Bill Butler (politician)
A steadfast Glasgow Labour man who served a decade in Holyrood, championing social justice from the backbenches with quiet determination.
Born 1956 (age 70)·Scottish politician·Birthday: March 30·Baby Boomers
Biography
Bill Butler’s political life is rooted in the streets of Glasgow. Elected to represent Anniesland in a 2000 by-election, he brought a practitioner's knowledge to the Scottish Parliament, having been a councillor and a teacher. For eleven years, he was a reliable and thoughtful Labour MSP, less a headline-seeking frontbencher and more a dedicated constituency representative and committee member. He served as a deputy minister, but his real work often involved the granular details of legislation, advocating for tenants' rights, better housing, and stronger communities. His defeat in the 2011 SNP landslide ended his parliamentary career, but not his commitment to public service; he returned to local government as a councillor, continuing the hands-on work that has defined his decades in politics.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Bill was born in 1956, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bill Was Born
The biggest hits of 1956
#1 Movie
The Ten Commandments
Best Picture
Around the World in 80 Days
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Bill's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1956Born
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1961Started school
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1969Became a teenager
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Could drive
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1974Could vote
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Turned 21
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1986Turned 30
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 40
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 50
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 60
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 70
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the MSP for Glasgow Anniesland for 11 years following a 2000 by-election victory.
- Appointed Deputy Minister for Communities in 2008, focusing on housing and regeneration policies.
- Elected as a Labour Co-operative councillor for the Drumchapel/Anniesland ward on Glasgow City Council.
Did You Know?
Before his political career, Butler was a modern studies teacher.
He served as a Glasgow City Councillor for the Blairdardie ward prior to becoming an MSP.
Butler is a member of the Co-operative Party, which is affiliated with the Labour Party.
“The work is in the constituency, listening to the people of Anniesland.”
