Jim Devine

James "Jim" Devine (* 1953 in Blackburn ) is a former Scottish politician .

Life

Devine was born in Blackburn in 1953 into a Catholic family. He worked as a nurse in a psychiatric facility and then worked in the administrative area of ​​the UNISON union.

Political career

Since 1983 Devine has been campaign manager for Labor MP and later Minister Robin Cook . Cook initially represented the constituency of Edinburgh Central before winning the mandate of the newly created constituency of Livingston in the 1983 elections . He held this until his death in August 2005.

As a result of Cook's demise, by-elections were required in the Livingston constituency. Devine took over as Cook's successor. On election day he prevailed against nine opponents, including the SNP politician Angela Constance , who two years later would win the elections in the constituency of the same name for the Scottish Parliament . In Parliament, Devine served as Parliamentary Private Secretary under Junior Secretary Rosie Winterton , but then left the position as a result of political stance on the Trident issue.

In 2009, Devine was one of the House of Commons accused of submitting fake bills to the detriment of the state in a nationwide scandal. Although not yet convicted, the Candidate Commission of the Scottish Labor Party decided not to appoint Devine to the 2010 general election . With that, Devine resigned from the House of Commons at the end of the parliamentary term. His successor, Graeme Morrice , held the Labor Party mandate.

Convictions

As a result of the billing scandal, Devine was sentenced to 16 months in prison in March 2011. After serving a quarter of his sentence, he was released from prison and placed under house arrest for the remainder of the sentence. As a result of the conviction, Devine was expelled from the Labor Party.

His former secretary charged Devine with bullying. Among other things, he slandered her by spreading rumors about her alleged addiction to gambling. The secretary initially called in sick for a while and then resigned. In an October 2009 trial, Devine was found guilty. The former secretary has been awarded compensation of £ 35,000. Since Devine could not raise the amount, he declared his personal bankruptcy in February 2011.

Individual evidence

1. ^ ^{A b} Robert Waller, Byron Criddle: The Almanac of British Politics , 8th Edition, 2007, Routledge, London, p. 632. ISBN 0-415-37824-9
2. ↑ Results of the parliamentary elections in 1983 ( Memento of the original from September 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
3. ↑ Results of the 2005 by-elections ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
4. ↑ BBC News: Trident sparks second resignation , March 13, 2007
5. ↑ Herald Scotland: Scottish MP 'devastated' by deselection over expenses , June 17, 2009.
6. ↑ Results of the 2010 general election ( Memento of the original from May 2, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
7. ^ The Scotsman: Anger as expenses cheat MP Jim Devine is freed from jail , August 1, 2011
8. ^ STV News: Former Livingston MP Jim Devine jailed for 16 months , March 31, 2011.
9. ↑ BBC News: Former MP Jim Devine 'bullied' office manager , October 14, 2010
10. ↑ BBC News: Former MP Jim Devine declared bankrupt on February 23, 2011.

Web links

• Jim Devine at Hansard (English)