Jack McConnell

A lecture by Lord Jack McConnell (Member, House of Lords; Former First Minister of Scotland) The Berlin International Economics Congress 2013 Institute for Cultural Diplomacy (Berlin, March 6th-10th, 2013)

Ivan Yordanov Kostov (???? ???????? ??????)
47th Prime Minister of Bulgaria
In office 21 May 1997†ñ 24 July 2001
President	Petur Stoyanov
Preceded by	Stefan Sofiyanski(Acting)
Succeeded by	Simeon Saxe-Coburg Gotha
Personal details
Born	23 December 1949 (age†64) Sofia, Bulgaria
Political party	Union of Democratic Forces, Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria
Spouse(s)	Elena Kostova
Alma mater	University of National and World Economy, Sofia University
Profession	Economist

Lord Jack McConnell is the Former First Minister of Scotland.

Biography

The Rt. Hon. Lord Jack McConnell was the youngest and longest serving First Minister of Scotland (2001-2007).

In 1983 McConnell graduated with a BSc in Mathematics and a Diploma in Education from the University of Stirling. After graduating McConnell became a Mathematics schoolteacher.

His first move into elected politics came in 1984 when he successfully ran for election to the Stirling District Council. He served in the District Council for a period of 9 years, until 1993.

In 1992 he left teaching and Stirling District Council to become General Secretary of the Scottish Labour Party, a position which he held until 1998.

Between 1989 and 1998 he was a member of the Scottish Constitutional Convention, playing an important role in the creation of the Scotland Act, which created a Scottish Parliament for the first time. As General Secretary he managed the Labour Party’s successful YES YES devolution referendum campaign in 1997.

McConnell became an MSP to the Scottish Parliament in 1999, later holding the positions of Finance Minister and Education Minister. Among other achievements, he created the first External Relations and European Affairs strategy on how to influence and implement EU policies and promote Scotland abroad.

In 2001 Right Hon. Lord McConnell was elected as First Minister by the Scottish Parliament in November 2001. In the same year he was awarded the prize for Scottish Politician of the Year.

In 2003 McConnell was re-elected for another term as MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw. The Labour Party formed a coalition with the Liberal Democrats and McConnell was chosen for a second term to become First Minister, which he undertook until 2007, making him the longest serving First Minister of Scotland. He served as President of the European Legislative Regions in 2004.

After leaving office as First Minister of Scotland, Lord McConnell was appointed to the House of Lords in June 2010. Lord McConnell serves as Chair or Patron of a number of charities working to tackle child poverty in both Scotland and the developing world. He is a Member of the UK/Japan 21st Century Group, a Fellow of the UK/Chinese Icebreakers Group, and a guest lecturer at several Universities.

Further Information

“Peacebuilding and Human Rights in the Global Development Partnership post-2015″A lecture by Lord Jack McConnell, Former First Minister of Scotland

External Links

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