Richard Boyd Barrett
Encyclopedia
Richard Boyd Barrett is an Irish politician
who is currently a Teachta Dála
(TD) for the Dún Laoghaire
constituency.
Boyd Barrett is a former member of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council
, and chair of the Irish Anti-War Movement
and is frequently cited in the Irish media. He opposes the Iraq War and helped mobilise mass popular protests against it in 2003, amid concerns that the war would lead to thousands of unnecessary deaths. Domestically, he has campaigned to reverse job losses, supported the Rossport Five
and voiced opposition to Ireland's bank-bail outs and the National Asset Management Agency
(NAMA) among other issues.
Boyd Barrett was elected to Dáil Éireann
in the 2011 general election. He is known for, what the The Irish Times
described as, his "consistently passionate outrage and opposition to the Government’s handling of the[ financial
and banking] crisis."
, with whom he was later reunited. This was revealed in the last week of his unsuccessful 2007 Dáil election campaign, during which Cusack, a vocal opponent of the Iraq War, canvassed for him. He was raised in Glenageary
by adoptive parents David and Valerie Boyd Barrett, attending St Michael's College, a private, fee-paying, Catholic boys' school on Ailesbury Road. He holds a Master's Degree in English Literature from University College Dublin
.
Whilst growing up Richard was a supporter of Derby County F.C.
. He contested the 2004 local elections for Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council
. Although he was not elected he garnered 1,439 votes or 7.4% of the poll.
In 2009, he was elected to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council
winning 22.8% of the vote, topping the poll.
in the 2002 Irish general election
for the Socialist Workers Party and in the 2007 Irish general election for the People Before Profit Alliance
. This identification was intended to broaden his support from non-socialist voters. In the run-up to the election in 2007 he participated in high-profile campaigns against highrise development, bin and water charges, privatisation of hospitals and support for the Rossport Five
. Boyd Barrett lost to Ciarán Cuffe
of the Green Party
, by 9,910 votes to 7,890 votes in the 10th count.
Boyd Barrett contested the Dún Laoghaire constituency
at the Irish general election, 2011 as part of the United Left Alliance
. On the ballot paper Boyd Barrett was named a member of People Before Profit, as the United Left Alliance had not yet been registered as a political party.
He was elected on the 10th count without reaching the quota.. This followed a "nail-biting two days" of counting and recounting votes. At the time of his election, he did not own a suit.
As a TD Boyd Barrett supported protests against cuts to Dublin Bus
services, saying that "Some of the older and disabled people are literally prisoners in their homes now as a result of the cut or discontinuation of the service they previously relied on". In Dáil Éireann, he condemned the 2011 murder of PSNI officer Ronan Kerr as "an utterly brutal action, which leads back down a road which has failed". He drafted the text of the first Private Members' motion which suggests there is an "overwhelming democratic case" for putting the EU/IMF bank bailout to a referendum of the Irish people. He also committed to facilitating the nomination of Senator David Norris for a place on the ballot paper ahead of the Irish presidential election, 2011, and welcomed the release of Teresa Treacy, the Offaly pensioner jailed after she tried to protect her trees from government contractors. Her imprisonment was raised in the Dáil when Boyd Barrett rejected a statement by Minister of State Kathleen Lynch that public representatives would have to request in writing a visit with her, saying the deputy governor of Mountjoy had not responded. Kathleen Lynch replied: “I will take on board very much Deputy Boyd Barrett's issue about the visits and make inquiries.”
Boyd Barrett spoke at the Dublin edition of the 15 October 2011 global protests
inspired by the Spanish "Indignants"
and the Occupy Wall Street
movements. The same month he said Enda Kenny's government was engaging in “spin and disingenuity” to cover up its austerity policies, decrying the closure of hospital emergency departments around the country for “health and safety” reasons. On 2 November 2011, Boyd Barrett led the United Left Alliance TDs out of the Dáil in protest against the government's decision not to hold a debate on the payment of more than €700 million to Anglo Irish Bank
bondholders. "You will not even give the parliament the right to vote on the handover of all the money you have taken out of the health service", he objected.
