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Kay Ullrich

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Kay Ullrich
Member of the Scottish Parliament
for West of Scotland
(1 of 7 Regional MSPs)
In office
6 May 1999 – 31 March 2003
Personal details
Born
Catherine Mario Morrison

(1943-05-05)5 May 1943
Prestwick, Scotland
Died4 January 2021 (aged 77)
Irvine, Scotland
Political partyScottish National Party
Spouse
Grady Ullrich
​
(m. 1976)​
Alma materQueen's College
OccupationPolitician, social worker

Catherine Mario Ullrich[1] (née Morrison; 5 May 1943 – 4 January 2021)[2] was a Scottish politician who was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the West of Scotland region from 1999 to 2003. A prominent member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she was an early supporter of the political career of Nicola Sturgeon, who later became First Minister of Scotland.

Early life

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Catherine Mario Morrison[3] was born on 5 May 1943 in Prestwick as the only child of Jack Dallas Morrison and Charlotte Morrison (née Neil).[4][5] Her father was a member of the Scottish Unionist Party.[4] She was educated at Ayr Academy, before gaining a Certificate of Qualification in Social Work at Queen's College in Glasgow.[6]

In 1965, Ullrich joined the Scottish National Party (SNP), having felt anger at Polaris nuclear missiles being stationed on the Clyde,[7] and campaigned for Scottish independence all her life.[6][7] She was a school swimming instructor from 1973 to 1982 and then worked as a school, hospital and court social worker from 1984 to 1997.[8][9] She retired early from social 1997.[6]

Political career

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Ullrich stood unsuccessfully as an SNP candidate in several general elections: in Cunninghame South (1983 and 1987)[10][11] and in Motherwell South (1992) with Andrew Wilson as her election agent.[12] The death of Labour Leader John Smith in May 1994 triggered the Monklands East by-election, in which Ullrich also stood as an SNP candidate. She reduced Labour's majority in the election, but was defeated by Helen Liddell.[13][14]

In the 1999 Scottish Parliament election Ullrich stood as a constituency candidate in Cunninghame North, where she was runner-up to Allan Wilson.[15] However, as she had been placed second on the SNP's West of Scotland list,[16] she was able to enter Parliament as a regional list Member.[17] By November, squabbles between Wilson and her around who might represent a constituent led to the deputy presiding officer George Reid stepping in to work towards clarifying the roles of constituency and regional list Members.[18] The "Reid Principles" were set out, incorporated into the Members of Scottish Parliament code of conduct and endorsed by Parliament.[19]

During her time in Parliament, Ullrich served as deputy convener of the Equal Opportunities Committee (2000–2003) and convener of the Commissioner for Children and Young People (Scotland) Bill committee (January–March 2003).[20] She was also a member of the Health and Community Care Committee (1999–2003) and the Procedures Committee (2000–2001).[21] On 26 May 1999, Alex Salmond announced Ullrich as the shadow minister for health and community care.[22][23] The following year John Swinney replaced Salmond as SNP leader and days later, on 26 September 2000, she was appointed Chief Whip, a role which she held until the dissolution of parliament.[24][21] She stood down at the 2003 election.[25] After Parliament, she worked as a safeguarder with the Children's Panel.[2] In 2005, following the retirement of Winnie Ewing, Ullrich stood for the position of SNP President,[26] losing to Ian Hudghton.[27]

In 1987, 16-year-old Nicola Sturgeon approached Ullrich to work on her election campaign. Ullrich later supported Sturgeon when she stood for selection as a candidate in Glasgow Shettleston in 1992, stating "This lady here will be the first female leader of the SNP one day".[7] Sturgeon acknowledged Ullrich as a mentor,[7] and Ullrich was present at the Scottish Parliament as a guest when Sturgeon became Scotland's first female First Minister.[28]

Ullrich was a member of UNISON.[29]

Recognition

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Ullrich was presented, posthumously, (received by her widower and granddaughter) with the SNP President's Prize by Michael Russell at the SNP party (virtual) conference in November 2021, in recognition of her 'exceptional active commitment to the SNP and Scottish Independence'. The award was initiated by Winnie Ewing. Ms Sturgeon, in acknowledging Ullrich's deserved award for her contribution said that ' I wouldn't be standing here today as First Minister of Scotland without the influence, the support, the mentoring of over decades of Kay Ullrich'.[30]

