fbpx
Wikipedia

Ruth Davidson

March 04, 2023

Ruth Elizabeth Davidson, Baroness Davidson of Lundin Links (born 10 November 1978), is a Scottish politician who served as Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party from 2011 to 2019 and Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party in the Scottish Parliament from 2020 to 2021. She served as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Glasgow from 2011 to 2016 and for Edinburgh Central from 2016 to 2021.

The Right Honourable
The Baroness Davidson of Lundin Links
PC
Official portrait, 2016
Leader of the Conservative Party in the Scottish Parliament
In office
11 August 2020 – 5 May 2021
LeaderDouglas Ross
Preceded byJackson Carlaw
Succeeded byDouglas Ross
Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party
In office
4 November 2011 – 29 August 2019[a]
Deputy
UK party leader
Preceded byAnnabel Goldie
Succeeded byJackson Carlaw
Parliamentary offices
Member of the House of Lords
Life peerage
20 July 2021
Member of the Scottish Parliament
for Edinburgh Central
In office
5 May 2016 – 5 May 2021
Preceded byMarco Biagi
Succeeded byAngus Robertson
Member of the Scottish Parliament
for Glasgow
(1 of 7 Regional MSPs)
In office
5 May 2011 – 5 May 2016
Personal details
Born
Ruth Elizabeth Davidson

(1978-11-10) 10 November 1978 (age 44)
Edinburgh, Scotland
Political partyScottish Conservatives
Domestic partnerJen Wilson
Children1
Alma mater
Awards Life peer
Military service
Allegiance United Kingdom
Branch/service Territorial Army
Years of service2003–06
RankSignaller
Unit32 Signal Regiment

Born in Edinburgh, Davidson was raised in Selkirk and later attended Buckhaven High School in Fife. After graduating from the University of Edinburgh, she worked as a BBC journalist and served in the Territorial Army as a signaller. After leaving the BBC in 2009 to study at the University of Glasgow, she joined the Conservative Party. She was the party's candidate in the Glasgow North East constituency at a 2009 by-election and at the 2010 general election, finishing in third then fourth place, on each occasion with approximately 5% of the vote.

At the 2011 Scottish Parliament election, Davidson stood in the Glasgow Kelvin constituency, where she finished fourth, and on the Glasgow regional list, from which she was elected. Following party leader Annabel Goldie's resignation in May 2011, Davidson stood in the subsequent leadership election. She won the contest and was declared party leader on 4 November 2011. In 2016, the Conservatives replaced the Labour Party as the second-largest party in the Scottish Parliament. As Scottish Conservative leader, she was considered by some to be a potential candidate for leadership of the British Conservative Party although ruled herself out of running for the position.

Davidson resigned the leadership in August 2019, shortly after Boris Johnson became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. She was succeeded by her deputy leader of eight years, Jackson Carlaw who was in turn replaced by Douglas Ross. Davidson led the party in Holyrood for the remainder of the 2016–2021 Parliament. At the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, Davidson stood down as an MSP in preparation to enter the House of Lords and become a life peer.

Early life and career

Davidson was born at Edinburgh Royal Maternity Hospital and Simpson Memorial Maternity Pavilion in Edinburgh.[1] She was raised in Selkirk and later in Fife. Her family lived in Bridgelands Road, Selkirk, and Davidson attended Knowepark Primary School until Primary 3.[2][3][b] Her father, Douglas, a mill manager at Laidlaw & Fairgrieve, had played professional football for Partick Thistle F.C. in his younger days and was a midfielder for Selkirk F.C. during the late-1970s and early-1980s. When her father took a job in the whisky industry, the family left the Borders for Fife, where she attended the state secondary Buckhaven High School.[4][5]

Davidson studied English literature at the University of Edinburgh, gaining an undergraduate Master of Arts (MA Hons) degree.[6][7][8] After graduation, she joined the Glenrothes Gazette as a trainee reporter. She later moved to Kingdom FM, followed by Real Radio, and finally joined BBC Scotland in late 2002 where she worked as a radio journalist, producer, presenter and reporter. She left the BBC in 2009 to study International Development at the University of Glasgow.[5][9] She served as a signaller in the 32 Signal Regiment[10] of the Territorial Army for three years (2003–06) before suffering a back injury in a training exercise at Sandhurst.[11][5][9]

Entering politics

In 2009, after having left the BBC to study at the University of Glasgow, Davidson joined the Conservative Party. She said she was inspired by a call by David Cameron, the then Leader of the Opposition, in the wake of the United Kingdom parliamentary expenses scandal, for people to get involved in politics who had never previously been political. She was encouraged by the Scottish Conservative Party's Director of Media, Ramsay Jones,[12] to join the party and stand for the House of Commons seat of Glasgow North East at the 2009 by-election, which was triggered by the resignation of Labour MP and Speaker of the House, Michael Martin. She finished in third place, with 1,075 votes (5.2% share of the vote).[13]

In February 2010, she tried to seek the Conservative party candidacy for Bromsgrove in Worcestershire, England. She made the shortlist but in the end lost out to Sajid Javid.[14]

From early 2010 to March 2011, she worked as the head of the private office of the then Scottish Conservative leader, Annabel Goldie.[15] She played a large part in the organisation of campaign media events in the run-up to the 2010 general election, at which she ran again in Glasgow North East, finishing in fourth place with 1,569 votes (a 5.3% share of the vote).[16][17]

Member of the Scottish Parliament; 2011–2021

Election and first roles

 
Davidson in 2012

For the 2011 Scottish Parliament election, Davidson was selected in September 2010[18] to contest the Glasgow Kelvin constituency, and was initially placed second on the Conservatives' Glasgow region list, behind Malcolm Macaskill, a Glasgow businessman and party member for over 30 years. This made it very unlikely that Davidson would gain election to the Scottish Parliament, for the Glasgow regional list typically returned only one Conservative member.[19] However, with only a couple of months to go, newspaper stories appeared in March 2011 that questioned Macaskill's business history.[19][20] It was revealed that, ahead of a 2010 internal party selection contest, he had failed to fully disclose his business career to party members.[21][22] On 24 March, Andrew Fulton, the Chairman of the Scottish Conservatives, decided that Macaskill was to be deselected, thereby promoting Davidson to the first position in the Glasgow regional list.[19] This led to loud protests from the supporters of Macaskill, and some major donors withdrew their financial support for the party.[23] In the event, after coming a distant fourth in Glasgow Kelvin, Davidson was elected to the Scottish Parliament from the Glasgow region list.[24] After the election she was appointed by Goldie as the Conservative spokesperson for Culture, Europe and External Relations.[5]

Leadership of the Scottish Conservative Party

Election bid

See also: 2011 Scottish Conservatives leadership election

Following the resignation of Annabel Goldie as Scottish Conservative leader on 9 May 2011, Davidson became a contender in the leadership election.[25] Her rivals later claimed that Davidson received assistance from Party headquarters,[19] though her supporters stated that these claims were part of a smear campaign.[19] She stood against three other candidates – Murdo Fraser, Jackson Carlaw and Margaret Mitchell. Fraser stood on a platform of separating the Scottish Conservatives from the UK-wide party and establishing a new Scottish centre-right party. Davidson announced her candidacy on 4 September and vehemently opposed Fraser's proposals to separate the party, calling it a "distraction" which would "tie the party in knots".[26]

Davidson's campaign was endorsed by two MSPs: John Lamont (her campaign manager) and John Scott; and the Conservatives' only Scottish MP and Scotland Office minister, David Mundell. Her campaign was also endorsed by the following party grandees: Sir Albert McQuarrie; The 13th Marquess of Lothian, a former Chairman of the Conservative Party; former Scottish Office minister and Scottish party chairman Lord Sanderson; a former Secretary of State for Scotland, Lord Forsyth; the Leader of the House of Lords, Lord Strathclyde; and former MSP and Holyrood deputy presiding officer Murray Tosh. Despite being a List MSP for Glasgow, she failed to gain the endorsement of a single chairperson of any of the five Conservative Constituency Associations in Glasgow[12] and over half the MSP group had supported Murdo Fraser.[27]

On 11 September 2011, Davidson sacked her election agent and parliamentary assistant Ross McFarlane after he was filmed trying to burn a European Union flag in a Glasgow street following a University Conservative Association (GUCA), St Andrew's Day dinner in November 2010.[28] On 5 October 2011, the Scottish Conservative media director Ramsay Jones was suspended from his duties during the leadership contest, after it was revealed that he had met Davidson and her campaign team in her flat on Sunday, 18 September.[29][30]

Davidson subsequently won the leadership election and was made the leader of the Scottish Conservatives on 4 November 2011. She gained 2,278 first preference votes out of the 5,676 votes cast, after second preference votes were counted, she won by 2,983 votes to second-placed Murdo Fraser's 2,417.[31] This sparked some discontent within the party, with prominent party supporter Paul McBride resigning from the party[32] and party donor John McGlynn criticised her election, saying that she was elected through 'interference'.[33]

