Patrick Harvie: Talented debater at helm of Scottish Greens

Patrick Harvie has been steering a steady ship at the Scottish Green Party since becoming co-convener in 2008.

A talented debater and passionate anti-austerity advocate, the 43-year-old has spent 13 years at Holyrood, arriving there in 2003 when the Greens won seven seats in what was the party's best ever Scottish election result.

While he retained his seat in 2007, the Greens lost support, returning two MSPs.

The following year Robin Harper stepped down as the party's co-convener - the Greens always have both a male and a female convener - and Mr Harvie succeeded him.

That appointment saw him become the UK's first openly bisexual political leader.

While he is perhaps best known for his role campaigning for a Yes vote in the independence referendum, he has been involved in campaigns on a range of issues, ''from asylum and civil liberties to sexual health and food policy''.

Prior to entering the Scottish Parliament he worked in the sexual health field for an organisation which is now part of the Terrence Higgins Trust, but also had a ''brief stint'' working at the Inland Revenue, according to his website.

He uses social media to promote his politics and made headlines when he tweeted during a dinner then prime minister Gordon Brown hosted for Scottish party leaders in 2009.

He has almost 50,000 followers on Twitter and in his biography he proclaims he was called the ''voice of the irresponsible left-led, anti-family, anti-Christian gay whales against the bomb coalition'' by the Daily Mail.

He describes himself as being a ''fan of real ale, real food, science fiction and free software'', and adds: ''It's a hard mix to beat.''

He is also an honorary associate of the National Secular Society and honorary vice-president of the Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association.

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