Mark Ballard

Mark Ballard, born June 27, 1971 is a Member of the Scottish Parliament for Lothians region, representing the Scottish Green Party and rector of the University of Edinburgh. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 397 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (2008 × 3032 pixel, file size: 986 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) A headshot of Mark Ballard MSP. Own work 19th June 2003 Author: George Baxter, press officer to Green MSPs File links The following... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 397 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (2008 × 3032 pixel, file size: 986 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) A headshot of Mark Ballard MSP. Own work 19th June 2003 Author: George Baxter, press officer to Green MSPs File links The following... June 27 is the 178th day of the year (179th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 187 days remaining. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday. ... Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) (Ball Pàrlamaid na h-Alba (BPA) in Gaelic) is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament. ... The Lothians is one of the eight electoral regions of the Scottish Parliament which were created in 1999. ... The Scottish Green Party (Pàrtaidh Uaine na h-Alba in Scottish Gaelic) is the Green party of Scotland, and a full member of the European Federation of Green Parties. ... The word rector (ruler, from the Latin regere) has a number of different meanings. ... The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1582,[4] is a renowned centre for teaching and research in Edinburgh, Scotland. ...

Personal life

Ballard was born in Leeds, England on June 27th 1971. During his childhood he lived in Punjab, India (1973-1975) and Islamabad, Pakistan (1984-1985) [1]. Leeds is a major city in West Yorkshire, England. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... This article is about the Indian state of Punjab. ... Islamabad (Urdu: اسلام آباد, abode of Islam), is the capital city of Pakistan, and is located in the Potohar Plateau in the northwest of the country. ...

He married Heather Stacey on 28 September 2002 and his first son, Adam, was born on Saturday 18 February 2006.

He attends the Edinburgh Central Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends. The Religious Society of Friends (commonly known as Quakers) is a Christian religious denomination that began in England in the 17th century by people who were dissatisfied with the existing denominations and sects of Christianity. ...

Education

He attended Lawnswood Comprehensive school in Leeds before going on to Edinburgh University, where he gained a MA(Hons) in Economic and Social History [2]. He is a life member of the Edinburgh University Union, part of the Edinburgh University Students Association (EUSA) [3].In February 2006 he was elected Rector of Edinburgh University (see below). Lawnswood is a suburb in the North West of the city of Leeds in West Yorkshire. ... Leeds is a major city in West Yorkshire, England. ... The University of Edinburgh was founded in 1583 as a renowned centre for teaching in Edinburgh, Scotland. ... Edinburgh University Students Association (EUSA) provides services, representation and welfare support to matriculated students of the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. ... The word rector (ruler, from the Latin regere) has a number of different meanings. ... The University of Edinburgh was founded in 1583 as a renowned centre for teaching in Edinburgh, Scotland. ...

Career and Politics

Between 1994 and 1998 he worked for European Youth Forest Action (now European Youth For Action) in Edinburgh and Amsterdam. After this until 2001 he worked as editor of the journal Reforesting Scotland before setting up an environmental communications consultancy company that ran until 2003.[4] European Youth For Action (EYFA) is a group that receives EU funding to organise projects and events. ... Edinburgh (pronounced ; Scottish Gaelic: ) is the capital of Scotland and its second-largest city. ... Amsterdam Location Flag Country Netherlands Province North Holland Population 741,329 (1 August 2006) Agglomeration - 1. ...

He joined the youth wing of the Labour Party when he was 15 and remained a member until 1991. At this point he became involved in the Scottish Green Party's student movement. He ran as a candidate for this party in the 1995 council elections, the 1999 Scottish Parliamentary election and a 2001 council by-election. He was first elected in the 2003 Holyrood election, as the second Green MSP in the Lothians. The Labour Party has been, since its founding in the early 20th century, the principal political party of the left in the United Kingdom. ... The Scottish Green Party (Pàrtaidh Uaine na h-Alba in Scottish Gaelic) is the Green party of Scotland, and a full member of the European Federation of Green Parties. ... The United Kingdom has five distinct types of elections: general, local, regional, European and mayoral. ... The Scottish parliamentary election, 1999 was the first general election of the Scottish Parliament, with voting taking place on May 6, 1999. ... A by-election or bye-election is a special election held to fill a political office when the incumbent has died or resigned. ... The Scottish parliamentary election, 2003, was the second general election of the Scottish Parliament. ...