(NAMA), organised protests, and supported initiatives such as The Right to Work Campaign. He also proposed direct investment in public enterprise and strategic industry to create jobs in areas such as renewable energy
, food production, generic medicines
and IT development. Boyd Barrett has organized a campaign to oppose the sale of St Michael's Hospital to private developers, led campaigns to protect public amenities in Dún Laoghaire, including the Save Our Seafront campaign against a high rise development on the site of the Dun Laoghaire baths, and more recently he has been campaigning to prevent the acquisition of Dún Laoghaire harbour by private companies. He has also been involved in campaigns to reverse job losses, such as those by staff at Connolly Shoes (a shoe shop).
Critics, such as the print and broadcast journalist Vincent Browne
, have described Boyd Barrett's economic views as "Cloud Cuckooland".
. He said that it was "almost certain" that any war would lead to between 50,000 and 100,000 deaths. He said "the complicity of the Irish Government in this murderous war through providing facilities for the US military at Shannon airport" was "an absolute disgrace" and urged people to protest in their thousands "to show this carnage is not being mounted in our names". In 2009 he supported the pro-democracy protests in Iran.
In March 2005, according to the Irish Anti-War organization, Boyd Barrett attended the Cairo Anti-war Conference
in Cairo
, Egypt
, focusing on American intervention in Iraq.
In 2007, he called for Ibrahim Moussawi, head of the Hezbollah-owned Al-Manar
TV station, to be allowed to enter Ireland to attend a Dublin conference organised by the Irish Anti-War Movement
. According to the Irish Independent
, Boyd Barrett said that banning Moussawi amounted to the suppression of "free public debate in the country".
In April 2009 Boyd Barrett addressed the Al-Aqsa Conference in Dublin. He said that Israel is "a state built on violence, oppression and apartheid" and "has no right to exist as long as it denies rights to Palestinians.”
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
who is currently a Teachta Dála
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
(TD) for the Dún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Dún Laoghaire is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 4 deputies...
constituency.
Boyd Barrett is a former member of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council is the local authority for the county of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown in Ireland. It is one of three local authorities that comprised the former Dublin County Council before its abolition and one of four councils in the Dublin Region. It serves a population of...
, and chair of the Irish Anti-War Movement
Irish Anti-War Movement
The Irish Anti-War Movement is an organisation which campaigns against wars around the world. Recent campaigns have been against wars such as the Sri Lankan Civil War and the Gaza War, and most prominently in recent years against the Iraq War and the use of Shannon Airport by the US military.The...
and is frequently cited in the Irish media. He opposes the Iraq War and helped mobilise mass popular protests against it in 2003, amid concerns that the war would lead to thousands of unnecessary deaths. Domestically, he has campaigned to reverse job losses, supported the Rossport Five
Rossport Five
The Rossport Five are James Brendan Philbin, brothers Philip and Vincent McGrath, Willie Corduff and Micheál Ó Seighin. All five are from Kilcommon parish, Erris, County Mayo, Ireland and were jailed on 29 June 2005 by Justice Finnegan, President of the High Court of the Republic of Ireland, for...
and voiced opposition to Ireland's bank-bail outs and the National Asset Management Agency
National Asset Management Agency
The National Asset Management Agency is a body created by the Government of Ireland in late 2009. It is in response to the Irish financial crisis and the deflation of the Irish property bubble....
(NAMA) among other issues.
