Bridget McConnell
Contents
Early Years and Family Connections
Born Bridget Mary McLuckie on 28 May 1958, she was educated at Our Lady's High School, Cumbernauld, St Andrew's University (MA Hons 1982), Dundee College of Commerce (DIA 1983) and Stirling University (MEd 1992). [2] Her brother, Robert McLuckie, is a millionaire property tycoon who has been portrayed in the press as drunken, sectarian and lewd.[3]
In 1990, Bridget married Jack McConnell who would go on to become First Minister of Scotland from November 2001 to May 2007.
Cultural Interests
In 2006, Bridget spearheaded the controversial devolution of Glasgow City Council's Cultural and Leisure Services to form the company/charity known as Culture and Sport Glasgow with a separate trading arm, Culture and Sport Glasgow (Trading) CIC. Since March 2007, she has held the post of Chief Executive of both companies.
Controlling all cultural provision in Glasgow, Bridget McConnell would be expected to have an interest in culture.
Glasgow the Brand
Bridget McConnell is fully conversant with the fact that culture and sport generate tourism and increase the revenue of a city. In her introduction to Glasgow’s Cultural Strategy, published in 2005, she noted that cultural tourism accounted for 37% of all tourism to the city.[4]
Commonwealth Connections
Bridget McConnell was instrumental in launching the campaign for Glasgow to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Plans are afoot to house the offices of Culture and Sport Glasgow at the site of the Commonwealth Games. [5]
National Galleries in Glasgow
Following the renovation of Kelvingrove Museum, McConnell is now campaigning to establish a National Gallery in Glasgow.[6]
Nationalist Tensions
With connections to the top of the Scottish Labour administration, Bridget McConnell has had run-ins with SNP councillor Billy McAllister. In December 2006, Bridget McConnell accused McAllister 'of invading her personal space and shouting at her for one-and-a-half minutes. But CCTV footage proves the heated encounter in Glasgow's City Chambers only lasted 14 seconds and the pair were not even in the same room at the time.'
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Notes
- ↑ Power 100 Scotland on Sunday, 28 May 2006 (accessed 11 April 2008)
- ↑ Who's Who 2008. A&C Black, London, p. 1453
- ↑ Annabelle Steggles 'You asked for sex education' The Sun, 3 December 2007.
- ↑ Bridget McConnell in C. Landry (ed)Glasgow: The People, The Place, The Potential. Glasgow’s Cultural Strategy, 2006 (accessed 11 February 2008).
- ↑ Carolyn Churchill, ‘Seven years for area's regeneration’, The Herald, 10 November, 2007
- ↑ David Leask, 'Call for national gallery in west' The Herald 9 January 2008, 4.