2014 Scottish Independence referendum

See also: 2014 Scottish independence referendum
 
Davidson speaking at the 2014 Conservative Party conference

She campaigned for the Union in 2014 because she loved the "wonderful messiness of these islands". Reflecting on the referendum some years later she said, "I think I did cry but I don’t think until a couple of days after. It was a bit delayed, but it was pure relief."[34]

When Alex Salmond resigned as First Minister of Scotland, Davidson nominated herself to succeed him. She knew that the SNP's majority virtually assured that Salmond's successor as SNP leader, Nicola Sturgeon, would become First Minister. Nevertheless, she felt the need to offer "an alternative vision of Scotland". Davidson received 15 votes to Sturgeon's 66.[35]

In September 2015, following a year-long police investigation into allegations that pro-Union campaigners, including Davidson, had breached secrecy provisions of the Scottish Independence Referendum Act 2013 during the Scottish independence referendum, detectives reported their findings to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.[36] Police Scotland stated, in reference to the report, that no evidence of criminality was found, and consequently there was no charge to answer.[37]

Relative success in 2016 and 2017

 
Davidson meets Prince Charles, 2016

Davidson led the Scottish Conservatives into the 2016 Scottish Parliament election, where the party doubled its number of Scottish Parliament seats to 31, replacing Labour as the second largest party at Holyrood behind the Scottish National Party.[38] The election also saw Davidson, who had previously been a list MSP, win the constituency of Edinburgh Central from the SNP with 10,399 votes. Reacting to the result Davidson said, "I am under no illusion that everybody who voted for me in that seat is a true-blue, dyed-in-the wool Tory, and neither are they in places up and down Scotland. They are people who want us to do a very specific job, and that it is to hold the SNP to account."[39]

Following the success of the Scottish Conservatives at the 2016 Scottish election, in which the party doubled its number of MSPs, a Guardian article noted that "some in Westminster see her as a potential future leader, who could broaden the party's appeal and help tackle perceptions it is on the side of the privileged".[40] However, Davidson dismissed the suggestion in an interview with The House magazine, describing the role of Prime Minister as "the loneliest job in the world".[40] But she did not rule out the prospect of becoming an MP, saying she would only do so "for now".[41] In the Conservative leadership contest triggered by the resignation of Prime Minister David Cameron, Davidson gave her backing to Home Secretary Theresa May to succeed him as Conservative Party leader and Prime Minister, describing May as a "proper grown up [who is] best placed to navigate the stormy waters ahead".[42] Davidson was appointed to the Privy Council on 13 July 2016.[43][44]

At the 2017 local elections, the Scottish Conservatives achieved their best results since devolution gaining 164 seats including some surprise successes in working class neighbourhoods such as Calton in Glasgow’s East End and Ferguslie Park in Paisley (the UK's most deprived ward).[45] The 2017 general election saw the conservatives win 13 seats in Scotland, its best result since 1983.[46] In a election which was not seen as going as well for the Conservatives elsewhere commentators linked their successes in Scotland to Ruth Davidson personally.[47][48] She said of the result "Indyref2 is dead... it's time to get back to what matters to the people of Scotland – that's sorting out our schools, growing our economy and looking at our public services."[46]

Resignation

In 2018, she ruled out running in a future leadership election, saying she valued her mental health "too much".[49] On 29 August 2019, Davidson stood down citing several political and personal reasons for her decision to resign as leader.[50]

Return to backbenches

 
Jackson Carlaw (left) and Davidson (right) on the Scottish Conservative frontbench in 2018

After her resignation, Davidson criticised Boris Johnson for suspending 21 Conservative MPs in September 2019 and said he was doing so to make sure that the moderates in his cabinet were replaced by "more compliant Conservatives". She also praised Amber Rudd's decision to leave the cabinet over the "act of political vandalism".[51]

In October 2019, Davidson accepted a public relations role for lobbying firm Tulchan Communications while retaining her job as an MSP. Her employment drew into question potential conflicts of interest and the size of her salary, £50,000 for 25 days' work, in addition to her £63,000-a-year MSP's salary.[52][53] A week later, she abandoned her taking up of the role after meeting with parliamentary officials, although she insisted no conflict would have emerged had she still taken up the role.[54] Prior to the 2019 general election Davidson said that she would swim naked in Loch Ness if the Scottish National Party won 50 seats, but avoided the ordeal as the SNP won only 48.[55]

In July 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, Davidson lobbied for the leadership bid of Douglas Ross after the resignation of Jackson Carlaw who resigned due to Scottish Conservative support falling in polls, pressure from backbenchers and support for Scottish Independence on the rise.[56] Later that month, it was announced she would be given a life peerage.[57] She agreed to serve as Leader of the Conservative Party in the Scottish Parliament until the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, while Ross was yet to be elected to the Scottish Parliament.[58] Ross was announced as leader five days later after running unopposed.[59]

House of Lords

In July 2021, Davidson entered the House of Lords as Baroness Davidson of Lundin Links, of Lundin Links in the County of Fife.[60] She made her maiden speech on 22 October 2021 when she supported Baroness Meacher's Assisted Dying Bill.[61] In January 2022, it was announced that she would be presenting a weekly programme on Times Radio as from the following month.[62]

Policies and views

Davidson identifies as a "One Nation Conservative" and a centrist,[63] and is seen as being on the socially liberal wing of the Conservative Party. She supports LGBT rights and favoured extending same-sex marriage equality to Northern Ireland. She advocated a "Remain" vote at the 2016 European Union referendum and, after the UK voted to leave the EU, said she wanted the UK to remain part of the European Single Market and Customs Union with reciprocal freedom of movement rights, though she subsequently supported leaving the Customs Union and ending free movement. Following the result of the 2017 United Kingdom general election, in which the Conservative Party lost its parliamentary majority, she said that Prime Minister Theresa May lacked a mandate to take the UK out of the EU Single Market and Customs Union.[64]

Immigration

At the 2016 Conservative Party Conference, Davidson warned her party that "immigrants should be made to feel welcome in the UK" and the "party should not lurch to the right in the wake of Labour's implosion". She argued that Britain should seek access to the European Single Market even if that means accepting reciprocal freedom of movement.[65]

Agriculture

In an interview with The Times, she refused to commit herself to saying that, in the aftermath of Brexit, Scotland should gain responsibility for Scottish agriculture policy. She suggested that Westminster would take responsibility instead.[66]

Justice and devolution

She supports judges being given the ability to effectively sentence perpetrators of "the most heinous, cruel and vile" crimes with a life sentence, with the intent that they are never released.[67] Davidson also calls for an end to the automatic release of prisoners, and believes that alcohol and drug consumption should not grant more lenient sentencing to people who have committed crimes.[68]

Davidson has stated she wanted the Scottish Parliament to be accountable for up to 40% of what it spends. This was a reversal of a previous view she expressed, as she was elected on a platform that there should be a "line drawn in the sand", as she opposed any further devolution. She later said "Conservatives were wrong to oppose the idea of a Scottish Parliament during the campaign for devolution, which was delivered in 1999."[69]

Business and infrastructure

Davidson has proposed that any start-up company whose rateable value was below £18,000 should be incentivised by being given an initial two-year ability to avoid paying business rates.[70] She also emphasises the necessity for proper infrastructure in rural areas, particularly with regard to ferry links.[71]

She supports the Scottish video games industry and opposed the proposal to deny tax breaks to the industry.[72]

Education and early learning

During her leadership campaign, Davidson stated that in the 0–5 age category, children should be granted more hours in early years centres, so as to meet the needs of "hard-working families".[73] She supports state-funded Roman Catholic schooling in Scotland, and believes the Church of Scotland should open its own faith schools as well.[74]

European Union

Before the United Kingdom European Union membership referendum held on 23 June 2016, she campaigned against British withdrawal from the European Union.[75][76][77] On 21 June 2016, she participated in the BBC's Wembley Arena Debate, as a panellist for the "Remain" campaign with Frances O'Grady and Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan; former Mayor of London and Conservative MP Boris Johnson, Labour MP Gisela Stuart and Conservative MP Andrea Leadsom, who argued on behalf of the "Leave" campaign as part of a cross-party debate.[78] The referendum saw 52% of British voters decide to leave the European Union, while 62% of the Scottish electorate who cast their vote backed remaining in the EU. Years later Davidson reflected: "Turns out we were 4% not good enough – but for such things the world turns – and I'll never quite forgive myself for not getting that 4%."[79]

Following the announcement of the result, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon suggested the constitutional change it would bring about justified the need for a second referendum on Scottish independence, but Davidson said this would not be the answer to concerns raised by the prospect of leaving the European Union: "The 1.6 million votes cast in this referendum in favour of Remain do not wipe away the two million votes that were cast less than two years ago". She also called on the UK and Scottish Governments to work together and put "stability" first.[80][81]

