Déirdre de Búrca

Déirdre de Búrca
Senator
In office
3 August 2007 – 12 February 2010
Constituency Nominated by the Taoiseach
Personal details
Born October 1963 (age 53)
County Cork, Ireland
Nationality Irish
Political party Green Party
Alma mater Carysfort College,
University College Dublin

Déirdre de Búrca (born October 1963) is an Irish former Green Party politician.[1] She had represented the party on Wicklow County Council and Bray Town Council from 1999 to 2007 and in Seanad Éireann from 2007 until her resignation from the parliamentary party in 2010.[2]

Background

Born in County Cork, she grew up in Loughlinstown, County Dublin, where she attended Ursuline Convent, Cabinteely (now Cabinteely Community School), and Carysfort College where she qualified as a primary school teacher. She later studied psychology at University College Dublin and worked for Rehab Ireland as a psychologist.[3]

She was previously an elected member of Wicklow County Council and Bray Town Council for the Green Party. She was first elected in 1999 for the Bray district, and was returned with an increased vote in 2004, when she was also returned to the Town Council.[4]

De Búrca attracted controversy when it was found she was recording a meeting of Wicklow county council. She claimed the meetings were being held in an undemocratic fashion, and councillors were not sufficiently accountable, particularly in relation to planning and rezoning decisions.[5]

She ran for election to Dáil Éireann on two occasions but was not elected: at the 2002 general election for the Wicklow constituency, and also at the 2007 general election in the same constituency.

She unsuccessfully contested the 2009 European Parliament election for the Dublin constituency.

Senator

She was nominated by the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern to Seanad Éireann on 3 August 2007 as part of an agreement made by the Green Party under the Programme for Government. She was also appointed as a member of Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Affairs.

Her expenses were revealed to be more than €200 for every day she worked in 2009 or €20,342 in total.[6]

She unsuccessfully contested the 2009 European Parliament as the Green Party candidate for the Dublin constituency. She received 19,086 first preference votes (4.7%) and was eliminated before her former party colleague Patricia McKenna.

Resignation from the Seanad

Déirde de Búrca resigned from the Green Party parliamentary party and her seat in the Seanad on 12 February 2010.[7] She stated that she believed "that we have gradually abandoned our political values and our integrity and in many respects have become no more than an extension of the Fianna Fail party" and that she had lost confidence in John Gormley as party leader.[2][8][9] The Green Party issued a statement stating that they were disappointed by De Búrca's decision but that the party would continue to implement its policies in government.[10] She said that her failure to get a job in the cabinet of Irish European Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn was a trigger for her resignation from the Seanad but was not the cause of her decision.[11]

References

  1. ↑ "Déirdre de Búrca". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
  2. 1 2 "Déirdre de Búrca's statement of resignation". RTÉ News. 12 February 2010. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
  3. ↑ Sheahan, Fionnan (13 February 2010). "Foolhardy run in capital was beginning of end". Irish Independent. Retrieved 13 February 2010.
  4. ↑ "Déirdre de Búrca". ElectionsIreland.org. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
  5. ↑ "Eight Wicklow rezoning issues discussed". RTÉ News. 11 October 2004. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
  6. ↑ "Senators get over €200 per day expenses". Wicklow People. 20 January 2010. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
  7. ↑ "De Burca resigns from Greens and Seanad". Irish Independent. 12 February 2010. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
  8. ↑ "De Búrca blames 'drift' for Green departure". RTÉ News. 12 February 2010. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
  9. ↑ "De Búrca resigns and claims Green Party 'have lost way'". The Irish Times. 12 February 2010. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
  10. ↑ "Green Party statement on de Búrca resignation". RTÉ News. 12 February 2010. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
  11. ↑ "EU job failure led to de Búrca move". The Irish Times. 16 February 2010. Archived from the original on 16 February 2010. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
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