Boyd Barrett was elected to Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...
in the 2011 general election. He is known for, what the The Irish Times
The Irish Times
The Irish Times is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Kevin O'Sullivan who succeeded Geraldine Kennedy in 2011; the deputy editor is Paul O'Neill. The Irish Times is considered to be Ireland's newspaper of record, and is published every day except Sundays...
described as, his "consistently passionate outrage and opposition to the Government’s handling of the
2008–2011 Irish financial crisis
The 2008–2011 Irish financial crisis, which had stemmed from the financial crisis of 2008, is a major political and economic crisis in Ireland that is partly responsible for the country falling into recession for the first time since the 1980s...
and banking
Family and education
Adopted as a baby, his natural mother was actress Sinéad CusackSinéad Cusack
Sinéad Moira Cusack is an Irish stage, television and film actress. She has received two Tony Award nominations: once for Best Leading Actress in Much Ado About Nothing , and again for Best Featured Actress in Rock 'n' Roll .-Background:...
, with whom he was later reunited. This was revealed in the last week of his unsuccessful 2007 Dáil election campaign, during which Cusack, a vocal opponent of the Iraq War, canvassed for him. He was raised in Glenageary
Glenageary
Glenageary is an area in the suburbs of south County Dublin, Ireland, part of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County.While there is no officially defined boundary, it is surrounded by the areas of Sallynoggin, Dalkey, Dun Laoghaire, Glasthule and Johnstown...
by adoptive parents David and Valerie Boyd Barrett, attending St Michael's College, a private, fee-paying, Catholic boys' school on Ailesbury Road. He holds a Master's Degree in English Literature from University College Dublin
University College Dublin
University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...
.
Whilst growing up Richard was a supporter of Derby County F.C.
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
Local elections
Boyd Barrett is a member of the Trotskyist Socialist Workers PartySocialist Workers Party (Ireland)
The Socialist Workers Party is an Irish Trotskyist political party.-Foundation and growth:The SWP was originally founded in 1971 as the Socialist Workers Movement by supporters of the International Socialists of Britain living in Northern Ireland, who had previously been members of People's...
. He contested the 2004 local elections for Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council is the local authority for the county of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown in Ireland. It is one of three local authorities that comprised the former Dublin County Council before its abolition and one of four councils in the Dublin Region. It serves a population of...
. Although he was not elected he garnered 1,439 votes or 7.4% of the poll.
In 2009, he was elected to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council is the local authority for the county of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown in Ireland. It is one of three local authorities that comprised the former Dublin County Council before its abolition and one of four councils in the Dublin Region. It serves a population of...
winning 22.8% of the vote, topping the poll.
Dáil Éireann
Boyd Barrett ran for election in the Dún Laoghaire constituencyDún Laoghaire (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Dún Laoghaire is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 4 deputies...
in the 2002 Irish general election
Irish general election, 2002
The Irish general election of 2002 was held on Friday, 17 May 2002 just over three weeks after the dissolution of the 28th Dáil on Thursday 25 April by President Mary McAleese, at the request of the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern...
for the Socialist Workers Party and in the 2007 Irish general election for the People Before Profit Alliance
People Before Profit Alliance
The People Before Profit Alliance is an Irish political party formed in October 2005. It is active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.-Overview:It was established by the Socialist Workers Party...
. This identification was intended to broaden his support from non-socialist voters. In the run-up to the election in 2007 he participated in high-profile campaigns against highrise development, bin and water charges, privatisation of hospitals and support for the Rossport Five
Rossport Five
The Rossport Five are James Brendan Philbin, brothers Philip and Vincent McGrath, Willie Corduff and Micheál Ó Seighin. All five are from Kilcommon parish, Erris, County Mayo, Ireland and were jailed on 29 June 2005 by Justice Finnegan, President of the High Court of the Republic of Ireland, for...
. Boyd Barrett lost to Ciarán Cuffe
Ciarán Cuffe
Ciarán Cuffe is an Irish Green Party politician, an architect and a lecturer in planning. He was a Teachta Dála for the Dún Laoghaire constituency from 2002 to 2011, and served as Minister of State for Horticulture; Sustainable Travel; and Planning and Heritage from 2010 to 2011.-Background:Born...
of the Green Party
Green Party (Ireland)
The Green Party is a green political party in Ireland. It was founded as the Ecology Party of Ireland in 1981 by Dublin teacher Christopher Fettes. The party became the Green Alliance in 1983 and in 1987 was renamed to its current title in English...