Ruth Davidson is willing to support a legal challenge in the Supreme Court on the basis of the Scottish Parliament voting to protect what it argued were its existing powers over Brexit. She asserts that the importance of legal action is to test the complex situation in the court.[82]

Social issues

Davidson has stated that she supports same-sex marriage, but believes religious institutions should not be forced to carry out the ceremonies should it conflict with their views.[83] She urged the Republic of Ireland to vote "Yes" in the 2015 constitutional vote to enable same-sex marriage.[84]

2016 Conservative leadership election

Following the success of the Scottish Conservatives at the 2016 Scottish election, in which the party doubled its number of MSPs, a Guardian article noted that "some in Westminster see her as a potential future leader, who could broaden the party's appeal and help tackle perceptions it is on the side of the privileged".[40] However, Davidson dismissed the suggestion in an interview with The House magazine, describing the role of Prime Minister as "the loneliest job in the world".[40] But she did not rule out the prospect of becoming an MP, saying she would only do so "for now".[41] In the Conservative leadership contest triggered by the resignation of Prime Minister David Cameron, Davidson gave her backing to Home Secretary Theresa May to succeed him as Conservative Party leader and Prime Minister, describing May as a "proper grown up [who is] best placed to navigate the stormy waters ahead".[42]

Saudi Arabia

After King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia died in January 2015, the UK government decided to hang British flags at half-mast as a sign of mourning. In response, Davidson tweeted: "Flying flags at half-mast on government buildings for the death of a Saudi king is a steaming pile of nonsense. That is all." This tweet was in the context of recent outrage caused by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia publicly beheading a woman and sentencing a blogger to 1,000 lashes.[85]

Personal life

On 18 February 2015, Davidson appeared in a party election broadcast in which she was seen with her same-sex partner Jen Wilson, a 33-year-old Irish woman from County Wexford.[86][87][88] Davidson announced her engagement to Wilson in May 2016.[89] On 26 April 2018 Davidson announced that she had become pregnant after receiving IVF treatment, and that she and Wilson were "excited" to be expecting their first child.[90][91] On 26 October, Davidson gave birth to a boy at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.[92]

In a 2015 interview with BBC Radio Scotland, Davidson spoke about struggling with her sexuality: "I struggled with it for a number of years actually before I would admit it to myself, never mind to anybody else. But there comes a point at which you make a decision and that decision is either that you're going to live a lie for the rest of your life, or you're going to trust yourself, and that's what I had to do."[93] In her memoirs, published in 2018 and serialised by The Sunday Times Magazine, Davidson writes of struggling with mental health issues as a teenager, something that she says was triggered by the suicide of a boy in her village.[49] She has said that these struggles almost dissuaded her from running for leadership.[94]

Davidson is a member of the Church of Scotland and counts dog walking, hillwalking and kickboxing as her hobbies.[95][96] She supports Scottish football team Dunfermline Athletic.[97] On 23 October 2015, Davidson became the first female Scottish politician to appear as a panellist on the BBC One satirical news quiz Have I Got News for You.[98] In 2017, Davidson became Honorary Colonel of 32nd Signal Regiment.[99] Davidson was included in Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2018.[100][101]

Notes

  1. ^ On Leave: 15 September 2018 – 3 May 2019
  2. ^ Primary 3 refers to third year of primary school in Scotland; for children aged six to eight years old.

