Ivana Bacik

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Ivana Bacik

TD
Ivana Bacik 2021 (cropped).jpg
Bacik in 2021
Teachta Dála
Incumbent
Assumed office
9 July 2021
ConstituencyDublin Bay South
Leader of the Labour Party in the Seanad
In office
25 May 2011 – 9 July 2021
LeaderEamon Gilmore
Joan Burton
Brendan Howlin
Alan Kelly
Preceded byPhil Prendergast
Deputy Leader of Seanad Éireann
In office
25 May 2011 – 6 May 2016
TaoiseachEnda Kenny
LeaderMaurice Cummins
Preceded byDan Boyle
Succeeded byCatherine Noone
Senator
In office
24 July 2007 – 9 July 2021
ConstituencyUniversity of Dublin
Personal details
Born (1968-05-25) 25 May 1968 (age 53)
Dublin, Ireland
NationalityIrish
Political partyLabour Party
Spouse(s)Alan Saul
RelationsCharles Bacik (Grandfather)
Children2
EducationAlexandra College
Alma mater
  • Trinity College Dublin
  • London School of Economics
Websiteivanabacik.com

Ivana Catherine Bacik (born 25 May 1968) is an Irish Labour Party politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Bay South constituency since winning a by-election on 9 July 2021. Bacik previously served as Leader of the Labour Party in the Seanad from 2011 to 2021, and a Senator for the University of Dublin constituency from 2007 to 2021.[1] She previously served as Deputy Leader of Seanad Éireann from 2011 to 2016.

She has been Reid Professor of Criminal Law, Criminology and Penology at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) Law School since 1996, and was a made a Fellow of Trinity College Dublin in 2005.

She has an LL.B. from TCD and an LL.M. from the London School of Economics. She practises as a barrister, and teaches courses in criminal law; criminology and penology; and feminist theory and law at Trinity. Her research interests include criminal law and criminology, constitutional law, feminist theories and law, human rights and equality issues in law. She is known in particular for her abortion rights campaigning since the 1980s, and her high media profile.[2]

Personal life[]

Bacik's family name is of Czech origin. Her paternal grandfather, Charles Bacik, a Czech factory owner, moved to Ireland in 1946[3] with his young family when the Communists began to take over private businesses. He eventually settled in Waterford and in 1947 was involved in the establishment of Waterford Crystal. Her mother's side of the family are Murphys from County Clare.

She lives with husband Alan Saul and their two daughters in the Portobello, Dublin.[4][5][6] Reading the Book The Women's Room by Marilyn French, at 17, greatly influenced her politics and around the same time, The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell was also very influential, conveying a powerful anti-capitalist message.[7]

She was educated at Alexandra College in Milltown, Dublin.[8]

University politics[]

Bacik resigned as president of Trinity College Dublin Students' Union in 1990, after breaking the mandate from the Union membership regarding voting for candidates at a Union of Students in Ireland conference.[9] Despite 13 TCD representatives being mandated to vote for one candidate, Martin Whelan, a former TCD SU president, it transpired that he received only 12 votes, Bacik's vote instead being given to the feminist former UCD SU officer, Karen Quinlivan. A controversy erupted in the Students' Union and a subsequent internal investigation led to Bacik's resignation.

She was taken to court by the anti-abortion group, the Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child (SPUC), for providing information on abortion. SPUC were successful in the court case, albeit that success came in the 1990s, long after Bacik had graduated from Trinity College.[10]

Politics and campaigns[]

Bacik's policies have been described as liberal and social democratic and she has been described as "Labour's queen of political correctness".[11] She contested the Seanad Éireann elections in 1997 and 2002 as an Independent candidate in the University of Dublin constituency.

She ran as a Labour Party candidate at the 2004 election to the European Parliament in the Dublin constituency.[12] She ran with sitting MEP Proinsias De Rossa, who was also the party president, on the same ticket. She polled 40,707 first preference votes (9.6%) but was not elected.

In September 2006, Bacik was one of the 61 Irish academic signatories of a letter published in The Irish Times calling for an academic boycott of the state of Israel.[13] In January 2009, she declared that she wants Ireland to break off diplomatic relations with Israel[14] and in February 2009 called for a general boycott of Israeli goods.[15]

In 2007, she contested the Seanad Éireann elections for the third time in the University of Dublin constituency, and was elected to the third seat, behind sitting Independent senators Shane Ross and David Norris. She initially sat as an Independent senator. In June 2009, Bacik was the Labour Party candidate for the Dublin Central by-election she came in third with 17% of the first preference votes.[16][17] She joined the Labour Party group in the Seanad in September 2009,[18] and became Labour Party Seanad spokesperson for both Justice and Arts, Sports and Tourism.

