Bríd Smith

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Bríd Smith
TD
Bríd Smith.jpg
Teachta Dála
Assumed office
February 2016
ConstituencyDublin South-Central
Personal details
Born (1961-09-18) 18 September 1961 (age 60)
Rathfarnham, Dublin, Ireland
NationalityIrish
Political partyPeople Before Profit/Solidarity
Other political
affiliations		People Before Profit,
Labour Party (until 1998)
Websitebridsmith.net

Bríd Smith (born 18 September 1961) is an Irish People Before Profit/Solidarity politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin South-Central constituency since the 2016 general election.[1][2]

In 2001, she was an ATGWU shop steward and Secretary of the Campaign Against Partnership Deals.[3] She was a spokesperson for the Anti-Bin Tax Campaign.[4] She has addressed the crowd at demonstrations, such as the visit to Dublin by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair[5] and the 2004 protests against the Iraq War.[6] She has criticised health cuts implemented by the government at Cherry Orchard Hospital, and organised a protest against Mary Harney, on behalf of the Save Cherry Orchard Hospital Campaign.[7][8][9] She opposed the Treaty of Lisbon.[10] She opposes the alcohol industry's sponsorship of sporting events.[2]

She was elected to Dublin City Council as a People Before Profit candidate for the Ballyfermot-Drimnagh local electoral area in 2009, and re-elected in 2014.[11] Smith was director of elections for the People Before Profit at the 2011 general election. She stood as a candidate in the Dublin constituency at the 2014 European Parliament election, splitting the left vote and being blamed in some quarters for the loss of Paul Murphy's seat.[12]

Smith was elected as TD for Dublin South-Central at the 2016 general election.[13] This had been the fourth time she had stood for the Dáil.[14] On 10 March 2016, at the first sitting of the 32nd Dáil, she seconded the nomination of Richard Boyd Barrett for the role of Taoiseach.[15]

At the general election in February 2020, Smith was re-elected as a TD for the Dublin South-Central constituency.[16]

In July 2020, Bríd Smith was investigated by the Dáil Committee on Procedure for comments she made in the Dáil and online about High Court Judge Mr Justice Garrett Simons, which were described by government TD Charlie Flanagan as "an attack on democracy itself." The previous month, Smith had said in the Dáil that it was "a day when tens of thousands of workers will wake up to the realisation that a learned judge of the High Court, who earns more than €220,000 per year, has decided in his wisdom that an electrician who may earn €45,000 per year is possibly overpaid, and has then struck down a sectoral employment order that will affect tens of thousands of workers already on low pay. This is a war on workers, and it is time for workers to fight back."[17]

References[]

  1. ^ "Bríd Smith". Oireachtas Members Database. Archived from the original on 12 February 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  2. ^ a b Cullen, Adam (5 February 2015). "Mixed reaction to new laws on cost of alcohol in bid to curb binge drinking". Independent News & Media. Archived from the original on 29 June 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  3. ^ Moore, Kevin (1 July 2001). "'Red herrings' claim in ATGWU suspension case". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 17 March 2009. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  4. ^ Moloney, Eugene (1 September 2003). "Bin charges row set to escalate as council pursues 'get tough' policy". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  5. ^ "Protests and praise for former British prime minister at Dublin book signing". The Sunday Business Post.
  6. ^ Bruce, Helen (20 March 2004). "Thousands prepare to march against Irish role in Iraq war". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  7. ^ Mangan, Stephen (14 September 2010). "HSE to go ahead with Cherry Orchard plans". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 24 October 2010. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  8. ^ Mangan, Stephen (22 June 2010). "Campaigners oppose cuts at Cherry Orchard hospital". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  9. ^ "Harney pelted with red paint". Irish Independent. 1 November 2010. Archived from the original on 4 December 2010. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  10. ^ "EU treaty opponents launch campaign in Ireland". Theparliament.com. Archived from the original on 12 October 2009.
  11. ^ O'Halloran, Marie (4 February 2011). "PBP aims to be 'significant' force". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  12. ^ Hennessy, Michelle (26 May 2014). "Socialists slam Brid Smith for splitting Dublin vote". TheJournal.ie. Archived from the original on 22 August 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  13. ^ "Bríd Smith". ElectionsIreland.org. Archived from the original on 12 February 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  14. ^ "Dublin South-Central". RTÉ. 2016. Archived from the original on 2 March 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  15. ^ McQuinn, Cormac (10 March 2016). "Parties nominate their leaders to be the next Taoiseach". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 17 April 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  16. ^ Power, Jack (10 February 2020). "Dublin South-Central results: Fine Gael junior minister Catherine Byrne loses seat". Irish Times. Dublin. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  17. ^ Bray, Jennifer; Wall, Martin (9 July 2020). "Dáil committee to investigate Bríd Smith comments about judge". Irish Times. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2021.

External links[]

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