Born in Dundee to parents who were members of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB),[1] Chalmers joined the Young Communist League and became its National Organiser in 1981, then replaced Nina Temple as General Secretary in 1983.
[2] As Secretary, he promoted a Eurocommunist line, which created conflict with a more feminist trend championed by the new National Organiser, Nina Brown.
[3] An incident where he called police to intervene at a fractious YCL meeting in Hackney proved controversial within the wider CPGB.
[6] In this role, he championed a Scottish Parliament and distanced the party from the collapsing regimes in Eastern Europe, while supporting perestroika.
He has also served on the BBC Broadcasting Council, is president of the Scottish University and College Union, and won an award from the Higher Education Academy for his use of virtual learning environments.