Róisín McLaren

McLaren was born in Edinburgh before moving to Livingston and then West Calder, where she spent most of her childhood. Her great grandfather was a shale miner and a member of the Independent Labour Party in West Calder.[1] Her father was a member of the Communist Party of Great Britain and later Democratic Left Scotland.[2] Her mother is a former member of the Socialist Workers Party. Her family were activists for a "Yes, Yes" vote in the 1979 referendum on Scottish devolution.

McLaren attended St. Kentigern’s Academy before receiving a “foundationer” place at George Heriot’s School.[3] She went on to study Sustainable Environmental Management at Scotland’s Rural College.[4]

McLaren has an interest in falconry.[5]

In 2013, she joined Edinburgh University Scottish Nationalist Association and became the society's president.[6] McLaren was a prominent organiser of the Yes campaign on Edinburgh University campus.[7] In 2014, she took part in campus debate on independence, urging the audience to use the momentum for the Yes campaign to "create a socially responsible country for future generations to come".

McLaren joined the Scottish Socialist Party in 2017. She attended the Scottish Independence Convention conference "Build: Bridges to Indy" and, interviewed there for the Scottish Socialist Voice, said that: "if independence is about anything, it has to be about improving the lives of working class people."[8]

On 2 June 2018, McLaren chaired a session at the Connolly150 conference - an international conference on James Connolly - which brought together speakers from across the world to discuss and celebrate James Connolly's life and ideas.[9]

In November 2017, McLaren wrote to the Guardian to highlight the issue of zero-hours contracts and the SSP's policy of a £10 minimum wage.[10]

In December 2017, McLaren wrote a joint article with the current SSP National Secretary Hugh Cullen, on radical pro-independence blog Conter which emphasised the need for an organised pro-independence socialist party.[11]

On 10 November 2018, McLaren was elected national co-spokesperson of the Scottish Socialist Party, beating Frances Curran.[12] McLaren was re-elected against Curran again at the 2019 National Conference.[13]

She has been appointed to lead the SSP's climate change action group.