2015 in Scotland

none January 2016 July 2026 2015 Events from the year 2015 in Scotland. Incumbents Politics of Scotland Order of precedence in Scotland First Minister and Keeper of the Great Seal – Nicola Sturgeon Secretary of State for Scotland – Alistair Carmichael, until 8 May; David Mundell Law officers Lord Advocate – Frank Mulholland Solicitor General for Scotland – Lesley Thomson Advocate General for Scotland – Lord Wallace of Tankerness; then Lord Keen of Elie Judiciary Lord President of the Court of Session and Lord Justice General – Lord Gill until 31 May; vacant until 18 December; then Lord Carloway Lord Justice Clerk – Lord Carloway Chairman of the Scottish Land Court – Lord Minginish Events January 3 January – Eight people are reported missing after cargo ship Cemfjord capsizes in the Pentland Firth.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-30667084 Major search after ship overturns off north of Scotland BBC BBC News 3 January 2015 4 January 2015https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-30670842 Cemfjord survivor chances said to be 'very slim' BBC BBC News 4 January 2015 4 January 2015 9 January – Hurricane-force winds cause travel disruption and leave tens of thousands of homes without power across Scotland.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-30726678 Hurricane-force gusts cause disruption to power and travel BBC BBC News 9 January 2015 9 January 2015 February 18 February – Cargo ship MV Lysblink Seaways runs aground near Ardnamurchan Point on a voyage from Belfast, Northern Ireland to Skogn, Norway. Her crew remain on board and she is refloated on 20 FebruaryLarge cargo ship runs aground near Ardnamurchan https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-31515061 BBC News 20 February 2015'Beached' cargo ship Lysblink Seaway refloated https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-31545794 BBC News 20 February 2015 but declared a constructive total loss and scrapped.https://assets.digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk/media/564c571840f0b674d6000033/MAIBInvReport25_2015.pdf Report NO. 25/2015 Marine Accident Investigation Branch 19 November 2015 March 22 March – Membership of the Scottish National Party officially crosses the 100,000 mark; meaning that 1 in every 50 people in Scotland is now a member.http://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/scottish-politics/snp-boost-as-membership-soars-past-100k-mark.1427009904 Glasgow Herald SNP boost as membership soars past 100k mark Newsquest 22 March 2015 22 March 2015 31 March – RAF Leuchars transfers to Army control as Leuchars Station.31 March 2015 Army now in charge at Leuchars http://www.fifetoday.co.uk/news/local-headlines/army-now-in-charge-at-leuchars-1-3734050 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20150716153120/https://www.fifetoday.co.uk/news/local-headlines/army-now-in-charge-at-leuchars-1-3734050 16 July 2015 4 November 2020 Fife Today April 1 April – Abellio ScotRail take over the ScotRail franchise, previously operated by First ScotRail. The Caledonian Sleeper service is split off into a separate franchise, now operated by Serco. 2 April – The only UK general election televised leaders debate to include Prime Minister David Cameron is broadcast by ITV. The debate features the leaders of the Conservatives, Labour, the Liberal Democrats, UKIP, the Greens, the Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-32173154 Leaders' debate attracts seven million viewers BBC News BBC 3 April 2015 3 April 2015 11 April – The wedding of Scottish tennis star Andy Murray to his long-term partner Kim Sears takes place in Dunblane.http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/celebrity/andy-murrays-wedding-kim-sears-5507699 Andy Murray's wedding to Kim Sears was 'fantastic', says grandparents Daily Record 11 April 2015 17 May 2015 April–June – Medical services begin to transfer to the new Queen Elizabeth University Hospital on the site of the former Southern General Hospital at Govan, Glasgow. May 7 May – At the UK general election, the Scottish National Party wins 56 out of the 59 seats in Scotland, making them the largest political party by both number of seats and popular vote. Only three seats are retained by pro-union parties:https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2015-scotland-32635871 Election 2015: SNP win 56 out of 59 seats in Scots landslide BBC 8 May 2015 16 May 2015 Orkney and Shetland, by Alistair Carmichael of the Liberal Democrats; Edinburgh South, by Ian Murray of Labour; Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale, by David Mundell of the Conservatives. In addition, Mhairi Black of the Scottish National Party, at twenty years of age, becomes the youngest elected MP since prior to the Reform Act 1832. Black is also the first person elected to Parliament under the provisions of the Electoral Administration Act 2006 which reduced the minimum age of candidacy from 21 to 18 years of age. She has unseated the then-Shadow Foreign Secretary, Douglas Alexander, 47 years old at the time of the election. 