References

  1. ^ . 16 August 2015. Archived from the original on 16 August 2015. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  2. ^ "My Best Teacher: Ruth Davidson". TES. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  3. ^ "Interview: Ruth Davidson, politician". www.scotsman.com. 24 January 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  4. ^ "After Brownlee, another Knoweparker lines up to lead the Scottish Tories – Dunfermline and West Fife". Fife Today. Johnston Publishing Ltd. 1 October 2011. from the original on 28 December 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  5. ^ a b c d "The Scottish Parliament profile: Ruth Davidson". Scottish Parliament. 25 August 2011. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
  6. ^ Devine, Cate (20 December 2010). "There's a misconception that Scottish Tories are anti-gay". The Herald. Glasgow: Herald & Times Group. from the original on 8 June 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  7. ^ . Holyrood.com. 14 November 2011. Archived from the original on 24 May 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  8. ^ (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 May 2012. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
  9. ^ a b . The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 9 May 2011. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
  10. ^ Cramb, Auslan (28 August 2019). "Why Ruth Davidson's resignation will send shock waves through the Conservative Party". The Telegraph – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  11. ^ . Scottish Conservatives. 17 January 2010. Archived from the original on 4 September 2011. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
  12. ^ a b Hutcheon, Paul; Gordon, Tom (9 October 2011). "Tory leadership campaign mired by party split and allegations of bias". The Herald. Glasgow: Herald & Times Group. from the original on 19 October 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  13. ^ "Labour wins in Glasgow North East". 13 November 2009. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  14. ^ "ConservativeHome's Seats & Candidates blog". ConservativeHome's Seats & Candidates blog.
  15. ^ "Lamont welcomes Tory leadership result and hits back at 'twit' claim". The Southern Reporter. Johnston Publishing Ltd. 13 November 2011. from the original on 4 June 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  16. ^ "UK | Tories choose by-election hopeful". BBC News. 13 August 2009. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  17. ^ "Election 2010 | Glasgow North East". BBC News. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  18. ^ "ConservativeHome's Seats & Candidates blog: Two new candidates adopted to contest Holyrood seats". Conservativehome.blogs.com. 30 September 2010. from the original on 3 November 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  19. ^ a b c d e "Wounds from Scottish Tory battle will not heal quickly". The Scotsman. Johnston Press. 24 October 2011. from the original on 25 October 2011. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
  20. ^ Cochrane, Alan; Cramb, Auslan (25 March 2011). "Scottish Tories in turmoil after top candidate sacked". The Daily Telegraph. from the original on 30 April 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  21. ^ "Turmoil as Tory candidate dropped over CV – Evening Times". Evening Times. 25 March 2011. from the original on 20 June 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  22. ^ Hutcheon, Paul; Gordon, Tom (25 March 2011). "Chequered business career costs Tory his Holyrood hope". The Herald. Glasgow: Herald & Times Group. from the original on 8 June 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  23. ^ Alan Cochrane, Auslane Cramb, Scottish Tories in turmoil after top candidate sacked in The Daily Telegraph dated 25 March 2011, accessed 27 April 2018
  24. ^ "Scottish Election: Labour crashes in Scottish heartland". BBC News. 6 May 2011. from the original on 23 February 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  25. ^ Hutcheon, Paul; Gordon, Tom (3 July 2011). "Gay MSP in running to lead Scots Tories". The Herald. Glasgow: Herald & Times Group. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
  26. ^ Carrell, Severin (8 September 2011). "Scottish Tory leadership candidate rejects call for greater economic powers". The Guardian. London. from the original on 3 December 2016.
  27. ^ "Supporters". Murdo 2011.com. Perth: Elizabeth Smith. from the original on 11 October 2011.
  28. ^ Hutcheon, Paul (11 September 2011). "Burning the EU flag amid sectarian abuse Meet the election agent of the Tories' moderate face". The Herald. Glasgow: Herald & Times Group. from the original on 21 April 2016. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  29. ^ "Scottish Tory chief spin doctor Ramsay Jones suspended". BBC News. 5 October 2011. from the original on 14 November 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  30. ^ Hutcheon, Paul; Gordon, Tom (2 October 2011). "Top Tory spin doctor accused of favouritism in leadership campaign – Herald Scotland | Home News". The Herald. Glasgow: Herald & Times Group. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  31. ^ Black, Andrew (4 November 2011). "Ruth Davidson elected new Scottish Conservative leader". BBC. from the original on 19 November 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  32. ^ Davidson, Lorraine (6 November 2011). "Paul McBride resigns from Tory party". Scotland on Sunday. from the original on 8 November 2011.
  33. ^ "Tory donor John McGlynn's concern over new leader". BBC News. 8 November 2011. from the original on 20 November 2011.
  34. ^ Billen, Andrew (22 January 2022). "Ruth Davidson: 'Johnson is unfit for office. What has come to light in the past weeks shows it'". The Times.
  35. ^ "Nicola Sturgeon is elected first minister of Scotland". BBC News. 19 November 2014. from the original on 20 February 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  36. ^ Williams, Martin (15 September 2015). "Police hand prosecutors details about referendum vote claims involving Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson". The Herald. from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  37. ^ "No Prosecutions Over Referendum postal vote tally, confirm prosecuters". Daily Record. 30 September 2015. from the original on 6 October 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  38. ^ "Scottish Conservatives to be second largest party at Holyrood". BBC News. 6 May 2016. from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  39. ^ "Holyrood 2016: Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson wins Edinburgh Central". BBC News. 6 May 2016. from the original on 11 August 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  40. ^ a b c d Stewart, Heather (23 May 2016). "Ruth Davidson: I don't want to be prime minister". The Guardian. from the original on 28 June 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  41. ^ a b Stone, Jon (24 May 2016). "Scottish Tories leader Ruth Davidson won't rule out standing as Westminster MP amid leadership speculation". The Independent. Independent Print Limited. from the original on 29 June 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  42. ^ a b "Ruth Davidson backs Theresa May to become next prime minister". The Herald. Herald & Times Group. 7 July 2016. from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  43. ^ Sam Shedden, Ruth Davidson 'honoured' by appointment to Queen's Privy Council 14 July 2016 at the Wayback Machine, The Scotsman (13 July 2016).
  44. ^ Privy Council appointments: Arlene Foster, Ruth Davidson, David Gauke and Ed Vaizey 14 July 2016 at the Wayback Machine, 10 Downing Street (13 July 2016).
  45. ^ Carroll, Severin (5 May 2017). "Sturgeon hails 'victory' despite SNP failure to win overall majorities". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 November 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  46. ^ a b "General election 2017: SNP lose a third of seats amid Tory surge". BBC News. 9 June 2017. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  47. ^ Foges, Clare. "General election: All hail Ruth Davidson, Queen of Tory Scots". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  48. ^ Deerin, Chris (9 June 2017). "This Scottish electoral earthquake has killed Indyref2 and shaken the SNP". New Statesman. Retrieved 9 November 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  49. ^ a b "Ruth Davidson: 'I value mental health over being PM'". BBC News. 16 September 2018. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  50. ^ Brooks, Libby (29 August 2019). "Ruth Davidson quits as Scottish Tory leader citing Brexit and family". theguardian.com. from the original on 2 September 2019. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  51. ^ "Ruth Davidson says Boris Johnson taking 'big risk' with Tory party by kicking out 21 MPs". Politics Home. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  52. ^ "'Conflict of interest' row over Ruth Davidson's PR role". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  53. ^ "Ruth Davidson hits back at criticism over PR job". 26 October 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  54. ^ "Ruth Davidson says she won't take lobbying role at Tulchan Communications". CityAM. 29 October 2019. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  55. ^ "Ruth Davidson narrowly avoids skinny dipping in Loch Ness". www.scotsman.com. 13 December 2019.
  56. ^ Andrews, Kieran. "Ruth Davidson returns as top Tories oust Jackson Carlaw". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  57. ^ "From Evgeny Lebedev to Philip Hammond – the 36 new peers". The Spectator. 31 July 2020.
  58. ^ "Douglas Ross and Ruth Davidson set out joint ticket to 'take on the SNP'". Herald Scotland. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  59. ^ "Douglas Ross confirmed as new Scottish Tory leader". BBC News. 5 August 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  60. ^ "Crown Office | The Gazette". www.thegazette.co.uk. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  61. ^ Richards, Xander (22 October 2021). "Ruth Davidson gives maiden speech in the House of Lords". The National. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  62. ^ "Ruth Davidson joins Times Radio to host a weekly show". RadioToday. 18 January 2022. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  63. ^ "Stephen Crabb and Ruth Davidson: Our upbringing, strong women, hard work – and the One Nation vision that inspires us". Conservative Home. 3 October 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  64. ^ Cochrane, Alan; Johnson, Simon (9 June 2017). "Ruth Davidson planning Scottish Tory breakaway as she challenges Theresa May's Brexit plan". The Telegraph – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  65. ^ Johnson, Simon (5 October 2016). "Ruth Davidson challenges 'hard' Brexit Tories by arguing immigrants must be welcomed". The Telegraph. from the original on 6 October 2016.
  66. ^ readers, Guardian; Walsh, James; McDonald, Henry (3 March 2017). "Politics Live – readers' edition: Friday 3 March". The Guardian. from the original on 3 March 2017 – via www.theguardian.com.
  67. ^ "Conservatives call for whole-life jail sentences". STV. 24 November 2011. from the original on 1 December 2011.
  68. ^ . Ruth Davidson. 20 September 2011. Archived from the original on 8 April 2012.
  69. ^ Black, Andrew (26 March 2016). "Ruth Davidson supports more Holyrood financial powers". BBC News. from the original on 10 April 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  70. ^ . Ruth Davidson. 28 September 2011. Archived from the original on 25 October 2011.
  71. ^ . Ruth Davidson. 14 October 2011. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011.
  72. ^ . Ruth Davidson. 15 October 2011. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012.
  73. ^ "Davidson: Support for families and investment in Children are top priorities". Ruth Davidson. 27 September 2011. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012.
  74. ^ Geen, Jessica (20 September 2011). "Lesbian would-be Tory leader Ruth Davidson wants more faith schools". Pink News. from the original on 28 December 2011.
  75. ^ theguardian.com: Ruth Davidson enjoys her Nicola Sturgeon moment in EU debate 14 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  76. ^ the guardian.com / Susie Boniface: Ruth Davidson was the star at Wembley. Can’t we have more politicians like her? 23 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine (opinion)
  77. ^ The Daily Telegraph online, 22 June 2016: Ruth Davidson's rise is about much more than the EU referendum or the Conservative leadership 23 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  78. ^ Eaton, George (21 June 2016). "EU referendum debate: Sadiq Khan and Ruth Davidson give Remain the punch it needs". New Statesman. Progressive Media International. from the original on 25 June 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  79. ^ Podcasts, Spectator. "The Ruth Davidson Edition | Women With Balls | The Spectator". www.spectator.co.uk.
  80. ^ . The Courier. D.C. Thomson & Co. 24 June 2016. Archived from the original on 7 July 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  81. ^ "Ruth Davidson says indyref2 is not the answer to Brexit". BBC News. 24 June 2016. from the original on 27 June 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  82. ^ Carrell, Severin (2 March 2018). "Ruth Davidson backs legal action against Scottish Brexit bill". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
  83. ^ "MSP Response: Ruth Davidson (Conservative)". Defend Marriage in Scotland. 6 November 2011.[permanent dead link]
  84. ^ Lyell, Carrie. "Ruth Davidson urges Ireland to vote Yes to marriage equality". Diva Magazine. from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  85. ^ "Tory slams Saudi flags 'nonsense'". BBC News. 1 October 2017. from the original on 28 February 2017.
  86. ^ . Scottish Conservatives. 2 August 2016. Archived from the original on 29 July 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  87. ^ Johnson, Simon; Cramb, Auslan (18 February 2015). "Scottish Tory leader features gay partner in election broadcast". The Daily Telegraph. from the original on 20 February 2015.
  88. ^ Daisley, Stephen (19 February 2015). . STV News. STV. Archived from the original on 20 February 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  89. ^ "Scottish Tory Leader Davidson Gets Engaged".[permanent dead link]
  90. ^ "Ruth Davidson announces she is pregnant". BBC News. 26 April 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  91. ^ "Ruth Davidson pregnant: Scottish Tory leader announces she is expecting first child with partner Jen Wilson". London Evening Standard. 26 April 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  92. ^ "Ruth Davidson gives birth to baby boy". BBC News. 26 October 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  93. ^ "Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson speaks frankly on faith and being gay". BBC News. 5 November 2015. from the original on 8 November 2015. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  94. ^ "Ruth Davidson had mental health concerns over leader role". BBC News. 17 January 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  95. ^ "Current MSPs". Scottish Parliament. from the original on 15 July 2012. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
  96. ^ Philip, Andy (4 November 2011). "Newcomer Ruth Davidson wins Scottish Tory leadership race". The Independent. London. from the original on 7 November 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  97. ^ Dickie, Mure (13 June 2014). "Scottish Tory leader happy to board the devolution train". Financial Times. from the original on 3 August 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  98. ^ Brocklehurst, Steven (23 October 2015). "Have they got news for Ruth Davidson?". BBC News. from the original on 23 October 2015. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  99. ^ "Ruth Davidson made honorary Army Colonel". BBC News. 23 June 2017. from the original on 26 June 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  100. ^ Hart, Kevin (April 2018). "TIME 100: The Most Influential People of 2018". Time.com. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  101. ^ "Ruth Davidson: The World's 100 Most Influential People". Time. Retrieved 22 September 2020.

