliament
for Perth and Kinross-shire
Perth and North Perthshire (2005–2024)
Tayside North (2001–2005)
Incumbent
Assumed office
7 June 2001
Preceded byJohn Swinney
Majority4,127 (8.2%)
Scottish National Party portfolios
2015–2020Commons Business
2020–2021
2021–2022Commons Business
Personal details
Born (1962-03-09) 9 March 1962 (age 62)
Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland
Political partyScottish National Party
Children1
Alma materMoray House College of Education
ProfessionMusician; community worker
Websitewww.petewishartmp.com
Musical career
OriginScotland
InstrumentKeyboards
Years active1981–present

Peter Wishart (born 9 March 1962) is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician and musician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Perth and Kinross-shire since 2024. He previously served as the MP for Perth and North Perthshire from 2005 to 2024 and North Tayside from 2001 to 2005.

Wishart is currently the SNP Shadow Leader of the House in the House of Commons and the chair of the Scottish Affairs Select Committee. He has previously served as the SNP's Westminster Spokesperson for the Constitution and for Culture and Sport and Chief Whip. He is also a former keyboard player of the Scottish Celtic rock bands Runrig and Big Country.

He is the longest currently-serving Scottish National Party MP, and the second longest–serving of all time after Alex Salmond.[1]

Background

[edit]

Born in Dunfermline in 1962, Wishart was educated at Queen Anne High School Dunfermline and Moray House College, Edinburgh.[2] Wishart lives in Perth and has one son and enjoys walking in the Perthshire hills. Wishart is a trained community worker and has been a director of the Fast Forward charity that promotes healthy lifestyles for young people. He was a member of the Scotland Against Drugs Campaign Committee and has contributed to many national forums looking at the problem of drugs within Scottish society.

Music

[edit]

Wishart was, for 15 years, a member of the Scottish group Runrig.

Wishart appeared on Kingfishers Catch Fire Radio Kampala with Clive Parker on the songs Bella and Battle Scars.[3]

Pete Wishart's first major band was Big Country which he joined in the early 1980s, along with his brother Alan.[4] He initially joined during a period when Big Country were a support act for Alice Cooper's tour.[4][5] The main force behind Big Country was Stuart Adamson, himself from near Dunfermline. Adamson claimed that the early Big Country were thrown off the Alice Cooper tour for "being too weird".[6]

After the departure of Richard Cherns in February 1986, Wishart joined Runrig. Wishart was a performer on seven of Runrig's studio albums, from The Cutter and the Clan (1987), to his last The Stamping Ground (2001). He also appears on several of Runrig's live albums. Wishart's tenure in the band coincided with their sign-up to the Chrysalis Records label, and their most successfully commercial period in the late eighties and early nineties. Wishart was not the only politically minded member of the band – former lead singer Donnie Munro became a Labour Party candidate.

Wishart is a founder member of the parliamentary rock group MP4. The other members are Ian Cawsey (bass guitar and vocals), Greg Knight (drums) and Kevin Brennan (lead guitar and vocals).

House of Commons

[edit]

He was first elected to the House of Commons at the 2001 general election, taking John Swinney's old seat of Tayside North. Since arriving at Westminster, he has served as the SNP's Chief Whip, in which role he has pressed the government for greater parliamentary rights, such as better representation on committees, for both the SNP and other minor political parties. He has also campaigned for copyright term extension and is a vice-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Intellectual Property Group.

In 2003, he voted against parliamentary approval for the invasion of Iraq.[7]

In the light of the reduction in the number of Scottish MPs at Westminster, Wishart's former constituency was abolished in a radical boundary revision, and at the 2005 general election; he won the new constituency of Perth and North Perthshire for the SNP with a majority of 1,521 over Douglas Taylor of the Conservatives. The Perth and North Perthshire constituency was created after boundary changes in Scotland and takes in East and Highland Perthshire, the City of Perth and the Carse of Gowrie. Wishart sat on the Scottish Affairs Select Committee.

In November 2010, Wishart suggested that Scottish football referees should declare which club sides they support.[8]

In August 2014, Wishart confidently predicted that Alex Salmond would beat Alistair Darling in a televised debate about Scottish independence, telling journalists that "the slaughter will be worse than the Bannockburn re-enactment".[9] Salmond quizzed Darling, among other things, about alien invasion, while Darling questioned him about what currency an independent Scotland would use.[10] An exit poll suggested most viewers thought Darling had won the debate[11] and journalists panned Salmond's performance.[12][13]

In January 2015, Wishart secured and started a debate on the reform of the House of Lords.[14]

Politically, he is well known for campaigning to demolish the historic and listed Perth City Hall, dating from 1911, and replace it with an open square. He has described the building as "unused, unloved and increasingly unwelcome", "a building whose time has passed", and said that, "A city square will allow us to attract visitors, grow our café quarter, put on outdoor events and properly organise civic and community events. Every city needs civic space and we must ensure that we will soon have ours."[15][16]

