John Mason (Scottish politician)

John Mason
Deputy Convener of the Finance Committee
Assumed office
15 June 2011
Preceded byTom McCabe
Member of the Scottish Parliament
for Glasgow Shettleston
Assumed office
5 May 2011
Preceded byFrank McAveety
Majority8,025 (25.0%)[1]
Member of Parliament
for Glasgow East
In office
24 July 2008 – 12 April 2010
Preceded byDavid Marshall
Succeeded byMargaret Curran
Glasgow City Councillor for:
Garrowhill (Ward 48) (1998–2007)
Baillieston (Ward 20) (2007–2008)
In office
1998 – 25 July 2008
Succeeded byDavid Turner
Personal details
Born (1957-05-15) 15 May 1957 (age 67)
Rutherglen, South Lanarkshire, Scotland
Political partyIndependent (since 2024)
Other political
affiliations
Scottish National Party (until 2024)
EducationHutchesons' Grammar School
Alma materUniversity of Glasgow
ProfessionAccountant
Websitejohn-mason.org

John Fingland Mason (born 15 May 1957) is a Scottish independent politician who has served as the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Glasgow Shettleston since 2011. He was a member of the Scottish National Party until his expulsion in 2024.

He was previously the Member of Parliament (MP) for Glasgow East from 2008 to 2010, and a Glasgow City Councillor from 1998 to 2008.

Mason has been involved with charity work, and he is an accountant. He is a practising Christian and believes abortion should not be allowed for social reasons. He has attracted significant controversy for beliefs and comments which critics deemed to be transphobic and homophobic. He also faced significant criticism for keeping his SNP (Scottish National Party) office open to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, and for comments describing the Irish Republican Army as "freedom fighters". On 17 August 2024, he had the whip drawn for arguing that Israeli actions during the Israel–Hamas war did not amount to genocide.

  1. ^ "Constituencies A-Z: Glasgow Shettleston". BBC News. Retrieved 8 May 2021.