Harper was a member of Lothian Children's Panel 1985–1988 and Lothian Health Council 1993–1998.[4]
Political career
Harper joined the Ecology Party's Scottish branch in 1985. At the time the branch had only 35 members and its AGM that year was held in his flat. He was elected unopposed as its convenor and secretary and remained a leading figure as it became first the UK-wide Green Party then the independent Scottish Greens.[5]
Harper stood for election at the first ever Scottish Parliament election in 1999, and was elected as an additional member for the Lothians region, becoming the first ever elected Green Party parliamentarian in British political history. In an emotional speech, he promised to be a critical voice on the environment in the newly created devolved Parliament.[8] He criticised the Scottish Executive's decision to split ministerial responsibility for the environment in 2001.[9] He served as his party's sole representative in the first Parliament (1999–2003) until the 2003 election,[10] when the Scottish Green Party won another 6 seats in the regional lists.[11][12] Harper was sworn in by giving the formal affirmation, also adding: "On behalf of the Scottish Green Party I wish to affirm that our priority will be to serve the people of Scotland who are sovereign in this land."[13] He was the party's spokesman on education and young people.[14] In 2004, he was a member of the Scottish Parliament team in the TV general knowledge show University Challenge: The Professionals. He and fellow team members Richard Baker (Labour), Stewart Stevenson (SNP) and Jamie Stone (Lib Dem) who was captain, beat a Welsh Assembly team by 110 points to 75.[15]
At the beginning of December 2013, Harper announced that he would "absolutely vote no" in the 2014 referendum on Scottish independence, going on to say that he would be happy to help the Better Together campaign and that there was a "significant minority" of Greens who were opposed to independence.[25]
In August 2021, Harper criticised the Bute House Agreement that the Greens had struck with Nicola Sturgeon's government, claiming that his party had failed to take tougher action on North Sea oil, marine protection and taxation.[26]
In September 2022, he joined the board of Gordon Brown's unionist think tank, Our Scottish Future.[27]
In August 2023, he announced that he had resigned from the Scottish Green Party, citing differences of opinion on independence, concerns over what he described as the party's move to the left and their position on trans rights.[28] Harper also stated his intention to vote Labour at the next election.[29][30]