Glasgow Political Experts

If you had to think of universities associated with politicians, it would be Oxford and Cambridge that came to mind - not Glasgow. Yet, if you look at the background of many notable political figures, you will see a common theme - a graduate of the University of Glasgow and a member of the Glasgow University Union during their time at University.  A full list of each and every one would be far too long to fit into this magazine, but here’s four of the most notable Glasgow University graduates who have made their mark on the political scene:

Donald Dewar

If the establishment of the Scottish Parliament had to be attributed to just one man, that attribution would undoubtedly go to Donald Dewar, who served as Secretary of State for Scotland following the Labour landslide in the 1997 General Election, and who would later serve as Scotland’s first First Minister.

Before his political career, Dewar spent seven years at the University between 1957 and 1964 and during that time he threw himself into life on campus, serving as Editor of the Glasgow Guardian and as President of the Union, alongside involvement with the Dialectic Society.

After his time at Glasgow, Dewar would serve as an MP until his death in 2000, and campaigned heavily for the creation of a Scottish Parliament - which he would see voted for in 1997 and established in 1999. Following his death, Dewar’s name was added to the University memorial gate, which commemorates the most notable graduates of the University, including Adam Smith, Lord Kelvin, and James Watt.

Nicola Sturgeon

Love her or loathe her, Nicola Sturgeon is evidently one of the most well known politicians in the United Kingdom right now. After ascending to the position of First Minister in 2014 following Alex Salmond’s resignation after the vote against independence in the 2014 referendum, Sturgeon has led the SNP into three elections and won more votes than any other party in Scotland in each of them.

As with Scotland’s first First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon studied Law at Glasgow and was heavily involved in campus life. Suitably for her future career, she was involved in the Scottish Nationalist Association, GUU Parliamentary Debating, and served as a member of the Student’s Representative Council.

Despite her University career culminating in an unsuccessful run for SRC President, it is clear that Sturgeon has had considerable political success, serving as an MSP since the Scottish Parliament was established in 1999 and is currently on track to overtake her predecessor as Scotland’s longest serving First Minister. 

Andrew Neil

Andrew Neil is different from the other figures on this list - unlike the rest, he is not an elected politician and never has been. Rather, his career has been as one of Britain’s toughest political interviewers, being known for his tough examinations of politicians on all sides of the political spectrum. 

Prior to his career at the BBC, Andrew Neil studied at Glasgow where, as one may expect, he was heavily involved in student journalism, serving as Editor-in-Chief of the Glasgow Guardian. As with everybody else on this list, he was also involved in the Union through Parliamentary Debating - which he described last year as “easily the greatest student debating chamber in the world” after a now famous grilling of American political commentator Ben Shapiro.

Charles Kennedy

The last in this list, but certainly not the least, Charles Kennedy’s involvement with the University of Glasgow and the Glasgow University Union was truly life-long. During his time as a student between 1978 and 1982, he was heavily involved in the Union, culminating in serving as President of the Union in 1981.

Following his graduation, Kennedy put the skills he learned in the debating chamber to good use, being elected as the MP for Ross, Cromarty and Skye (later Ross, Skye, and Lochaber) in 1983 at the young age of 23 - a community he would serve as an MP for 32 years. In 1999, Kennedy was elected as Leader of the Liberal Democrats and subsequently was a key figure in the campaign against the Iraq War.

Despite his political success, Charles Kennedy remained involved in the University when he was elected as our Rector in 2008 and re-elected for an unprecedented second term in 2011 in campaigns backed by GUU. During his time as Rector, Kennedy gained a reputation as a key advocate for students — and his work to save HIVE when it faced closure is still surely appreciated by students to this day!

Sadly, Charles Kennedy passed away shortly after the 2015 General Election - but his memory is remembered by the Union community through the biennial Charles Kennedy Memorial Debate, most recently held in 2019. 

Of course, these people and their achievements are well remembered, but they are far from the only Union alumni who have gone on to have success in the political sphere - with others such as John Smith (Leader of the Labour Party, 1992-1994); Liam Fox (Conservative MP, 2010-Present); Menzies Campbell (Baron of Pittenweem & Leader of the Liberal Democrats, 2006-2007); and John Nicolson (SNP MP, 2015-17 & 2019-Present) among the long list of Union alumni who made their mark on politics. The only question that remains is, who will be next to continue this long and rich tradition?