Following the 2015 general election, it was announced in June 2015 that he would chair the Scottish Affairs Select Committee,[17] with his appointment formally announced on 19 June 2015.[18] At the snap 2017 general election, he retained his seat by a very marginal majority, beating Conservative Ian Duncan by just 21 votes.[19][20] The Daily Telegraph described Wishart's win as "a rare bright moment for the Nationalists" in an election that saw the SNP vote plummet and pro-Union parties gain 21 seats.[21]

In 2016, Wishart suggested to the House of Commons the possibility of the Palace of Westminster being turned into a tourist attraction and for Parliament to move to a more modern building.[22]

Wishart said publicly, in September 2017, that because voters were "weary of constitutional change" there should be no second referendum on Scottish independence for that parliament, but that the SNP should seek a mandate for a new one in the 2021 Scottish parliament election.[23] In October 2017, Wishart told an Institute of Economic Affairs conference that federalism for the UK should be welcomed "as part of that conversation" in Scotland, although he stressed federalism would not see Scotland "equal to some region of England".[24]

In January 2018, Wishart drew media attention for holding up a placard which read "nul points" in the House of Commons, after having asked Prime Minister Theresa May how she would rate her government's handling of Brexit from one to ten. After May had answered, Wishart received a warning by Speaker of the House John Bercow for the stunt.[25][26][27][28][29]

In February 2018, he warned that the SNP risked alienating Scottish voters who had voted "Leave" in the 2016 referendum on European Union membership. In an article for The National, he wrote that his party had to "face up" to the reality that Scotland would be leaving the European Union, and made the case for an alternative vision of Scottish independence which involved a "graduated" re-entry to the European Union from "EEA, then EFTA then full EU membership", stressing that the final step of re-joining the EU should only be done with the "full consent of an independent Scottish Parliament".[30][31] Later in February, he ruled himself out of the 2018 Scottish Depute Leadership election following the resignation of Angus Robertson. Wishart concluded that he did not have "sufficient support" to run for the Depute Leadership of the Scottish National Party.[32][33]

In March 2024, he criticised Humza Yousaf's election strategy saying he won't use any "Tory-free rhetoric" in his campaign for the 2024 general election.[34]

Discography

[edit]
See also: Runrig discography

Singles and EPs

[edit]
Kingfishers Catch Fire
  • "Radio Kampala" EP: on "Bella"/"Battle Scars" tracks, 12" vinyl EP, 1986 Furry/Rough Trade "Bella"/"Battle Scars", 12" vinyl EP, 1986 Furry/Rough Trade
Runrig
  • Alba / Worker for the Wind (1987), Chrysalis Records
  • Protect and Survive (1988), Chrysalis Records
  • "News from Heaven" (1989), Chrysalis Records
  • "Every River" (1989), Chrysalis Records
  • "Wonderful"(1993), Chrysalis Records
  • "The Greatest Flame" (1993), Chrysalis Records
  • "This Time of Year" (1994), Chrysalis Records
  • "An Ubhal as Àirde" (1995, Released following use of track in TV advert for Carlsberg lager), Chrysalis Records
  • "Things That Are" (1995), Chrysalis Records
  • "Rhythm of My Heart" (1996, Cover of Rod Stewart song), Chrysalis Records
  • "The Greatest Flame (1996 Remix)", Chrysalis Records
  • "The Message" (1999), Chrysalis Records
  • "Maymorning" (1999), Chrysalis Records
  • "This Is Not a Love Song" (1999), Chrysalis Records
  • "Book of Golden Stories" (2001), Chrysalis Records
  • "Loch Lomond (Hampden Remix)" (2007, with Tartan Army), Chrysalis Records
MP4
  • You Can't Always Get What You Want (2016) Chrysalis Records (track released under the artist title 'The Friends of Jo Cox' and features MP4 with other artists)

EPs

[edit]
Runrig
  • "Capture the Heart EP" (1990), Chrysalis Records
  • "Hearthammer EP" (1991), Chrysalis Records
  • "Flower of the West EP" (1991), Chrysalis Records

Studio albums

[edit]
Runrig
Year Album Peak chart positions Certification Notes
UK
[35] 		DEN
[36] 		GER
[37]
1987 The Cutter and the Clan 45 — — Original 1987 release on Ridge Records; re-released on Chrysalis 1988
1989 Searchlight 11 — —
1991 The Big Wheel 4 — —
1993 Amazing Things 2 — 47
1995 Mara 24 — 81
1999 In Search of Angels 29 — 26
2001 The Stamping Ground 64 33 20
MP4
  • House Music EP (2005) Busy Bee Records
  • Cross Party (2010) Revolver Records
  • MP4 – EP5 (2018) Revolver Records

Live albums

[edit]
Runrig
Year Album Peak positions Certification Notes
UK
[35] 		DEN
[36] 		GER
[37]
1988 Once in a Lifetime 61 — —
1994 Transmitting Live 41 — 67
2000 Live at Celtic Connections 2000 168 — 48

Note: This table shows commercial live releases. Other live audio material has been released in the "Access All Areas" series for the official Runrig Fan Club.

