Education
Brought up in the North of Glasgow, Paterson attended Possilpark Secondary School, before building up his own business Gil"s Motor Factors.
Brought up in the North of Glasgow, Paterson attended Possilpark Secondary School, before building up his own business Gil"s Motor Factors.
Previously he had been an Managing Successful Programmes for the West of Scotland region, having been elected on 3 May 2007. From 1999 to 2003 he was an Managing Successful Programmes for Central Scotland. He served as a Scottish National Party (Scottish National Party) councillor in Strathclyde Regional Council and sat on the Scottish National Party"s National Executive Committee, before being elected as one of five Scottish National Party MSPs for Central Scotland in the first election to the Scottish Parliament.
During the first parliamentary term he sat on both the Local Government and Procedures committees in the Parliament.
Paterson lost his seat in Parliament when at the 2003 election only three Scottish National Party MSPs were returned for Central Scotland. He returned to running his business but stayed active in the Scottish National Party, becoming the party"s Vice-Convenor in charge of Fundraising, a position he had held previously.
Paterson was one of the heaviest critics of the leadership style of John Swinney, and in the aftermath of the 2004 European election he openly called for Swinney"s resignation, which happened shortly afterwards. In 2006, Gil Paterson was selected to stand as candidate for the Clydebank and Milngavie Scottish Parliamentary constituency.
In the current session of the Scottish Parliament, Gil was elected as the Scottish National Party Group Convener.
He is also a member of two Committees, "European and External Relations" and "Subordinate Legislation", the latter of which he is Deputy-Convener.