He is currently a member of the Scottish Parliament Finance Committee [5] and is also substitute member of the Enterprise and Culture Committee [6]. For the national legislative body up to 1707, see Parliament of Scotland. ...

He has also been involved in direct action campaigning, most notably against British nuclear weapons on the River Clyde at Faslane, against the release of Genetically modified organisms and motorway construction through the group Earth First ^{[citation needed]}. He has been arrested at Faslane several times, as part of the CND 'Big Blockade', most recently in August 2004. He was involved in a long-running court case over the destruction of a field of rapeseed at the Roslin Institute near Dalkeith in 1999. [Although initially found guilty of "wilfully and recklessly" destroying plants belonging to Monsanto [7], all charges were quashed due to a delay in the hearing of the appeal - which Mr Ballard claimed was because the Crown was unable to provide relevant evidence[8]. Direct action is a form of political activism which seeks immediate remedy for perceived ills, as opposed to indirect actions such as electing representatives who promise to provide remedy at some later date. ... The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, 1945, rose some 18 kilometers (11 mi) above the hypocenter. ... The River Clyde, looking eastwards upstream, as it passes beneath the Kingston Bridge in Central Glasgow. ... Faslane Naval Base, officially HMS Neptune, is a Royal Navy base situated on Gare Loch, which connects to the River Clyde in Scotland. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Motorway symbol in UK, France and Ireland. ... Earth First! is a radical environmental defense movement, pioneered in the early 1980s by Arizona desert activists Dave Foreman, Mike Roselle and others. ... Faslane Naval Base, officially HMS Neptune, is a Royal Navy base situated on Gare Loch, which connects to the River Clyde in Scotland. ... CND logo In British politics, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament has been at the forefront of the peace movement in the United Kingdom and claims to be Europes largest single-issue peace campaign. ... Binomial name Brassica napus L. Rapeseed (Brassica napus), also known as Rape, Oilseed Rape, Rapa, Rapaseed and (one particular cultivar) Canola, is a bright yellow flowering member (related to mustard) of the family Brassicaceae. ... The Roslin Institute is a government research institute near Edinburgh that is sponsored by the UKs Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). ... Dalkeith (Scottish Gaelic: Dail Cheith) (pop. ... The Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) is a multinational agricultural biotechnology corporation. ...

Mr Ballard is very active in community campaigning in the Lothian region, having supported campaigns to stop the construction of the Dalkeith Northern Bypass, working to help the Portobello community resist a huge superstore development and campaigning for better public transport and public transport funding in the Lothian region, as well as his parliamentary interests. Lothian (Lowden in Scots, Lodainn in Gaelic) forms a traditional region of Scotland, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills. ... Dalkeith (Scottish Gaelic: Dail Cheith) (pop. ... Portobello is a beach resort 3 miles (5 km) to the east of Edinburgh city centre along the coast of the Firth of Forth from Leith. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Big-box store. ... Skytrain Bangkok. ... Skytrain Bangkok. ... Lothian (Lowden in Scots, Lodainn in Gaelic) forms a traditional region of Scotland, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills. ...

