John Bradford Finnie was born on 31 December 1956 and is a Scottish Greens politician.
16 Facts About John Finnie
2.
John Finnie was the Green Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Highlands and Islands region from 2016 up until 2021, having previously sat as a Scottish National Party member from 2011 to 2012 then as an independent from 2012 to 2016.
3.
John Finnie was formerly a police officer and then a councillor.
4.
John Finnie became a police officer in 1976 and served with the Lothian and Borders Police and then as a uniformed Constable, latterly a Constable Dog Handler within the Northern Constabulary.
5.
John Finnie developed political awareness while still at High School and joined the SNP at 16 years old.
6.
John Finnie first stood as a candidate in a 2006 by-election for a Highland Council seat.
7.
John Finnie was SNP group leader and an SNP-Independent administration was formed.
8.
In November 2010, John Finnie wrote to the Lord Advocate, urging her to reinvestigate the case of Willie McRae, who died in 1985.
9.
John Finnie was elected to the Scottish Parliament in the 2011 election.
10.
John Finnie was parliamentary liaison officer to the Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill.
11.
John Finnie resigned from the SNP on 23 October 2012 over the party's decision to support NATO membership for an independent Scotland, attending Holyrood as an independent member.
12.
In November 2013, John Finnie submitted a Private Member's Bill proposal seeking to abolish the requirement for mandatory involvement of religious representatives on local authorities' education committees.
13.
In March 2015, the Scottish Greens balloted their members to select candidates for the 2016 election, John Finnie was placed top on their Highlands and Islands regional list.
14.
John Finnie was re-elected in the 2016 election and was joined in the Scottish Parliament by his daughter, Ruth Maguire, who represents Cunninghame South for the SNP.
15.
In May 2017, John Finnie introduced a Private Member's Bill proposal seeking equal protection from assault for children by prohibiting their physical punishment by parents and others in charge of them.
16.
John Finnie announced in 2019 that he would not stand for re-election in 2021.