Ross Greer
{{short description|Scottish Green politician}}
{{For|the Australian footballer|Ross Greer (footballer)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2016}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Ross Greer
| honorific-suffix = MSP
| image = Ross Greer, October 2022.jpg
| caption = Official portrait, 2022
| office = Member of the Scottish Parliament
for West Scotland
{{nobold|(1 of 7 Regional MSPs)}}
| term_start = 5 May 2016
| term_end =
| predecessor =
| successor =
| birth_name = Ross John Greer
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1994|06|1|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Dunbartonshire, Scotland
| residence = Milngavie, Scotland
| nationality = Scottish
| ethnicity =
| citizenship =
| other_names =
| known_for =
| education = Bearsden Academy
University of Strathclyde
| alma_mater =
| employer =
| party = Scottish Greens
| otherparty = Yes Scotland
(2012–2014)
Scottish Youth Parliament
(2011–2013)
| occupation = Politician
}}
{{Republicanism sidebar}}
Ross John Greer (born 1 June 1994{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}}) is a Scottish politician who has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the West Scotland region since 2016. A member of the Scottish Greens, he was the youngest MSP elected in the 2016 election.
Early life and career
Greer was educated at Bearsden Academy, leaving in 2012.{{cite news |url=https://www.holyrood.com/articles/news/youngest-ever-msp-elected-scottish-greens |title=Youngest ever MSP elected for the Scottish Greens |first=Jenni |last=Davidson |work=Holyrood |date=6 May 2016}}{{cite news |url=http://www.milngavieherald.co.uk/news/local-headlines/greer-is-unveiled-as-the-green-party-s-westminster-hope-1-3652667 |title=Greer is unveiled as the Green Party's Westminster hope |work=Bearsden & Milngavie Herald |date=7 January 2015 |access-date=12 May 2016}} Greer was a member of the Scottish Youth Parliament, representing the Clydebank and Milngavie constituency 2011–13.{{cite news|last=Bowden|first=George|date=6 May 2016|title=Scottish Election Results: Greens' Ross Greer Becomes Youngest MSP|work=The Huffington Post|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/scottish-greens-ross-greer-becomes-youngest-msp_uk_572c6df7e4b0e6da49a60da5|access-date=12 May 2016}} Greer joined the Scottish Greens at the age of 15.{{cite news|last=Coutts|first=Eva|date=6 May 2016|title=Holyrood 2016: Greens' Ross Greer, 21, becomes youngest MSP|work=The Scotsman|url=http://www.scotsman.com/news/holyrood-2016-greens-ross-greer-21-becomes-youngest-msp-1-4120892|access-date=12 May 2016}} He took part in the Debating Matters competition in 2012, where he reached the national final.{{cite web|title=People: Ross Greer|url=http://www.debatingmatters.com/people/ross_greer/|access-date=12 May 2016|work=www.debatingmatters.com|archive-date=9 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160809194810/http://www.debatingmatters.com/people/ross_greer/|url-status=dead}}
Greer studied politics and psychology "for a time" at Strathclyde University, but abandoned his studies in December 2012 after being recruited by Yes Scotland to be their communities co-ordinator for the forthcoming Scottish independence referendum.Anon. (6 May 2016). [https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14475578.election-2016-scottish-green-ross-greer-elected-youngest-ever-msp-21-west-scotland-list/ "Election 2016: Scottish Green Ross Greer elected youngest ever MSP at 21 on West of Scotland list"]. The Herald. Retrieved 1 May 2024. Following the referendum, Greer was employed by the Scottish Greens in a role involving campaigns communications and fundraising.