Personal life

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Ullrich married and had two children; one son and one daughter, journalist Shelley Jofre.[31] She died on 4 January 2021 at the age of 77.[2][7][32]

References

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  1. ^ Death certificate of Catherine Mario Ullrich, 2021, 672/ 7 Irvine - National Records of Scotland
  2. ^ a b c Garavelli, Dani (12 January 2021). "Obituary: Kay Ullrich, former MSP whose political convictions were at her core". The Herald. Glasgow. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  3. ^ Birth certificate of Catherine Mario Morrison, 1943, 606/ 62 Monkton and Prestwick - National Records of Scotland
  4. ^ a b "Kay Ullrich obituary". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  5. ^ Who's Who 2021: Ullrich, Kay Morrison
  6. ^ a b c "'I'll miss her so much': Nicola Sturgeon 'devastated' by death of SNP 'stalwart' Kay Ullrich". The Scotsman. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Tributes to former MSP who 'inspired Nicola Sturgeon'". BBC News. 4 January 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  8. ^ Henderson, David (28 September 2001). "Pupils left out of the swim". TES. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  9. ^ "Back". 21 February 2003. Archived from the original on 21 February 2003. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  10. ^ "How they voted in Scotland". The Glasgow Herald. 22 June 1983. p. 13. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  11. ^ "Election 87 results". The Glasgow Herald. 12 June 1987. p. 15. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  12. ^ "Andrew Wilson: Take risk with local government". Scotland on Sunday. 15 February 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  13. ^ Arlidge, John (30 June 1994). "Scandal-hit Labour holds Monklands by a whisker". The Independent. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  14. ^ "Scottish Politics – Candidates & Constituency Assessments: Cunninghame North". Archived from the original on 10 March 2007. Retrieved 20 October 2006.
  15. ^ "Vote 99. Scotland. Cunninghame North". BBC News. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  16. ^ "'Fundamentalist' group of hardliners to give Salmond turbulent time in Scottish Parliament. SNP army ready for fight". The Herald. Glasgow. 20 January 1999. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  17. ^ "Vote 99. Scotland. West of Scotland". BBC News. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  18. ^ "MSPs fight over status". BBC News. 14 November 1999. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  19. ^ Official report. 6 July 2000. motion S1M-1087. Relationships between MSPs: Guidance from the Presiding Officer (Report). Scottish Parliament. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  20. ^ "Previous Committees > Session 1 > Commissioner for Children and Young People (Scotland) Bill > Membership". www.parliament.scot. Scottish Parliament. 27 April 2011. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  21. ^ a b "Previous MSPs: Session 1 (1999–2003): Kay Ullrich". Scottish Parliament. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  22. ^ "Measures to improve underfunding are central to Scottish election health policies". BMJ. 318 (7192): 1166. 1 May 1999. doi:10.1136/bmj.318.7192.1166. PMC 1115581. PMID 10221935.
  23. ^ "Dewar urged to reveal Holyrood cost". BBC News. 26 May 1999. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  24. ^ "About Kay Ullrich". beta.parliament.scot. Scottish Parliament. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  25. ^ "Farewell to the parliament". BBC News. 2 April 2003. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  26. ^ "Four join race for SNP presidency". BBC News. 22 July 2005. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  27. ^ "SNP pledges guaranteed treatment". BBC News. 24 September 2005. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  28. ^ Gardham, Magnus (20 November 2014). "Sturgeon makes history". The Herald. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  29. ^ Report, Official (24 January 2014). "Official Report". www.parliament.scot. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  30. ^ Mason, Richard (27 November 2021). "Kay Ullrich posthumously recognised with SNP President's Prize". The National. p. 6. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  31. ^ Jofre, Shelley (1 June 2015). "Nicola Sturgeon: The first minister and me". BBC News. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  32. ^ McCall, Chris (4 January 2021). "Tributes paid to former MSP Kay Ullrich who predicted rise of Nicola Sturgeon". Daily Record. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
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