16 May The Church of Scotland votes to allow the ordination of gay ministers in civil partnerships.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-32760416 Church of Scotland votes to allow gay ministers in civil partnerships BBC 16 May 2015 16 May 2015 Jim Murphy announces his resignation as Leader of the Scottish Labour Party after the party's poor performance at the 2015 general election.https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/may/16/jim-murphys-resignation-throws-scottish-labour-into-turmoil Jim Murphy's resignation throws Scottish Labour into turmoil The Guardian 16 May 2015 17 May 2015 June 25 June – Scotland's population grew by 19,900 to reach 5,347,600 in 2014 according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33266792 UK population increases by 500,000, official figures show BBC News BBC 25 June 2015 26 December 2015 July 5 July – UNESCO gives World Heritage status to the Forth Bridge, one of Scotland's best-known structures.http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/heritage/forth-bridge-awarded-unesco-world-heritage-status-1-3821999 Forth Bridge awarded UNESCO World Heritage status The Scotsman 5 July 2015 6 July 2015 August August – City of Glasgow College, Riverside Campus, designed by Michael Laird Architects and Reiach and Hall Architects, opens to students. 15 August – Kezia Dugdale becomes the new Leader of the Scottish Labour Party. September 6 September – Rail transport returns to the Scottish Borders after 46 years with the reopening of the Waverley Route between Edinburgh and Tweedbank, under the name of the Borders Railway.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-34108746 Borders-to-Edinburgh railway opens as longest UK line in century BBC 6 September 2015 6 September 2015 October 14 October – A train collides with a vehicle near Uphall in West Lothian, but the passengers are unharmed.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-34530924 Train collides with vehicle near Uphall in West Lothian BBC 14 October 2015 14 October 2015 16 October – First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announces to the annual SNP conference that party membership now stands at 114,221.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-34553158 SNP Conference 2015: Who are the party's new members? BBC 16 October 2015 23 October 2015 22 October – The voting rights of Scottish MPs are to be restricted after the Conservative-majority UK Government wins a vote on its controversial "English votes for English laws" (EVEL) plans.http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/13888756.Voting_rights_of_Scottish_MPs_to_be_restricted_after_Government_wins_Evel_vote/ Voting rights of Scottish MPs to be restricted after Government wins Evel vote The Herald 22 October 2015 23 October 2015 29 October – A 16-year-old youth is detained by Police Scotland after a fellow pupil is stabbed to death at Cults Academy near Aberdeen.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-34660140 Pupil dies after school stabbing at Cults Academy near Aberdeen BBC News BBC 29 October 2015 29 October 2015 31 October – A motorist dies and ten people are taken to hospital with injuries after a car collides with a bus near West Kilbride.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-34687469 Driver dies and two seriously injured in crash between car and bus BBC 31 October 2015 31 October 2015 November 12–13 November – Storm Abigail, the first official winter storm named in the British Isles, is at its peak across Scotland.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-34794583 Storm Abigail BBC 13 November 2015 1 December 2015 24 November – A Scottish National Party motion opposing the renewal of Trident is defeated in the UK Parliament by 330 votes to 64, with most Labour MPs abstaining.MPs reject SNP calls for Trident to be scrapped bbc.co.uk, accessed 26 December 2015 December 1 December – Report of discovery of fossilised dinosaur footprints on Skye.Ian Sample Sauropod footprint find makes Skye Scotland's largest dinosaur site https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/dec/01/sauropod-footprint-find-makes-skye-scotlands-largest-dinosaur-site 2015-12-01 2018-03-03 The Guardian London 2 December – Despite the fact Scottish MPs vote by 57 to 2 against UK air strikes in Syria,Not in my name: SNP MPs apologise to Syria for air strikes on Twitter after 57 of Scotland's 59 MPs oppose bombing heraldscotland.com, accessed 26 December 2015 the UK Parliament overall votes by 397 to 223 in favour of air strikes.