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ruth Davidson.
  • Official Ruth Davidson Website
  • Scottish Parliament profiles of MSPs: Ruth Davidson
  • Ruth Davidson articles 8 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine at Holyrood.com
  • Ruth Davidson on LBC

March 04, 2023
ruth, davidson, ruth, elizabeth, davidson, baroness, davidson, lundin, links, born, november, 1978, scottish, politician, served, leader, scottish, conservative, party, from, 2011, 2019, leader, scottish, conservative, party, scottish, parliament, from, 2020, . Ruth Elizabeth Davidson Baroness Davidson of Lundin Links born 10 November 1978 is a Scottish politician who served as Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party from 2011 to 2019 and Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party in the Scottish Parliament from 2020 to 2021 She served as a Member of the Scottish Parliament MSP for Glasgow from 2011 to 2016 and for Edinburgh Central from 2016 to 2021 The Right HonourableThe Baroness Davidson of Lundin LinksPCOfficial portrait 2016Leader of the Conservative Party in the Scottish ParliamentIn office 11 August 2020 5 May 2021LeaderDouglas RossPreceded byJackson CarlawSucceeded byDouglas RossLeader of the Scottish Conservative PartyIn office 4 November 2011 29 August 2019 a DeputyMurdo Fraser Jackson CarlawUK party leaderDavid Cameron Theresa May Boris JohnsonPreceded byAnnabel GoldieSucceeded byJackson CarlawParliamentary officesMember of the House of LordsLord TemporalLife peerage 20 July 2021Member of the Scottish Parliamentfor Edinburgh CentralIn office 5 May 2016 5 May 2021Preceded byMarco BiagiSucceeded byAngus RobertsonMember of the Scottish Parliamentfor Glasgow 1 of 7 Regional MSPs In office 5 May 2011 5 May 2016Personal detailsBornRuth Elizabeth Davidson 1978 11 10 10 November 1978 age 44 Edinburgh ScotlandPolitical partyScottish ConservativesDomestic partnerJen WilsonChildren1Alma materUniversity of Edinburgh University of GlasgowAwardsLife peerMilitary serviceAllegiance United KingdomBranch serviceTerritorial ArmyYears of service2003 06RankSignallerUnit32 Signal RegimentBorn in Edinburgh Davidson was raised in Selkirk and later attended Buckhaven High School in Fife After graduating from the University of Edinburgh she worked as a BBC journalist and served in the Territorial Army as a signaller After leaving the BBC in 2009 to study at the University of Glasgow she joined the Conservative Party She was the party s candidate in the Glasgow North East constituency at a 2009 by election and at the 2010 general election finishing in third then fourth place on each occasion with approximately 5 of the vote At the 2011 Scottish Parliament election Davidson stood in the Glasgow Kelvin constituency where she finished fourth and on the Glasgow regional list from which she was elected Following party leader Annabel Goldie s resignation in May 2011 Davidson stood in the subsequent leadership election She won the contest and was declared party leader on 4 November 2011 In 2016 the Conservatives replaced the Labour Party as the second largest party in the Scottish Parliament As Scottish Conservative leader she was considered by some to be a potential candidate for leadership of the British Conservative Party although ruled herself out of running for the position Davidson resigned the leadership in August 2019 shortly after Boris Johnson became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom She was succeeded by her deputy leader of eight years Jackson Carlaw who was in turn replaced by Douglas Ross Davidson led the party in Holyrood for the remainder of the 2016 2021 Parliament At the 2021 Scottish Parliament election Davidson stood down as an MSP in preparation to enter the House of Lords and become a life peer Contents 1 Early life and career 1 1 Entering politics 2 Member of the Scottish Parliament 2011 2021 2 1 Election and first roles 2 2 Leadership of the Scottish Conservative Party 2 2 1 Election bid 2 2 2 2014 Scottish Independence referendum 2 2 3 Relative success in 2016 and 2017 2 2 4 Resignation 2 3 Return to backbenches 3 House of Lords 4 Policies and views 4 1 Immigration 4 2 Agriculture 4 3 Justice and devolution 4 4 Business and infrastructure 4 5 Education and early learning 4 6 European Union 4 7 Social issues 4 8 2016 Conservative leadership election 4 9 Saudi Arabia 5 Personal life 6 Notes 7 References 8 External linksEarly life and career EditDavidson was born at Edinburgh Royal Maternity Hospital and Simpson Memorial Maternity Pavilion in Edinburgh 1 She was raised in Selkirk and later in Fife Her family lived in Bridgelands Road Selkirk and Davidson attended Knowepark Primary School until Primary 3 2 3 b Her father Douglas a mill manager at Laidlaw amp Fairgrieve had played professional football for Partick Thistle F C in his younger days and was a midfielder for Selkirk F C during the late 1970s and early 1980s When her father took a job in the whisky industry the family left the Borders for Fife where she attended the state secondary Buckhaven High School 4 5 Davidson studied English literature at the University of Edinburgh gaining an undergraduate Master of Arts MA Hons degree 6 7 8 After graduation she joined the Glenrothes Gazette as a trainee reporter She later moved to Kingdom FM followed by Real Radio and finally joined BBC Scotland in late 2002 where she worked as a radio journalist producer presenter and reporter She left the BBC in 2009 to study International Development at the University of Glasgow 5 9 She served as a signaller in the 32 Signal Regiment 10 of the Territorial Army for three years 2003 06 before suffering a back injury in a training exercise at Sandhurst 11 5 9 Entering politics Edit In 2009 after having left the BBC to study at the University of Glasgow Davidson joined the Conservative Party She said she was inspired by a call by David Cameron the then Leader of the Opposition in the wake of the United Kingdom parliamentary expenses scandal for people to get involved in politics who had never previously been political She was encouraged by the Scottish Conservative Party s Director of Media Ramsay Jones 12 to join the party and stand for the House of Commons seat of Glasgow North East at the 2009 by election which was triggered by the resignation of Labour MP and Speaker of the House Michael Martin She finished in third place with 1 075 votes 5 2 share of the vote 13 In February 2010 she tried to seek the Conservative party candidacy for Bromsgrove in Worcestershire England She made the shortlist but in the end lost out to Sajid Javid 14 From early 2010 to March 2011 she worked as the head of the private office of the then Scottish Conservative leader Annabel Goldie 15 She played a large part in the organisation of campaign media events in the run up to the 2010 general election at which she ran again in Glasgow North East finishing in fourth place with 1 569 votes a 5 3 share of the vote 16 17 Member of the Scottish Parliament 2011 2021 EditElection and first roles Edit Davidson in 2012 For the 2011 Scottish Parliament election Davidson was selected in September 2010 18 to contest the Glasgow Kelvin constituency and was initially placed second on the Conservatives Glasgow region list behind Malcolm Macaskill a Glasgow businessman and party member for over 30 years This made it very unlikely that Davidson would gain election to the Scottish Parliament for the Glasgow regional list typically returned only one Conservative member 19 However with only a couple of months to go newspaper stories appeared in March 2011 that questioned Macaskill s business history 19 20 It was revealed that ahead of a 2010 internal party selection contest he had failed to fully disclose his business career to party members 21 22 On 24 March Andrew Fulton the Chairman of the Scottish Conservatives decided that Macaskill was to be deselected thereby promoting Davidson to the first position in the Glasgow regional list 19 This led to loud protests from the supporters of Macaskill and some major donors withdrew their financial support for the party 23 In the event after coming a distant fourth in Glasgow Kelvin Davidson was elected to the Scottish Parliament from the Glasgow region list 24 After the election she was appointed by Goldie as the Conservative spokesperson for Culture Europe and External Relations 5 Leadership of the Scottish Conservative Party Edit Election bid Edit See also 2011 Scottish Conservatives leadership election Davidson as secondary opposition leader at a Scottish Parliament FMQs 2014 Following the resignation of Annabel Goldie as Scottish Conservative leader on 9 May 2011 Davidson became a contender in the leadership election 25 Her rivals later claimed that Davidson received assistance from Party headquarters 19 though her supporters stated that these claims were part of a smear campaign 19 She stood against three other candidates Murdo Fraser Jackson Carlaw and Margaret Mitchell Fraser stood on a platform of separating the Scottish Conservatives from the UK wide party and establishing a new Scottish centre right party Davidson announced her candidacy on 4 September and vehemently opposed Fraser s proposals to separate the party calling it a distraction which would tie the party in knots 26 Davidson s campaign was endorsed by two MSPs John Lamont her campaign manager and John Scott and the Conservatives only Scottish MP and Scotland Office minister David Mundell Her campaign was also endorsed by the following party grandees Sir Albert McQuarrie The 13th Marquess of Lothian a former Chairman of the Conservative Party former Scottish Office minister and Scottish party chairman Lord Sanderson a former Secretary of State for Scotland Lord Forsyth the Leader of the House of Lords Lord Strathclyde and former MSP and Holyrood deputy presiding officer Murray Tosh Despite being a List MSP for Glasgow she failed to gain the endorsement of a single chairperson of any of the five Conservative Constituency Associations in Glasgow 12 and over half the MSP group had supported Murdo Fraser 27 On 11 September 2011 Davidson sacked her election agent and parliamentary assistant Ross McFarlane after he was filmed trying to burn a European