, by 9,910 votes to 7,890 votes in the 10th count.
Boyd Barrett contested the Dún Laoghaire constituency
Dún Laoghaire (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Dún Laoghaire is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 4 deputies...
at the Irish general election, 2011 as part of the United Left Alliance
United Left Alliance
The United Left Alliance is an electoral alliance of left-wing political parties and independent politicians in the Republic of Ireland, formed to contest the 2011 general election...
. On the ballot paper Boyd Barrett was named a member of People Before Profit, as the United Left Alliance had not yet been registered as a political party.
He was elected on the 10th count without reaching the quota.. This followed a "nail-biting two days" of counting and recounting votes. At the time of his election, he did not own a suit.
As a TD Boyd Barrett supported protests against cuts to Dublin Bus
Dublin Bus
Dublin Bus is a public transport operator in Ireland. It operates an extensive bus network of 172 radial, cross-city and peripheral routes and 18 night routes in the city of Dublin and the Greater Dublin Area. The company, established in 1987, is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann which is...
services, saying that "Some of the older and disabled people are literally prisoners in their homes now as a result of the cut or discontinuation of the service they previously relied on". In Dáil Éireann, he condemned the 2011 murder of PSNI officer Ronan Kerr as "an utterly brutal action, which leads back down a road which has failed". He drafted the text of the first Private Members' motion which suggests there is an "overwhelming democratic case" for putting the EU/IMF bank bailout to a referendum of the Irish people. He also committed to facilitating the nomination of Senator David Norris for a place on the ballot paper ahead of the Irish presidential election, 2011, and welcomed the release of Teresa Treacy, the Offaly pensioner jailed after she tried to protect her trees from government contractors. Her imprisonment was raised in the Dáil when Boyd Barrett rejected a statement by Minister of State Kathleen Lynch that public representatives would have to request in writing a visit with her, saying the deputy governor of Mountjoy had not responded. Kathleen Lynch replied: “I will take on board very much Deputy Boyd Barrett's issue about the visits and make inquiries.”
Boyd Barrett spoke at the Dublin edition of the 15 October 2011 global protests
15 October 2011 global protests
The 15 October 2011 global protests were part of a series of protests inspired by the Arab Spring, the Spanish "Indignants", the Greek Protests and the Occupy movement. Global demonstrations were held on October 15 in more than 950 cities 82 countries. The date was chosen to coincide with the 5...
inspired by the Spanish "Indignants"
2011 Spanish protests
The 2011 Spanish protests, also referred to as the 15-M Movement and the Indignants movement, are a series of ongoing demonstrations in Spain whose origin can be traced to social networks and Real Democracy NOW among other civilian digital platforms and 200 other small associations...
and the Occupy Wall Street
Occupy Wall Street
Occupy Wall Street is an ongoing series of demonstrations initiated by the Canadian activist group Adbusters which began September 17, 2011 in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City's Wall Street financial district...
movements. The same month he said Enda Kenny's government was engaging in “spin and disingenuity” to cover up its austerity policies, decrying the closure of hospital emergency departments around the country for “health and safety” reasons. On 2 November 2011, Boyd Barrett led the United Left Alliance TDs out of the Dáil in protest against the government's decision not to hold a debate on the payment of more than €700 million to Anglo Irish Bank
Anglo Irish Bank
Anglo Irish Bank was a bank based in Ireland with its headquarters in Dublin from 1964 to 2011. It went into wind-down mode after nationalisation in 2009....
bondholders. "You will not even give the parliament the right to vote on the handover of all the money you have taken out of the health service", he objected.