Compilation albums

[edit]
Big Country
  • And in the Beginning [39]
Runrig
  • Alba – The Best of Runrig
  • Long Distance – The Best of Runrig'
  • The Gaelic Collection (1998)
  • Beat The Drum (1998)
  • 30 Year Journey – The Best (2005)
  • 50 Great Songs
  • Stepping Down The Glory Road – The Chrysalis Years
  • Rarities

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Bussey, Katrine (20 February 2018). "Wishart steps aside in SNP depute leadership contest". The Times. London. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  2. ^ "Analysis: SNP bucks trend for privately educated MPs". David Leask. The Herald. 1 June 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  3. ^ "Kingfishers Catch Fire". Runrig.rocks. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Music preview: Big Country's Bruce Watson prepares to celebrate 35 years of the band's iconic debut album The Crossing at Celtic Connections". Scotsman.com.
  5. ^ "Big Country | Stuart Adamson". Stuart-adamson.co.uk.
  6. ^ "Stuart Adamson Quotes on Big Country Songs…. | Stuart Adamson". Stuart-adamson.co.uk.
  7. ^ "The Public Whip — Iraq — Declaration of War – 18 Mar 2003 at 22:00". www.publicwhip.org.uk. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  8. ^ "MP wants Scottish referees to declare club allegiance". BBC Sport. 16 November 2010. Retrieved 16 November 2010.
  9. ^ "Scottish independence: SNP confident ahead of 'charismatic' Alex". The Independent. 4 August 2014. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022.
  10. ^ "Sketch: Gremlins in the TV and aliens on the attack". www.telegraph.co.uk. 5 August 2014.
  11. ^ "Scottish independence: Salmond scores victory over Darling in fractious debate". the Guardian. 25 August 2014.
  12. ^ "Alex Salmond takes a pounding in Scottish independence clash". Belfasttelegraph – via www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk.
  13. ^ Hennessy, Mark. "Analysis: Salmond struggles badly during debate". The Irish Times.
  14. ^ Sheridan, Craig (16 January 2015). "Pete Wishart: The Gold-Plated Red Upholstered Narnia". Scottish Statesman. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
  15. ^ Wishart, Pete. "Blog post". Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  16. ^ Burdge, Richars (6 July 2013). "MP brands Perth City Hall move 'futile'". The Courier. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  17. ^ "SNP reveal Commons committee chairs". BBC News. 10 June 2015.
  18. ^ "Winning candidates for select committee Chairs announced". UK Parliament. 18 June 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  19. ^ "SNP's Pete Wishart holds Perth seat – by just 21 votes!". Evening Telegraph. 9 June 2017 – via www.eveningtelegraph.co.uk.
  20. ^ Mackay, Mark (9 June 2017). "Pete Wishart retains seat by narrow margin after fighting off Tory onslaught".
  21. ^ Henderson, Barney; Johnson, Simon (8 June 2017). "Scotland election results: Alex Salmond defeated and SNP suffer huge losses as Tory chances boosted north of the border". The Telegraph – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  22. ^ "Westminster 'should be tourist attraction', MP says". STV News. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  23. ^ Gordon, Tom (26 September 2017). "No second referendum in this parliament, says veteran SNP MP". The Herald. Glasgow. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  24. ^ McNab, Scott (14 April 2017). "Pete Wishart under fire for 'foul-mouthed' Twitter post". The Scotsman. Edinburgh. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
  25. ^ Kidd, Patrick (11 January 2018). "The stench of decay hangs over a tired Brexit stunt". The Times. London. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  26. ^ "MP Wishart in hot water for giving May 'nul points' on Brexit". The National. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  27. ^ Deacon, Michael (2018). "It's easy to make fun of Theresa May. But somehow the SNP made a mess of it". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  28. ^ "Theresa May was asked to rate how well Brexit is going on a scale of 1–10". Metro. 10 January 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  29. ^ "Theresa May says 'Government is doing well' on Brexit". www.scotsman.com. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  30. ^ "SNP must face the reality that Scotland is leaving the EU". iNews. 9 February 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  31. ^ "We need a new vision for independence – with a gradual rejoining of the EU". The National. 9 February 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  32. ^ "Pete Wishart will not be standing to be next SNP depute leader". The National. 19 February 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  33. ^ "Pete Wishart MP rules himself out of SNP deputy leadership race". HeraldScotland. 19 February 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  34. ^ "Longest-serving SNP MP brands election message 'unhelpful'". BBC News. 17 March 2024. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  35. ^ a b "RUNRIG | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.
  36. ^ a b
    • For all albums except The Best of Runrig: Long Distance: "Runrig discography". danishcharts.dk. Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
    • For The Best of Runrig: Long Distance: "Listen – Danmarks Officielle Hitliste – Udarbejdet af AIM Nielsen for IFPI Danmark – Uge 4". Ekstra Bladet (in Danish). Copenhagen. 26 January 1997.
  37. ^ a b [1] [dead link]
  38. ^ a b c d e f "British certifications – Runrig". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 16 December 2017. Type Runrig in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  39. ^ "Big Country". Runrig.rocks. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pete Wishart.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for North Tayside
2001–2005 		Constituency abolished
New constituency Member of Parliament for Perth and North Perthshire
2005–present 		Incumbent
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