Union flag in a Glasgow street following a University Conservative Association GUCA St Andrew s Day dinner in November 2010 28 On 5 October 2011 the Scottish Conservative media director Ramsay Jones was suspended from his duties during the leadership contest after it was revealed that he had met Davidson and her campaign team in her flat on Sunday 18 September 29 30 Davidson subsequently won the leadership election and was made the leader of the Scottish Conservatives on 4 November 2011 She gained 2 278 first preference votes out of the 5 676 votes cast after second preference votes were counted she won by 2 983 votes to second placed Murdo Fraser s 2 417 31 This sparked some discontent within the party with prominent party supporter Paul McBride resigning from the party 32 and party donor John McGlynn criticised her election saying that she was elected through interference 33 2014 Scottish Independence referendum Edit See also 2014 Scottish independence referendum Davidson speaking at the 2014 Conservative Party conference She campaigned for the Union in 2014 because she loved the wonderful messiness of these islands Reflecting on the referendum some years later she said I think I did cry but I don t think until a couple of days after It was a bit delayed but it was pure relief 34 When Alex Salmond resigned as First Minister of Scotland Davidson nominated herself to succeed him She knew that the SNP s majority virtually assured that Salmond s successor as SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon would become First Minister Nevertheless she felt the need to offer an alternative vision of Scotland Davidson received 15 votes to Sturgeon s 66 35 In September 2015 following a year long police investigation into allegations that pro Union campaigners including Davidson had breached secrecy provisions of the Scottish Independence Referendum Act 2013 during the Scottish independence referendum detectives reported their findings to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service 36 Police Scotland stated in reference to the report that no evidence of criminality was found and consequently there was no charge to answer 37 Relative success in 2016 and 2017 Edit Davidson meets Prince Charles 2016 Davidson led the Scottish Conservatives into the 2016 Scottish Parliament election where the party doubled its number of Scottish Parliament seats to 31 replacing Labour as the second largest party at Holyrood behind the Scottish National Party 38 The election also saw Davidson who had previously been a list MSP win the constituency of Edinburgh Central from the SNP with 10 399 votes Reacting to the result Davidson said I am under no illusion that everybody who voted for me in that seat is a true blue dyed in the wool Tory and neither are they in places up and down Scotland They are people who want us to do a very specific job and that it is to hold the SNP to account 39 Following the success of the Scottish Conservatives at the 2016 Scottish election in which the party doubled its number of MSPs a Guardian article noted that some in Westminster see her as a potential future leader who could broaden the party s appeal and help tackle perceptions it is on the side of the privileged 40 However Davidson dismissed the suggestion in an interview with The House magazine describing the role of Prime Minister as the loneliest job in the world 40 But she did not rule out the prospect of becoming an MP saying she would only do so for now 41 In the Conservative leadership contest triggered by the resignation of Prime Minister David Cameron Davidson gave her backing to Home Secretary Theresa May to succeed him as Conservative Party leader and Prime Minister describing May as a proper grown up who is best placed to navigate the stormy waters ahead 42 Davidson was appointed to the Privy Council on 13 July 2016 43 44 At the 2017 local elections the Scottish Conservatives achieved their best results since devolution gaining 164 seats including some surprise successes in working class neighbourhoods such as Calton in Glasgow s East End and Ferguslie Park in Paisley the UK s most deprived ward 45 The 2017 general election saw the conservatives win 13 seats in Scotland its best result since 1983 46 In a election which was not seen as going as well for the Conservatives elsewhere commentators linked their successes in Scotland to Ruth Davidson personally 47 48 She said of the result Indyref2 is dead it s time to get back to what matters to the people of Scotland that s sorting out our schools growing our economy and looking at our public services 46 Resignation Edit In 2018 she ruled out running in a future leadership election saying she valued her mental health too much 49 On 29 August 2019 Davidson stood down citing several political and personal reasons for her decision to resign as leader 50 Return to backbenches Edit Jackson Carlaw left and Davidson right on the Scottish Conservative frontbench in 2018 After her resignation Davidson criticised Boris Johnson for suspending 21 Conservative MPs in September 2019 and said he was doing so to make sure that the moderates in his cabinet were replaced by more compliant Conservatives She also praised Amber Rudd s decision to leave the cabinet over the act of political vandalism 51 In October 2019 Davidson accepted a public relations role for lobbying firm Tulchan Communications while retaining her job as an MSP Her employment drew into question potential conflicts of interest and the size of her salary 50 000 for 25 days work in addition to her 63 000 a year MSP s salary 52 53 A week later she abandoned her taking up of the role after meeting with parliamentary officials although she insisted no conflict would have emerged had she still taken up the role 54 Prior to the 2019 general election Davidson said that she would swim naked in Loch Ness if the Scottish National Party won 50 seats but avoided the ordeal as the SNP won only 48 55 In July 2020 during the COVID 19 pandemic Davidson lobbied for the leadership bid of Douglas Ross after the resignation of Jackson Carlaw who resigned due to Scottish Conservative support falling in polls pressure from backbenchers and support for Scottish Independence on the rise 56 Later that month it was announced she would be given a life peerage 57 She agreed to serve as Leader of the Conservative Party in the Scottish Parliament until the 2021 Scottish Parliament election while Ross was yet to be elected to the Scottish Parliament 58 Ross was announced as leader five days later after running unopposed 59 House of Lords EditIn July 2021 Davidson entered the House of Lords as Baroness Davidson of Lundin Links of Lundin Links in the County of Fife 60 She made her maiden speech on 22 October 2021 when she supported Baroness Meacher s Assisted Dying Bill 61 In January 2022 it was announced that she would be presenting a weekly programme on Times Radio as from the following month 62 Policies and views EditDavidson identifies as a One Nation Conservative and a centrist 63 and is seen as being on the socially liberal wing of the Conservative Party She supports LGBT rights and favoured extending same sex marriage equality to Northern Ireland She advocated a Remain vote at the 2016 European Union referendum and after the UK voted to leave the EU said she wanted the UK to remain part of the European Single Market and Customs Union with reciprocal freedom of movement rights though she subsequently supported leaving the Customs Union and ending free movement Following the result of the 2017 United Kingdom general election in which the Conservative Party lost its parliamentary majority she said that Prime Minister Theresa May lacked a mandate to take the UK out of the EU Single Market and Customs Union 64 Immigration Edit At the 2016 Conservative Party Conference Davidson warned her party that immigrants should be made to feel welcome in the UK and the party should not lurch to the right in the wake of Labour s implosion She argued that Britain should seek access to the European Single Market even if that means accepting reciprocal freedom of movement 65 Agriculture Edit In an interview with The Times she refused to commit herself to saying that in the aftermath of Brexit Scotland should gain responsibility for Scottish agriculture policy She suggested that Westminster would take responsibility instead 66 Justice and devolution Edit She supports judges being given the ability to effectively sentence perpetrators of the most heinous cruel and vile crimes with a life sentence with the intent that they are never released 67 Davidson also calls for an end to the automatic release of prisoners and believes that alcohol and drug consumption should not grant more lenient sentencing to people who have committed crimes 68 Davidson has stated she wanted the Scottish Parliament to be accountable for up to 40 of what it spends This was a reversal of a previous view she expressed as she was elected on a platform that there should be a line drawn in the sand as she opposed any further devolution She later said Conservatives were wrong to oppose the idea of a Scottish Parliament during the campaign for devolution which was delivered in 1999 69 Business and infrastructure Edit Davidson has proposed that any start up company whose rateable value was below 18 000 should be incentivised by being given an initial two year ability to avoid paying business rates 70 She also emphasises the necessity for proper infrastructure in rural areas particularly with regard to ferry links 71 She supports the Scottish video games industry and opposed the proposal to deny tax breaks to the industry 72 Education and early learning Edit During her leadership campaign Davidson stated that in the 0 5 age category children should be granted more hours in early years centres so as to meet the needs of hard working families 73 She supports state funded Roman Catholic schooling in Scotland and believes the Church of Scotland should open its own faith schools as well 74 European Union Edit Before the United Kingdom European Union membership referendum held on 23 June 2016 she campaigned against British withdrawal from the European Union 75 76 77 On 21 June 2016 she participated in