Paul Murphy (Irish politician)
| Paul Murphy MEP |
|
|---|---|
| Member of the European Parliament | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 1 April 2011 |
|
| Constituency | Dublin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 13 April 1983 Dublin, Ireland |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Political party | Socialist Party/European United Left–Nordic Green Left |
| Alma mater | University College Dublin |
| Website | www.paulmurphymep.eu |
Paul Murphy (born 13 April 1983) is an Irish Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Dublin constituency, representing the Socialist Party (European United Left–Nordic Green Left).[1]
Contents |
Early life [edit]
Murphy grew up in Goatstown, a suburb of Dublin. His father, Kieran Murphy, was a senior manager at the Irish division of Mars. He is the nephew of RTÉ journalist and broadcaster Michael Murphy. His family originates from Castlebar in County Mayo.[2] He studied for the Leaving Certificate at the Dublin Institute of Education before going on to graduate from University College Dublin with a degree in Law in 2004. He joined the Socialist Party in 2001 and in 2003 he unsuccessfully ran for president of the UCD Students' Union.[3] Murphy also has worked in the European Parliament with Joe Higgins as his political advisor.
A 2008 short film, which describes him as a full-time activist for the Socialist Party, follows his involvement in protests against cutbacks at Tallaght Hospital during the Irish financial crisis.[4] He is also active in Free Education for Everyone, a group campaigning against the reintroduction of fees for third-level education in Ireland.[5] In 2009 he was working on a PhD thesis titled "Does socialist law exist?"[6]
MEP [edit]
Murphy replaced Joe Higgins in the European Parliament, who became an Member of the European Parliament as a result of the 2009 election, after Higgins was elected to Dáil Éireann in 2011.[7]
Murphy sits as a full member on the International Trade committee in the European Parliament as a substitute on the Employment and Social Affairs and Petitions committees. He is also a full member of the South Asia Delegation and a substitute on the Central Asia delegation. He has been a member of the Socialist Party National Committee since 2001 and the National Executive Committee since 2010.[8]
He participated in the second freedom flotilla to Gaza which was unsuccessful due to alleged sabotage by the Israeli state.[9] In August 2011 he also visited the Susa Valley near Turin to visit the No TAV campaign which campaigns against the construction of an environmentally destructive and unpopular high speed railway linking Lyon and Turin.[10]
Murphy is a supporter of the Shell to Sea campaign. In August 2011 while protesting against the construction of the pipeline in Erris he and others were forcibly removed from a protest by Gardaí. A complaint was submitted to the Garda Ombudsman alleging unreasonable use of force.[11]
In early November 2011, Murphy was reported to be on board a ship heading to Gaza as part of a flotilla on a humanitarian mission.[12] Israeli forces boarded the ship on 4 November and imprisoned Murphy and all the other activists on board, with one them saying this was carried out in a "violent and dangerous" manner.[13][14] Israel deported Murphy on 11 November.[15]
In 2012, he set up the website ScamBridge.org for people who want to share their experiences of the government's JobBridge scheme.[16]
References [edit]
- ^ "Paul Murphy". European Parliament. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
- ^ "Pillars of Society: Paul Murphy". The Phoenix. 1 June 2012. pp. pg17.
- ^ "To Fight Fees: Vote Paul Murphy No.1 for President". Socialist Party. February 2003. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
- ^ Plunkett, Sean (14 June 2008). "Which Side Are You On?". YouTube. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
- ^ Cantwell, Simon (10 February 2009). "FEE express disappointment over portrayal in magazine". The University Observer (UCD). Retrieved 23 March 2011.
- ^ "Current PhD students". PhD newsletter. UCD Law faculty. 9 July 2009. p. 4. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
- ^ "Murphy to replace Higgins as MEP". The Irish Times. 23 March 2011. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
- ^ "European Parliament website". European Parliament. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
- ^ Duncan, Pamela (30 June 2011). "Irish ship will not sail to Gaza after 'sabotage'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 30 June 2011.
- ^ "Paul Murphy MEP on Italian news". TGR. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
- ^ Lally, Conor (2 September 2011). "MEP lodges complaint over Corrib protest with Garda ombudsman". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
- ^ "Irish aid ship bound for Gaza". RTÉ News. 2 November 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
- ^ "Israeli navy boards Gaza-bound Irish ship". RTÉ News. 4 November 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2011.
- ^ "Socialist MEP among Gaza peace activists kidnapped by IDF". The Socialist. 9 November 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
- ^ "Israel to deport Irish MEP on Friday". RTÉ News. 9 November 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
- ^ "Paul Murphy MEP launches 'ScamBridge' website". RTÉ News. 26 September 2012. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
External links [edit]
| European Parliament | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Joe Higgins |
Member of the European Parliament for Dublin 2011–present |
Incumbent |
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