In May 2010, she did not obtain Labour's nomination to run for the Dáil in Dublin South East.[19] In December 2010, she was added to the ticket as the second candidate beside Labour Party leader, Eamon Gilmore, in the Dún Laoghaire constituency for the 2011 general election. Gilmore topped the poll, with Bacik receiving 10.1% of first preference votes but she was not elected.[20] She was re-elected to Seanad Éireann at the subsequent election, after which she became Deputy Leader of the Seanad.[21] She held her seat in the Seanad in 2016 and in 2020.

In May 2019, following the results of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation which found that hundreds of children had died while in the care of homes run by the Catholic Church, Bacik called for the government to take financial action against the religious orders involved.[22]

In December 2020, Bacik called for foreign frontline medical workers fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland to be rewarded with fast-tracked citizenship applications, as has been done in France.[23]

On 27 April 2021, after the resignation of Eoghan Murphy from his Dáil seat in Dublin Bay South, Bacik announced her intention to stand in the upcoming by-election.[24] Bacik campaigned with an emphasis on providing affordable housing,[25] as well as improving healthcare and childcare, tackling climate change, and achieving "a true republic in which church and state are separated". During the campaign, Bacik has described herself as having "more bills passed into law than any other Senator, on issues such as workers’ conditions, women's health rights, and LGBT equality".[26] Bacik also campaigned on increasing the number of sports amenities for children in the area, calling for unused Defence Forces football fields at the Cathal Brugha Barracks to be freed up for local sports, with the suggestion rejected by Fine Gael Minister for Defence Simon Coveney.[27][28] Bacik won this election, receiving 8,131 (30.2%) first preference votes.

In August 2021, Bacik apologised for attending Katherine Zappone's controversial party in the Merrion Hotel, Dublin, in July of that year. She stated that she believed that it took place within existing Covid-19 pandemic restrictions.[29][30][31]

Legal work[]

In 2006, Bacik acted as junior counsel in Zappone v. Revenue Commissioners,[32] the unsuccessful Irish High Court case brought by Katherine Zappone and Ann Louise Gilligan over the non-recognition of their Canadian same-sex marriage by the Revenue Commissioners.[33]

Awards[]

In 2019, Bacik was chosen by the Irish Women Lawyers Association as Irish Woman Lawyer of the Year.[34]

References[]