the BBC s Wembley Arena Debate as a panellist for the Remain campaign with Frances O Grady and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan former Mayor of London and Conservative MP Boris Johnson Labour MP Gisela Stuart and Conservative MP Andrea Leadsom who argued on behalf of the Leave campaign as part of a cross party debate 78 The referendum saw 52 of British voters decide to leave the European Union while 62 of the Scottish electorate who cast their vote backed remaining in the EU Years later Davidson reflected Turns out we were 4 not good enough but for such things the world turns and I ll never quite forgive myself for not getting that 4 79 Following the announcement of the result First Minister Nicola Sturgeon suggested the constitutional change it would bring about justified the need for a second referendum on Scottish independence but Davidson said this would not be the answer to concerns raised by the prospect of leaving the European Union The 1 6 million votes cast in this referendum in favour of Remain do not wipe away the two million votes that were cast less than two years ago She also called on the UK and Scottish Governments to work together and put stability first 80 81 Ruth Davidson is willing to support a legal challenge in the Supreme Court on the basis of the Scottish Parliament voting to protect what it argued were its existing powers over Brexit She asserts that the importance of legal action is to test the complex situation in the court 82 Social issues Edit Davidson has stated that she supports same sex marriage but believes religious institutions should not be forced to carry out the ceremonies should it conflict with their views 83 She urged the Republic of Ireland to vote Yes in the 2015 constitutional vote to enable same sex marriage 84 2016 Conservative leadership election Edit Following the success of the Scottish Conservatives at the 2016 Scottish election in which the party doubled its number of MSPs a Guardian article noted that some in Westminster see her as a potential future leader who could broaden the party s appeal and help tackle perceptions it is on the side of the privileged 40 However Davidson dismissed the suggestion in an interview with The House magazine describing the role of Prime Minister as the loneliest job in the world 40 But she did not rule out the prospect of becoming an MP saying she would only do so for now 41 In the Conservative leadership contest triggered by the resignation of Prime Minister David Cameron Davidson gave her backing to Home Secretary Theresa May to succeed him as Conservative Party leader and Prime Minister describing May as a proper grown up who is best placed to navigate the stormy waters ahead 42 Saudi Arabia Edit After King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia died in January 2015 the UK government decided to hang British flags at half mast as a sign of mourning In response Davidson tweeted Flying flags at half mast on government buildings for the death of a Saudi king is a steaming pile of nonsense That is all This tweet was in the context of recent outrage caused by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia publicly beheading a woman and sentencing a blogger to 1 000 lashes 85 Personal life EditOn 18 February 2015 Davidson appeared in a party election broadcast in which she was seen with her same sex partner Jen Wilson a 33 year old Irish woman from County Wexford 86 87 88 Davidson announced her engagement to Wilson in May 2016 89 On 26 April 2018 Davidson announced that she had become pregnant after receiving IVF treatment and that she and Wilson were excited to be expecting their first child 90 91 On 26 October Davidson gave birth to a boy at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary 92 In a 2015 interview with BBC Radio Scotland Davidson spoke about struggling with her sexuality I struggled with it for a number of years actually before I would admit it to myself never mind to anybody else But there comes a point at which you make a decision and that decision is either that you re going to live a lie for the rest of your life or you re going to trust yourself and that s what I had to do 93 In her memoirs published in 2018 and serialised by The Sunday Times Magazine Davidson writes of struggling with mental health issues as a teenager something that she says was triggered by the suicide of a boy in her village 49 She has said that these struggles almost dissuaded her from running for leadership 94 Davidson is a member of the Church of Scotland and counts dog walking hillwalking and kickboxing as her hobbies 95 96 She supports Scottish football team Dunfermline Athletic 97 On 23 October 2015 Davidson became the first female Scottish politician to appear as a panellist on the BBC One satirical news quiz Have I Got News for You 98 In 2017 Davidson became Honorary Colonel of 32nd Signal Regiment 99 Davidson was included in Time magazine s 100 Most Influential People of 2018 100 101 Notes Edit On Leave 15 September 2018 3 May 2019 Primary 3 refers to third year of primary school in Scotland for children aged six to eight years old References Edit Biography portal Politics portal United Kingdom portal Conservatism portal LGBT portal Scotland portal Scots Conservative leader Ruth Davidson to contest Lothians seat Scotland Decides 16 August 2015 Archived from the original on 16 August 2015 Retrieved 17 August 2021 My Best Teacher Ruth Davidson TES Retrieved 24 June 2020 Interview Ruth Davidson politician www scotsman com 24 January 2012 Retrieved 24 June 2020 After Brownlee another Knoweparker lines up to lead the Scottish Tories Dunfermline and West Fife Fife Today Johnston Publishing Ltd 1 October 2011 Archived from the original on 28 December 2011 Retrieved 19 November 2011 a b c d The Scottish Parliament profile Ruth Davidson Scottish Parliament 25 August 2011 Retrieved 29 August 2011 Devine Cate 20 December 2010 There s a misconception that Scottish Tories are anti gay The Herald Glasgow Herald amp Times Group Archived from the original on 8 June 2013 Retrieved 20 November 2011 Tartan tory The Ruth Davidson interview Holyrood com 14 November 2011 Archived from the original on 24 May 2012 Retrieved 20 November 2011 RuthDavidson co uk PDF Archived from the original PDF on 9 May 2012 Retrieved 17 December 2011 a b Ruth Davidson Parliamentary candidate profile The Daily Telegraph London Archived from the original on 9 May 2011 Retrieved 29 August 2011 Cramb Auslan 28 August 2019 Why Ruth Davidson s resignation will send shock waves through the Conservative Party The Telegraph via www telegraph co uk People MSPs Scottish Conservatives 17 January 2010 Archived from the original on 4 September 2011 Retrieved 29 August 2011 a b Hutcheon Paul Gordon Tom 9 October 2011 Tory leadership campaign mired by party split and allegations of bias The Herald Glasgow Herald amp Times Group Archived from the original on 19 October 2011 Retrieved 19 November 2011 Labour wins in Glasgow North East 13 November 2009 Retrieved 17 October 2022 ConservativeHome s Seats amp Candidates blog ConservativeHome s Seats amp Candidates blog Lamont welcomes Tory leadership result and hits back at twit claim The Southern Reporter Johnston Publishing Ltd 13 November 2011 Archived from the original on 4 June 2012 Retrieved 19 November 2011 UK Tories choose by election hopeful BBC News 13 August 2009 Retrieved 20 November 2011 Election 2010 Glasgow North East BBC News Retrieved 20 November 2011 ConservativeHome s Seats amp Candidates blog Two new candidates adopted to contest Holyrood seats Conservativehome blogs com 30 September 2010 Archived from the original on 3 November 2011 Retrieved 19 November 2011 a b c d e Wounds from Scottish Tory battle will not heal quickly The Scotsman Johnston Press 24 October 2011 Archived from the original on 25 October 2011 Retrieved 24 October 2011 Cochrane Alan Cramb Auslan 25 March 2011 Scottish Tories in turmoil after top candidate sacked The Daily Telegraph Archived from the original on 30 April 2011 Retrieved 19 November 2011 Turmoil as Tory candidate dropped over CV Evening Times Evening Times 25 March 2011 Archived from the original on 20 June 2013 Retrieved 19 November 2011 Hutcheon Paul Gordon Tom 25 March 2011 Chequered business career costs Tory his Holyrood hope The Herald Glasgow Herald amp Times Group Archived from the original on 8 June 2013 Retrieved 19 November 2011 Alan Cochrane Auslane Cramb Scottish Tories in turmoil after top candidate sacked in The Daily Telegraph dated 25 March 2011 accessed 27 April 2018 Scottish Election Labour crashes in Scottish heartland BBC News 6 May 2011 Archived from the original on 23 February 2012 Retrieved 20 November 2011 Hutcheon Paul Gordon Tom 3 July 2011 Gay MSP in running to lead Scots Tories The Herald Glasgow Herald amp Times Group Retrieved 29 August 2011 Carrell Severin 8 September 2011 Scottish Tory leadership candidate rejects call for greater economic powers The Guardian London Archived from the original on 3 December 2016 Supporters Murdo 2011 com Perth Elizabeth Smith Archived from the original on 11 October 2011 Hutcheon Paul 11 September 2011 Burning the EU flag amid sectarian abuse Meet the election agent of the Tories moderate face The Herald Glasgow Herald amp Times Group Archived from the original on 21 April 2016 Retrieved 19 November 2011 Scottish Tory chief spin doctor Ramsay Jones suspended BBC News 5 October 2011 Archived from the original on 14 November 2011 Retrieved 19 November 2011 Hutcheon Paul Gordon Tom 2 October 2011 Top Tory spin doctor accused of favouritism in leadership campaign Herald Scotland Home News The Herald Glasgow Herald amp Times Group Retrieved 19 November 2011 Black Andrew 4 November 2011 Ruth Davidson elected new Scottish Conservative leader BBC Archived from the original on 19 November 2011 Retrieved 20 November 2011 Davidson Lorraine 6 November 2011 Paul McBride resigns from Tory party Scotland on Sunday Archived from the original on 8 November 2011 Tory donor John McGlynn s concern over new leader BBC News 8 November 2011 Archived from the original on 20 November 2011 Billen Andrew 22 January 2022 Ruth Davidson Johnson is unfit for office What has come to light in