Margaret Curran
A sharp-tongued Glasgow MP who became Labour's voice for Scotland, fighting for social justice from the Commons to the Lords.
Born 1958 (age 68)·British politician·Birthday: November 24·Baby Boomers
Biography
Margaret Curran's political life was forged in the heart of Glasgow's East End, a place whose challenges she understood intimately long before representing it in Parliament. A former lecturer in social policy, she brought an academic's rigor and a community activist's fire to Holyrood as a Member of the Scottish Parliament, holding ministerial portfolios for health and communities. Her move to Westminster in 2010 placed her on the national stage as Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland during the tumultuous years leading up to the 2014 independence referendum. Curran was a staunch defender of the Union and a critic of austerity, her rhetoric often blending streetwise Glasgow wit with pointed political critique. After losing her seat in 2015, her elevation to the House of Lords as Baroness Curran ensured her persistent, pragmatic voice for Labour values continued to be heard.
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.
Margaret was born in 1958, 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 Margaret Was Born
The biggest hits of 1958
#1 Movie
South Pacific
Best Picture
Gigi
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Margaret's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1958Born
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1963Started school
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1971Became a teenager
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Could drive
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
1976Could vote
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Turned 21
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1988Turned 30
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 40
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 50
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 60
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 68 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- She served as the Member of Parliament for Glasgow East from 2010 to 2015.
- She was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland, leading Labour's opposition to the SNP in Westminster from 2011 to 2015.
- She previously served as Minister for Communities in the Scottish Executive under First Minister Jack McConnell.
- She was elevated to the House of Lords in 2020, taking the title Baroness Curran of Kelvin.
Did You Know?
Before politics, Curran was a lecturer in Social Policy at the University of Glasgow.
She is a lifelong supporter of Celtic Football Club.
She once described the atmosphere in the House of Commons as 'like a bad wedding' due to its adversarial nature.
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