He holds membership of a large number of organisations listed in his Register of Interest [9] as Friends of the Earth, Sustrans, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Democratic Left Scotland, Reforesting Scotland, Water of Leith Conservation Trust, Friends of Inverleith Park, SSPCA, Advocates for Animals and Scottish Education and Action for Development. Until 2005 he was also an unpaid director of UK charity Seeds for Change [10], treasurer of the Scottish Environmental Festivals association and he is also associated with the campaign group People and Planet at Edinburgh University [11]. Friends of the Earth is an international network of environmental organizations in 70 countries. ... Sustrans is a British engineering charity which promotes sustainable transport. ... Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament logo In British politics, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament has been at the forefront of the peace movement in the United Kingdom and claims to be Europes largest single-issue peace campaign. ... Democratic Left Scotland (DLS) is the continuation in Scotland of Democratic Left (United Kingdom), the organization formed when the Communist Party of Great Britain was dissolved in 1991. ... The Water of Leith, above the Dean Village, running through a wooded gorge beneath the New Town. ... The Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (also know as the Scottish SPCA and SSPCA) is a charity to promote animal welfare in Scotland. ... Logo of Advocates for Animals. ... People & Planet is the largest student network in the UK campaigning to alleviate world poverty, defend human rights and protect the environment. ...

In February 2006 he stood for election as Rector of the University of Edinburgh standing against MP Boris Johnson, pro-Palestine journalist John Pilger and former Scotsman editor Magnus Linklater. The election received a high level of publicity mostly due to Boris Johnson's candidature. The Lord Rector of Edinburgh University is elected every three years by the students and staff at the University of Edinburgh. ... Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, MP (born 19 June 1964, New York City), better known as Boris Johnson, is a British Conservative Party politician, journalist and historian. ... The Holy Land or Palestine Showing not only the Old Kingdoms of Judea and Israel but also the 12 Tribes Distinctly, and Confirming Even the Diversity of the Locations of their Ancient Positions and Doing So as the Holy Scriptures Indicate, a geographic map from the studio of Tobiae Conradi... John Pilger John Pilger (born October 9, 1939) is an Australian journalist and documentary filmmaker from Sydney, primarily based in London, UK. // Life and career Pilgers career in journalism began in 1958, and he has developed his reputation through both his reporting and the various books and documentary films... The Scotsmans offices in Edinburgh The Scotsman is a Scottish newspaper published in Edinburgh. ... Magnus Linklater is a Scottish journalist and former newspaper editor. ... Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, MP (born 19 June 1964, New York City), better known as Boris Johnson, is a British Conservative Party politician, journalist and historian. ...

The election took place on the 15th / 16th February 2006, with a turn out of almost 8000. A system of Single Transferable Vote was used. In the final round Mark Ballard received 3,597 votes against Magnus Linklater's 3,052 [12] and was elected. This STV ballot for the Australian Senate illustrates group voting tickets. ...

He was formally installed on the 9th June 2006 in a ceremony in the University's Old College. Present at this ceremony were the Chancellor of the University, HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the University Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Timothy O'Shea, and Mark Ballard's predecessor as Rector, Labour MP Tam Dalyell[13]. The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, (Philip Mountbatten; born Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark, 10 June 1921) is the husband and consort of Queen Elizabeth II. Originally a Prince of Greece and Denmark, Prince Philip abandoned those titles to serve in the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, but... Professor Timothy OShea is the current Vice-Chancellor and Principal of The University of Edinburgh in Scotland, United Kingdom. ... Sir Thomas Dalyell of the Binns, 11th Baronet (born 9 August 1932), more commonly known as Tam Dalyell (pronounced ), is a Scottish politician and was a Labour member of the House of Commons from 1962 to 2005. ...

Sir Thomas Dalyell of the Binns, 11th Baronet (born 9 August 1932), more commonly known as Tam Dalyell (pronounced ), is a Scottish politician and was a Labour member of the House of Commons from 1962 to 2005. ... The Lord Rector of Edinburgh University is elected every three years by the students and staff at the University of Edinburgh. ...

Trivia

His favourite pub in Edinburgh is the Southsider on West Richmond St, which in his words is "a proper cosy Edinburgh Pub, and it’s a micro-brewery too".[14]

External links

• Official biography
• Campaign for Rector
• Homepage