the past weeks shows it The Times Nicola Sturgeon is elected first minister of Scotland BBC News 19 November 2014 Archived from the original on 20 February 2015 Retrieved 28 January 2016 Williams Martin 15 September 2015 Police hand prosecutors details about referendum vote claims involving Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson The Herald Archived from the original on 17 November 2015 Retrieved 14 November 2015 No Prosecutions Over Referendum postal vote tally confirm prosecuters Daily Record 30 September 2015 Archived from the original on 6 October 2015 Retrieved 16 November 2015 Scottish Conservatives to be second largest party at Holyrood BBC News 6 May 2016 Archived from the original on 18 August 2016 Retrieved 8 July 2016 Holyrood 2016 Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson wins Edinburgh Central BBC News 6 May 2016 Archived from the original on 11 August 2016 Retrieved 8 July 2016 a b c d Stewart Heather 23 May 2016 Ruth Davidson I don t want to be prime minister The Guardian Archived from the original on 28 June 2016 Retrieved 7 July 2016 a b Stone Jon 24 May 2016 Scottish Tories leader Ruth Davidson won t rule out standing as Westminster MP amid leadership speculation The Independent Independent Print Limited Archived from the original on 29 June 2016 Retrieved 7 July 2016 a b Ruth Davidson backs Theresa May to become next prime minister The Herald Herald amp Times Group 7 July 2016 Archived from the original on 17 August 2016 Retrieved 7 July 2016 Sam Shedden Ruth Davidson honoured by appointment to Queen s Privy Council Archived 14 July 2016 at the Wayback Machine The Scotsman 13 July 2016 Privy Council appointments Arlene Foster Ruth Davidson David Gauke and Ed Vaizey Archived 14 July 2016 at the Wayback Machine 10 Downing Street 13 July 2016 Carroll Severin 5 May 2017 Sturgeon hails victory despite SNP failure to win overall majorities The Guardian Retrieved 9 November 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link a b General election 2017 SNP lose a third of seats amid Tory surge BBC News 9 June 2017 Retrieved 9 November 2021 Foges Clare General election All hail Ruth Davidson Queen of Tory Scots The Times ISSN 0140 0460 Retrieved 9 November 2021 Deerin Chris 9 June 2017 This Scottish electoral earthquake has killed Indyref2 and shaken the SNP New Statesman Retrieved 9 November 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link a b Ruth Davidson I value mental health over being PM BBC News 16 September 2018 Retrieved 16 September 2018 Brooks Libby 29 August 2019 Ruth Davidson quits as Scottish Tory leader citing Brexit and family theguardian com Archived from the original on 2 September 2019 Retrieved 2 September 2019 Ruth Davidson says Boris Johnson taking big risk with Tory party by kicking out 21 MPs Politics Home Retrieved 9 September 2019 Conflict of interest row over Ruth Davidson s PR role HeraldScotland Retrieved 28 October 2019 Ruth Davidson hits back at criticism over PR job 26 October 2019 Retrieved 28 October 2019 Ruth Davidson says she won t take lobbying role at Tulchan Communications CityAM 29 October 2019 Retrieved 2 November 2019 Ruth Davidson narrowly avoids skinny dipping in Loch Ness www scotsman com 13 December 2019 Andrews Kieran Ruth Davidson returns as top Tories oust Jackson Carlaw The Times ISSN 0140 0460 Retrieved 1 August 2020 From Evgeny Lebedev to Philip Hammond the 36 new peers The Spectator 31 July 2020 Douglas Ross and Ruth Davidson set out joint ticket to take on the SNP Herald Scotland Retrieved 5 August 2020 Douglas Ross confirmed as new Scottish Tory leader BBC News 5 August 2020 Retrieved 5 August 2020 Crown Office The Gazette www thegazette co uk Retrieved 20 July 2021 Richards Xander 22 October 2021 Ruth Davidson gives maiden speech in the House of Lords The National Retrieved 22 October 2021 Ruth Davidson joins Times Radio to host a weekly show RadioToday 18 January 2022 Retrieved 19 January 2022 Stephen Crabb and Ruth Davidson Our upbringing strong women hard work and the One Nation vision that inspires us Conservative Home 3 October 2015 Retrieved 13 January 2022 Cochrane Alan Johnson Simon 9 June 2017 Ruth Davidson planning Scottish Tory breakaway as she challenges Theresa May s Brexit plan The Telegraph via www telegraph co uk Johnson Simon 5 October 2016 Ruth Davidson challenges hard Brexit Tories by arguing immigrants must be welcomed The Telegraph Archived from the original on 6 October 2016 readers Guardian Walsh James McDonald Henry 3 March 2017 Politics Live readers edition Friday 3 March The Guardian Archived from the original on 3 March 2017 via www theguardian com Conservatives call for whole life jail sentences STV 24 November 2011 Archived from the original on 1 December 2011 Davidson calls for sentencing changes Ruth Davidson 20 September 2011 Archived from the original on 8 April 2012 Black Andrew 26 March 2016 Ruth Davidson supports more Holyrood financial powers BBC News Archived from the original on 10 April 2014 Retrieved 21 June 2016 Davidson calls for a two year Rates Holiday for new small businesses Ruth Davidson 28 September 2011 Archived from the original on 25 October 2011 Ruth I will be a champion for the Highlands and Islands Ruth Davidson 14 October 2011 Archived from the original on 15 October 2011 Ruth urges Chancellor to support Scotland s Computer Games Industry Ruth Davidson 15 October 2011 Archived from the original on 25 April 2012 Davidson Support for families and investment in Children are top priorities Ruth Davidson 27 September 2011 Archived from the original on 10 September 2012 Geen Jessica 20 September 2011 Lesbian would be Tory leader Ruth Davidson wants more faith schools Pink News Archived from the original on 28 December 2011 theguardian com Ruth Davidson enjoys her Nicola Sturgeon moment in EU debate Archived 14 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine the guardian com Susie Boniface Ruth Davidson was the star at Wembley Can t we have more politicians like her Archived 23 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine opinion The Daily Telegraph online 22 June 2016 Ruth Davidson s rise is about much more than the EU referendum or the Conservative leadership Archived 23 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine Eaton George 21 June 2016 EU referendum debate Sadiq Khan and Ruth Davidson give Remain the punch it needs New Statesman Progressive Media International Archived from the original on 25 June 2016 Retrieved 24 June 2016 Podcasts Spectator The Ruth Davidson Edition Women With Balls The Spectator www spectator co uk Ruth Davidson calls for stability after UK votes for Brexit The Courier D C Thomson amp Co 24 June 2016 Archived from the original on 7 July 2016 Retrieved 7 July 2016 Ruth Davidson says indyref2 is not the answer to Brexit BBC News 24 June 2016 Archived from the original on 27 June 2016 Retrieved 7 July 2016 Carrell Severin 2 March 2018 Ruth Davidson backs legal action against Scottish Brexit bill The Guardian Retrieved 3 March 2018 MSP Response Ruth Davidson Conservative Defend Marriage in Scotland 6 November 2011 permanent dead link Lyell Carrie Ruth Davidson urges Ireland to vote Yes to marriage equality Diva Magazine Archived from the original on 17 November 2015 Retrieved 16 November 2015 Tory slams Saudi flags nonsense BBC News 1 October 2017 Archived from the original on 28 February 2017 Ruth Davidson Keynote speech at Belfast Pride event Scottish Conservatives 2 August 2016 Archived from the original on 29 July 2018 Retrieved 26 April 2018 Johnson Simon Cramb Auslan 18 February 2015 Scottish Tory leader features gay partner in election broadcast The Daily Telegraph Archived from the original on 20 February 2015 Daisley Stephen 19 February 2015 Scottish Tory leader introduces her same sex partner in election ad STV News STV Archived from the original on 20 February 2015 Retrieved 20 February 2015 Scottish Tory Leader Davidson Gets Engaged permanent dead link Ruth Davidson announces she is pregnant BBC News 26 April 2018 Retrieved 26 April 2018 Ruth Davidson pregnant Scottish Tory leader announces she is expecting first child with partner Jen Wilson London Evening Standard 26 April 2018 Retrieved 26 April 2018 Ruth Davidson gives birth to baby boy BBC News 26 October 2018 Retrieved 27 October 2018 Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson speaks frankly on faith and being gay BBC News 5 November 2015 Archived from the original on 8 November 2015 Retrieved 21 June 2016 Ruth Davidson had mental health concerns over leader role BBC News 17 January 2022 Retrieved 17 January 2022 Current MSPs Scottish Parliament Archived from the original on 15 July 2012 Retrieved 17 December 2011 Philip Andy 4 November 2011 Newcomer Ruth Davidson wins Scottish Tory leadership race The Independent London Archived from the original on 7 November 2011 Retrieved 19 November 2011 Dickie Mure 13 June 2014 Scottish Tory leader happy to board the devolution train Financial Times Archived from the original on 3 August 2015 Retrieved 15 February 2016 Brocklehurst Steven 23 October 2015 Have they got news for Ruth Davidson BBC News Archived from the original on 23 October 2015 Retrieved 23 October 2015 Ruth Davidson made honorary Army Colonel BBC News 23 June 2017 Archived from the original on 26 June 2017 Retrieved 28 August 2017 Hart Kevin April 2018 TIME 100 The Most Influential People of 2018 Time com Retrieved 26 April 2018 Ruth Davidson The World s 100 Most Influential People Time Retrieved 22 September 2020 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ruth Davidson Official Ruth Davidson Website Scottish Parliament profiles of MSPs Ruth Davidson Ruth Davidson articles Archived 8 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine at Holyrood com Ruth Davidson on LBCParty political officesPreceded byAnnabel Goldie Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party2011 2019 Succeeded byJackson CarlawScottish ParliamentPreceded byMarco Biagi Member of the Scottish Parliament for Edinburgh Central2016 2021 Succeeded byAngus Robertson Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ruth Davidson amp oldid 1138483454, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.