Domestic policy
Richard Boyd Barrett has campaigned against Ireland's bank-bail outs and the National Asset Management AgencyNational Asset Management Agency
The National Asset Management Agency is a body created by the Government of Ireland in late 2009. It is in response to the Irish financial crisis and the deflation of the Irish property bubble....
(NAMA), organised protests, and supported initiatives such as The Right to Work Campaign. He also proposed direct investment in public enterprise and strategic industry to create jobs in areas such as renewable energy
Renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
, food production, generic medicines
Generic drug
A generic drug is a drug defined as "a drug product that is comparable to brand/reference listed drug product in dosage form, strength, route of administration, quality and performance characteristics, and intended use." It has also been defined as a term referring to any drug marketed under its...
and IT development. Boyd Barrett has organized a campaign to oppose the sale of St Michael's Hospital to private developers, led campaigns to protect public amenities in Dún Laoghaire, including the Save Our Seafront campaign against a high rise development on the site of the Dun Laoghaire baths, and more recently he has been campaigning to prevent the acquisition of Dún Laoghaire harbour by private companies. He has also been involved in campaigns to reverse job losses, such as those by staff at Connolly Shoes (a shoe shop).
Critics, such as the print and broadcast journalist Vincent Browne
Vincent Browne
Vincent Browne is an Irish print and broadcast journalist. He is a columnist with The Irish Times and The Sunday Business Post and a part time barrister....
, have described Boyd Barrett's economic views as "Cloud Cuckooland".
Foreign policy
Boyd Barrett helped to organize mass protests against the war in Iraq in 2003. He addressed the Dublin leg of the March 20, 2003 International Day of ActionMarch 20, 2003 anti-war protest
On March 20, 2003, the day after the invasion of Iraq had begun, thousands of protests and demonstrations were held around the world in opposition to it. In many cases, these protests were known as "Day X" protests, reflecting the fact that they had been organized to occur when war started,...
. He said that it was "almost certain" that any war would lead to between 50,000 and 100,000 deaths. He said "the complicity of the Irish Government in this murderous war through providing facilities for the US military at Shannon airport" was "an absolute disgrace" and urged people to protest in their thousands "to show this carnage is not being mounted in our names". In 2009 he supported the pro-democracy protests in Iran.
In March 2005, according to the Irish Anti-War organization, Boyd Barrett attended the Cairo Anti-war Conference
Cairo Anti-war Conference
The Cairo Conference against U.S. hegemony and war on Iraq and in solidarity with Palestine , generally known simply as Cairo Anti-war Conference, is an anti-war and anti-neo-liberalism conference held regularly since 2002 in Cairo, Egypt...
in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, focusing on American intervention in Iraq.
In 2007, he called for Ibrahim Moussawi, head of the Hezbollah-owned Al-Manar
Al-Manar
Al-Manar is a Lebanese satellite television station affiliated with Hezbollah, registered as Lebanese Media Group Company, broadcasting from Beirut, Lebanon. It has an offering a "rich menu" of high production news, commentary, and entertainment. The self-proclaimed "Station of the Resistance" ,...
TV station, to be allowed to enter Ireland to attend a Dublin conference organised by the Irish Anti-War Movement
Irish Anti-War Movement
The Irish Anti-War Movement is an organisation which campaigns against wars around the world. Recent campaigns have been against wars such as the Sri Lankan Civil War and the Gaza War, and most prominently in recent years against the Iraq War and the use of Shannon Airport by the US military.The...
. According to the Irish Independent
Irish Independent
The Irish Independent is Ireland's largest-selling daily newspaper that is published in both compact and broadsheet formats. It is the flagship publication of Independent News & Media.-History:...
, Boyd Barrett said that banning Moussawi amounted to the suppression of "free public debate in the country".
In April 2009 Boyd Barrett addressed the Al-Aqsa Conference in Dublin. He said that Israel is "a state built on violence, oppression and apartheid" and "has no right to exist as long as it denies rights to Palestinians.”