  1. ^ "Ivana Bacik". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 21 June 2009.
  2. ^ Collins, Liam (4 April 2004). "Ivana Bacik, the media supergirl". Sunday Independent. Dublin. ISSN 0039-5218. Archived from the original on 3 August 2012.
  3. ^ Sheahan, Fionnán (5 July 2021). "Dublin Bay South by-election: Fine Gael complains to RTÉ after Ivana Bacik's TV appearance three days before by-election". Irish Independent. Dublin. ISSN 0021-1222. Archived from the original on 8 July 2021. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  4. ^ Lord, Miriam (12 December 2020). "Eamon Ryan basks in the sunshine of Seanad's love". The Irish Times. Dublin. ISSN 0791-5144. Archived from the original on 11 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Has back-to-work Dati set a bad example for women?". Irish Independent. Dublin. 13 January 2009. ISSN 0021-1222. Archived from the original on 18 October 2012.
  6. ^ "Freedom, equality, Liberties". Sunday Tribune. 16 May 2004. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.
  7. ^ "Library Ireland Week 2009: Libraries for Life". Library Ireland Week. 20 February 2008. Archived from the original on 5 September 2012.
  8. ^ Holden, Louise (21 January 2014). "Single-sex or co-ed?". The Irish Times. Dublin. ISSN 0791-5144. Archived from the original on 11 August 2021.
  9. ^ Cullen, Paul (13 August 2005). "Legal Eagle Swoops". The Irish Times. Dublin. ISSN 0791-5144. Archived from the original on 11 August 2021.
  10. ^ McNamee, Kathleen (26 February 2016). "From TCDSU to the Seanad, How Student Politics Reach the National Stage". Dublin: The University Times. ISSN 2009-261X. Archived from the original on 11 August 2021. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  11. ^ Anderson, Nicola; Bielenberg, Kim (27 May 2004). "Bacik should beware the German Oger". Irish Independent. Dublin. ISSN 0021-1222. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013.
  12. ^ "Ivana Bacik". ElectionsIreland.org. Retrieved 21 June 2009.
  13. ^ Landy, David (16 September 2006). "Irish academics call on EU to stop funding Israeli academic institutions". Scholars for Peace in the Middle East. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007.
  14. ^ Kenny, Mary (15 January 2009). "The puzzle of Obama's pro-abortionism". The Irish Catholic. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011.
  15. ^ Bacik, Ivana (5 February 2009). "Letters: Aftermath of Gaza offensive". The Irish Times. Dublin. ISSN 0791-5144. Archived from the original on 11 August 2021.
  16. ^ "RTÉ's Lee to stand for FG in Dublin South". RTÉ News. Dublin. 5 May 2009. Archived from the original on 8 May 2009. Retrieved 5 May 2009.
  17. ^ O'Halloran, Marie (8 June 2009). "O'Sullivan dedicates her victory to Tony Gregory's legacy". The Irish Times. Dublin. ISSN 0791-5144. Archived from the original on 11 August 2021.
  18. ^ McGee, Harry (16 October 2009). "Government moves to fill two Seanad vacancies". The Irish Times. Dublin. ISSN 0791-5144. Archived from the original on 11 August 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  19. ^ "Quinn and Humphreys to run for Labour". The Irish Times. Dublin. 26 May 2010. ISSN 0791-5144. Archived from the original on 11 August 2021.
  20. ^ "Ivana Bacik to run for Labour in Dún Laoghaire". RTÉ News. 10 December 2010. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  21. ^ "Election of Cathaoirleach; Wednesday, 25 May 2011". Seanad Éireann Debate, Vol. 208, No. 1. Archived from the original on 25 April 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  22. ^ O'Toole, Lucy (2 May 2019). "Frontlines: Senator Ivana Bacik on the Mother and Baby Homes Commission's Report". Hot Press. Dublin. Archived from the original on 11 August 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  23. ^ McNeice, Stephen (24 December 2020). "Frontline workers should get citizenship for their efforts during pandemic - Bacik". Newstalk. Dublin. Archived from the original on 3 February 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  24. ^ Bray, Jennifer. "O'Connell, Chu and Bacik among possible candidates for Dublin byelection". The Irish Times. Dublin. ISSN 0791-5144. Archived from the original on 11 August 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  25. ^ Molony, Senan (17 May 2021). "Government parties squabble while their policies are failing, says Labour by-election hopeful Ivana Bacik". Irish Independent. Dublin. ISSN 0021-1222. Archived from the original on 8 July 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  26. ^ Murray, Sean. "Bacik outlines Labour's vision for post-Covid Ireland and attacks government 'shambles' in bye-election bid/". TheJournal.ie. Dublin. Archived from the original on 19 May 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  27. ^ Blaney, Ferghal (12 May 2021). "Election shots fired as Minister Simon Coveney and Labour candidate go to blows". DublinLive. Archived from the original on 19 May 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  28. ^ Molony, Senan (17 May 2021). "Fine Gael's by-election frontrunner Cllr James Geoghegan faces Labour senator Ivana Bacik in bid for seat in Dublin Bay South". Irish Independent. Dublin. ISSN 0021-1222. Archived from the original on 8 July 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  29. ^ Ryan, Philip (9 August 2021). "Ivana Bacik apologises for attending Katherine Zappone's party at the Merrion Hotel". Irish Independent. Dublin. ISSN 0021-1222. Archived from the original on 9 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  30. ^ "Labour TD Ivana Bacik apologises for attending Merrion Hotel party". TheJournal.ie. Press Association. 9 August 2021. Archived from the original on 15 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  31. ^ "Bacik issues apology for attendance at hotel event". RTÉ News. Dublin. 9 August 2021. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  32. ^ "Lesbian couple's landmark case to begin in October". The Irish Times. Dublin. 1 August 2006. ISSN 0791-5144. Archived from the original on 11 August 2021.
  33. ^ "Zappone & Anor -v- Revenue Commissioners & Ors [2006] IEHC 404". Judgments & Determinations. Courts Service of Ireland. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  34. ^ "Ivana Bacik is IWLA lawyer of the year". Law Society Gazette. 1 August 2019. Archived from the original on 1 August 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2021.

External links[]

Oireachtas
Preceded by
Eoghan Murphy
(Fine Gael) 		Labour Party Teachta Dála for Dublin Bay South
2021–present 		Incumbent
Retrieved from ""