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-34989302 Syria air strikes: MPs authorise UK action against Islamic State BBC 2 December 2015 2 December 2015 4 December – The Forth Road Bridge is closed due to structural defects, and the Scottish Transport Minister, Derek Mackay, declares that it will not be reopened until January 2016.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-35001277 Forth Road Bridge to be closed until new year BBC 4 December 2015 5 December 2015 5–6 December – Peak of Storm Desmond, with heavy rain and strong winds, causing flooding across southern Scotland. Red Warning as Storm Desmond batters parts of Scotland https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-35014930 BBC News 2015-12-24 9 December – Election Court decides that although Liberal Democrat Alistair Carmichael had told a "blatant lie" in a TV interview, it had not been proven beyond reasonable doubt that he had committed an "illegal practice" that would invalidate his election as the Member of Parliament for Orkney and Shetland.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-35049150 Alistair Carmichael case: Legal bid to oust Lib Dem MP fails 9 December 2015 BBC News 9 December 2015 22 December – It is announced that the Forth Road Bridge will reopen for all vehicles except HGVs on Wednesday 23 December, ahead of schedule.Forth Road Bridge to reopen on Wednesday bbc.co.uk, accessed 26 December 2015 30 December – A section of the A93 west of Ballater collapses due to flooding caused by Storm Frank. bbc.co.uk, 31 December 2015 31 December – More than 1,700 same-sex couples have married in the first year after Scotland became the seventeenth country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-35204654 More that 1,700 same-sex couples married in first year of law 31 December 2015 BBC News 4 January 2015 Deaths 17 February – George Mackie, Baron Mackie of Benshie, Liberal Democrat peer and politician (born 1919). 2 March – Dave Mackay, football manager (born 1934). 10 March – John Howard Wilson, rugby union player (born 1930). 19 April – Tom McCabe, Labour politician (born 1954). 2 May – Ryan McHenry, film director and social media personality (born 1987). 15 May – Flora MacNeil, singer in Scottish Gaelic (born 1928).Flora MacNeil obituary https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/may/20/flora-macneil the Guardian 24 December 2020 en 20 May 2015 1 June – Charles Kennedy, Liberal Democrat politician and former party leader (born 1959).Charles Kennedy obituary https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/jun/02/charles-kennedy the Guardian 31 May 2021 en 2015-06-02 11 June – Ian McKechnie, footballer (Hull City) (born 1941).http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/Tributes-Hull-City-goalie-Ian-McKechnie/story-26680046-detail/story.html Tributes to former Hull City goalkeeper Ian McKechnie 30 June 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150614011612/http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/Tributes-Hull-City-goalie-Ian-McKechnie/story-26680046-detail/story.html 14 June 2015 dead dmy-all 21 June – Jim Rowan, footballer (born 1934).Jim Rowan 22 June – James Carnegie, 3rd Duke of Fife, nobleman (born 1929).The Duke of Fife - obituary 23 June – Jack Asher, shinty player and referee (born 1927).http://www.shinty.com/news/jack-asher/ Jack Asher 30 June 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150624163301/http://www.shinty.com/news/jack-asher/ 24 June 2015 dead dmy-all 5 July – Joseph McKenzie, photographer (born 1929). 17 July – John McCluskey, boxer (born 1944). 29 August – Graham Leggat, footballer (born 1934). 8 October – Jim Diamond, singer and songwriter (born 1951). 21 October William Murray, 8th Earl of Mansfield and Mansfield, nobleman and politician (born 1930). Ian Steel, cyclist (born 1928). 5 December Peter Cochrane, soldier and publisher (born 1919) William McIlvanney, novelist, short story writer and poet (born 1936). The arts 5 November – Graeme Macrae Burnet's novel His Bloody Project is published in Glasgow Kathryn Joseph's album Bones You Have Thrown Me, And Blood I've Spilled is released The following works by Scottish poets are published Iain Banks – Poems Thomas Clark – Intae the Snaw Robin Fulton – A Northern Habitat: Collected Poems 1960-2010 Kathleen Jamie – The Bonniest Companie Don Paterson – 40 Sonnets See also 2015 in England 2015 in Northern Ireland 2015 in Wales References 30em collapsed 2015 Category:2010s in Scotland Category:Years of the 21st century in Scotland *Scotland Scotland