Political career
File:Official Portrait of Ross Greer MSP.jpg
Greer stood as the Scottish Green candidate in the East Dunbartonshire constituency in the 2015 general election, securing 5th place with 804 votes (1.5%). He became the Scottish Greens' party spokesman on Europe and external affairs.{{Cite web |last=Greer |first=Ross |title=LinkedIn profile of Ross Greer |url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/ross-greer-aa25a0a8 |access-date=4 January 2023 |website=LinkedIn}} In March 2015, the Scottish Greens announced Greer had been selected as the lead candidate for their West Scotland regional list, following a ballot of their members.{{cite news |url=https://www.holyrood.com/articles/inside-politics/scottish-greens-regional-list-candidates |title=Scottish Greens regional list candidates |work=Holyrood |date=11 January 2016 |access-date=12 May 2016}}
Ahead of the 2016 Scottish Parliament election, Greer was critical that the general level of engagement with 16 and 17-year-olds as first-time voters had been below what was seen in the referendum.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/may/03/dont-patronise-us-scottish-teenagers-tell-politicians-bidding-for-their-votes |title=Don't patronise us, Scottish teenagers tell politicians bidding for their votes |first=Libby |last=Brooks |work=The Guardian |date=3 May 2016 |access-date=12 May 2016}} On 6 May 2016, he was elected with 17,218 votes (5.3%) as an additional member for the West Scotland region. Elected at the age of 21 years old, he became Scotland's youngest MSP.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2016-scotland-36223801 |title=Greens' Ross Greer becomes youngest MSP |work=BBC News |date=6 May 2016}} Before Greer was elected, the youngest MSP had previously been Labour's Mark Griffin, who was 25 years old when he was first elected in 2011. On 22 May, he was appointed the Scottish Greens' spokesperson for International Development and External Affairs, Education and Skills, and Culture and Media.{{Cite web|title=Scottish Greens announce portfolios of new Holyrood group|url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14509478.scottish-greens-announce-portfolios-of-new-holyrood-group/|access-date=2020-12-06|website=HeraldScotland|date=23 May 2016 |language=en}}
Like his Green colleagues, Greer is opposed to an independent Scotland joining NATO. He told the Daily Record:{{cite news|last=McCall|first=Chris|date=10 February 2021|title=Independent Scotland should delay NATO membership until nuclear weapons removed|url=https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/independent-scotland-should-delay-nato-23461400|access-date=19 February 2022|website=Daily Record|language=en}}
NATO is a 'first strike' nuclear alliance, meaning it claims the right to launch its weapons of mass slaughter against other countries without having been attacked first. There can never, ever be justification for murdering millions of innocent people like that. For this reason alone, never mind NATO's history of provoking rather than avoiding conflict, the Scottish Greens are clear that an independent Scotland should follow Ireland's lead and stay out. Instead, we should immediately sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which would not only make the Trident submarines at Faslane illegal and force their removal, it would also show that we refuse to let others use weapons of mass destruction on our behalf.
Controversy
In 2019, Greer was strongly criticised for having posted a tweet, while a secondary school student, in June 2012 which read "I'm not exaggerating when I say nothing would thrill me more than for Buckingham Palace to burn to the ground."{{Cite web|url=https://www.thenational.scot/news/17397207.right-wing-media-attacks-ross-greer-churchill-tweet/|title=Right-wing media are REALLY unhappy with Ross Greer over Churchill tweet|date=30 January 2019|website=The National}}
On 25 January 2019, Greer posted a tweet calling Winston Churchill "a white supremacist mass murderer." He later went on Good Morning Britain and Politics Live and was challenged on his views.{{Cite web|author=Record Reporter|date=2019-01-29|title=Piers Morgan branded 'snowflake' by Ross Greer during live TV tantrum|url=https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/tv-radio/piers-morgan-branded-snowflake-ross-13921224|access-date=2021-05-10|website=Daily Record|language=en}}{{Cite news|date=2019-01-28|title=MSP Ross Greer brands Churchill 'mass murderer'|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-47028246|access-date=2021-02-07}} This was not the first time Greer has been criticised for his comments about the Second World War; a few years prior he was criticised in The Sun after tweeting that "Imperial Britain was happy to live with Hitler" in reference to the policy of Appeasement.
Personal life
Greer is a member of the Church of Scotland.{{cite news|last=Brooks|first=Libby|date=2019-05-22|title=Anger as Church of Scotland decides not to divest from fossil fuels|url=http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/may/22/anger-as-church-of-scotland-decides-not-to-divest-from-fossil-fuels|access-date=2021-02-07|website=The Guardian|language=en}}
Greer is bisexual and identifies as queer, as confirmed during a Scottish Parliament debate about his opposition to the appointment of Kate Forbes as Deputy First Minister of Scotland.{{Cite news |last1=Carrell |first1=Severin |last2=Brooks |first2=Libby |date=2024-05-09 |title=Kate Forbes elected Scotland deputy first minister despite Green opposition |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/may/09/scottish-greens-vote-against-appointment-of-kate-forbes-as-deputy-first-minister |access-date=2024-05-29 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}https://twitter.com/scottishgreens/status/1788570435753300037 {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}}[https://twitter.com/Ross_Greer/status/1788605657081405873 https://twitter.com/Ross_Greer/status/1788998551986454846]
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- {{SP-MSP}}
- [https://greens.scot/ross-greer-msp profile] on Scottish Greens website
{{Scottish Green Party}}
{{WestScotland MSPs}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greer, Ross}}
Category:Place of birth missing (living people)
Category:People educated at Bearsden Academy
Category:Members of the Scottish Parliament 2016–2021
Category:Members of the Scottish Parliament 2021–2026