Farewell Reception for the Autumn Interns
On Tuesday, 16 December 2009, the University's Raeburn Room in Old College saw the jolly gathering of interns, their tutors, some parliamentary staff and a handful of MSPs. It was the last week of the autumn period of the Internship Programme, and the participating students could be proud of their achievements at the Institute of Governance and in their placement with MSPs in the Scottish Parliament.
That was reflected in the laudatory comments made by the MSPs. David Stewart (Labour) praised the programme and the contribution Caitlin Erskine, his intern, had made to his work and that of his fellow Labour Highland MSPs Rhoda Grant and Peter Peacock.. Bob Doris (SNP) was delighted to have had, in Conor Butler-Rickets, his second intern through the programme. Frank McAveety (Labour) hailed the research of his intern Brendan Ullman on the legacy of the Commonwealth Games 2014 in his constituency in East Glasgow. Bill Aitken (Conservatives) just made it for the group photograph, but did not tit with complimentary remarks about his intern Alex Kwok's work on and encounter with the legal profession in Scotland. Jokes were cracked about the Glasgow North East by-election – a 'decisive break-through for Labour' (McAveety) or a 'temporary blip for the SNP' (Doris). But, first and foremost, all MSPs were unanimous in their heartfelt gratitude to the students, their input and the results of their research work.
Professor Charlie Jeffery, Head of Politics at Edinburgh University remarked how much he enjoyed teaching the interns, and David McCrone, the Director of the Institute, prefaced the handing over of the Certificates with warm thanks to the students for making this programme such a success story. Intens themselves, he said, were the best ambassadors for the programme.
The snow chaos that ensued soon after the reception caused many interns some difficulty in getting back to the US in time for Christmas. Rearranging flights, being stuck at airports, did add a dramatic note to the interns' Scottish sojourn. It will, no doubt, make the Edinburgh experience even more memorable.
Interns/MSPs 2/2009
| Intern | MSP |
|---|---|
| Conor Butler-Ricketts | Bob Doris (SNP) |
| Hunter Davies | Jamie Hepburn (SNP) |
| Rebecca Durr | Cathy Jamieson (Lab) |
| Caitlin Erskine | Dave Stewart (Lab) |
| Annika Harwe | Jackie Baillie (Lab) |
| Liz Hornberger | Jamie Stone (Lib Dem) |
| Paul Johnson | Kenneth Gibson (SNP) |
| Alex Kwok | Bill Aitken (Con) |
| Ross Mallard | Rob Gibson (SNP) |
| Rene Rayne | John Lamont (Con) |
| Joel Schneider | Michael Matheson (SNP) |
| Becca Shields | Margo MacDonald (Ind) |
| Bonny Tsang | Helen Eadie (Lab) |
| Brendan Ullman | Frank McVeety (Lab) |
| Megan Winkeler | Mary Scanlon (Con) |
This page was published on 2 July 2010