place_of_birth rob gibson
___MASK4___ is the ___MASK65___ ___MASK51___ Scotland and one ___MASK51___ its 32 local government council areas . Located in Lothian on the Firth ___MASK51___ Forth ' s southern shore , it is Scotland ' s second most populous city and the seventh most populous in the United Kingdom . The 2014 official population estimates are 464 , 990 for the city ___MASK51___ ___MASK4___ , 492 , 680 for the local authority area , and 1 , 339 , 380 for the city region as ___MASK51___ 2014 ( ___MASK4___ lies at the heart ___MASK51___ the proposed ___MASK4___ and South East Scotland city region ). Recognised as the capital ___MASK51___ Scotland since at least the 15th century , ___MASK4___ is home to the Scottish Parliament and the seat ___MASK51___ the monarchy in Scotland . The city is also the annual venue ___MASK51___ the General Assembly ___MASK51___ the Church ___MASK51___ Scotland and home to national institutions such as the National Museum ___MASK51___ Scotland , the National Library ___MASK51___ Scotland and the Scottish National Gallery . It is the largest financial centre in the UK after London . The Parliament ___MASK51___ the United Kingdom , commonly known as the UK Parliament or British Parliament , is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom , British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories . It alone possesses legislative supremacy and thereby ultimate power over all other political bodies in the UK and its territories . Its head is the Sovereign ___MASK51___ the United Kingdom ( currently Queen Elizabeth II ) and its seat is the Palace ___MASK51___ ___MASK96___ in the City ___MASK51___ ___MASK96___ , London . The Scottish National Party ( SNP ) is a Scottish nationalist and social - democratic political party in ___MASK15___ . The SNP supports and campaigns for Scottish ___MASK76___ . It is the third - largest political party by membership in the ___MASK36___ , as well as by overall representation in the House ___MASK51___ Commons , behind the Labour Party and the Conservative Party , and is the largest party in ___MASK15___ , where it dominates both the Scottish Parliament and the country ' s parliamentary delegation to the Parliament ___MASK51___ the ___MASK36___ . Its leader , Nicola Sturgeon , is the current First Minister ___MASK51___ ___MASK15___ . The Scottish Parliament ( Scots : " The Scots Pairlament "), is the devolved national , unicameral legislature ___MASK51___ Scotland . Located in the Holyrood area ___MASK51___ the capital city , Edinburgh , it is frequently referred to by the metonym Holyrood . ___MASK15___ ( Scots : ) is a country that is part ___MASK51___ the United Kingdom and covers the northern third ___MASK51___ the island ___MASK51___ Great Britain . It shares a border with England to the south , and is otherwise surrounded by the ___MASK71___ , with the North Sea to the east and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the south - west . In addition to the mainland , the country is made up ___MASK51___ more than 790 islands , including the Northern Isles and the Hebrides . Scottish ___MASK76___ is a political aim ___MASK51___ various political parties , advocacy groups , and individuals in Scotland ( which is a country ___MASK51___ the United Kingdom ) for the country to become an independent sovereign state . Rob McKay Gibson MSP ( born 10 October 1945 ) is a Scottish politician . A member ___MASK51___ the Scottish National Party ( SNP ) , he was elected to the Scottish Parliament to represent Caithness , Sutherland and Ross in the 2011 election . Gibson was first elected to the Scottish Parliament in the 2003 election for the Highlands and Islands , and was re - elected for this region in 2007 . While attending the University ___MASK51___ Dundee he headed the SNP student wing , the Federation ___MASK51___ Student Nationalists . He was a district councillor in Ross and Cromarty and worked as a senior secondary school teacher in Alness and Invergordon before taking early retirement in 1995 . In the Scottish Parliament , he is the Deputy Convener ___MASK51___ the Economy , Enterprise and Tourism Committee , and a leading member ___MASK51___ the Transport , Environment and Rural Affairs Committee - all areas ___MASK51___ importance to the economy ___MASK51___ the north ___MASK51___ Scotland . His partner is the former Highlands and Islands MSP , Eleanor Scott , ___MASK51___ the Scottish Green Party . Gibson is also a musician and an author , and has written several books about Highland history and emigration . These include Plaids and Bandanas , The Highland Clearances Trail and Highland Cowboys . The ___MASK36___ ___MASK51___ Great Britain and Northern Ireland , commonly known as the ___MASK36___ ( UK ) or Britain , is a sovereign country in western Europe . Lying off the north - western coast ___MASK51___ the European mainland , it includes the island ___MASK51___ Great Britain ( the name ___MASK51___ which is also loosely applied to the whole country ), the north - eastern part ___MASK51___ the island ___MASK51___ Ireland , and many smaller islands . Northern Ireland is the only part ___MASK51___ the UK that shares a land border with another sovereign statethe Republic ___MASK51___ Ireland . Apart from this land border , the UK is surrounded by the ___MASK71___ , with the North Sea to its east , the English Channel to its south and the Celtic Sea to its south - south - west , giving it the 12th - longest coastline in the world . The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland . With an area ___MASK51___ , the UK is the 78th - largest sovereign state in the world and the 11th - largest in Europe . It is also the 21st - most populous country , with an estimated 65 . 1 million inhabitants . Together , this makes it the fourth most densely populated country in the European Union . Nicola ___MASK81___ Sturgeon ( born 19 July 1970 ) is a Scottish politician who is the fifth and current First Minister ___MASK51___ Scotland and the leader ___MASK51___ the Scottish National Party ( SNP ), in office since 2014 . She is the first woman to hold either position . Sturgeon has been a member ___MASK51___ the Scottish Parliament since 1999 , first as an additional member for the ___MASK43___ electoral region from 1999 to 2007 , and as the member for ___MASK43___ Southside since 2007 ( known as ___MASK43___ Govan from 2007 to 2011 ). The First Minister ___MASK51___ Scotland is the leader ___MASK51___ the Scottish Government . The First Minister chairs the Scottish Cabinet and is primarily responsible for the formulation , development and presentation ___MASK51___ Scottish Government policy . Additional functions ___MASK51___ the First Minister include promoting and representing Scotland , in an official capacity , at home and abroad and responsibility for constitutional affairs , as they relate to devolution and the Scottish Government .