Ruth Coppinger
Ruth Coppinger | |
|---|---|
| Teachta Dála | |
| Assumed office May 2014 | |
| Constituency | Dublin West |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 18 April 1967 Dublin, Ireland |
| Political party | Socialist Party |
| Spouse | Imran Khan |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | Loreto Beaufort, Rathfarnham and University College Dublin |
Ruth Coppinger is an Irish Anti-Austerity Alliance politician. She was elected for Dublin West as a Teachta Dála (TD) at the 2014 Dublin West by-election. She was re-elected at the 2016 general election and became the first woman to be nominated for the role of Taoiseach. She is a member of the Socialist Party.
Political career
Coppinger was a member of Fingal County Council for the Mulhuddart area from 2003 to 2014.[1] She was co-opted to the council in 2003, replacing Joe Higgins. She was elected in 2004 and re-elected in 2009. She was an unsuccessful candidate at the 2011 Dublin West by-election.[1]
She later joined party colleague Joe Higgins in the Dáil as a result of the 2014 by-election in the same constituency.[2][3] On being elected, she called for a mass campaign of opposition to water charges being imposed by the Fine Gael-Labour Party coalition.[4]
In September 2015, she joined homeless families from Blanchardstown in occupying a Nama-controlled property as part of a campaign to raise awareness of the housing crisis.[5] In October 2015, she joined families in their occupation of a show house in her constituency to protest at the lack of availability of affordable social housing.[6] She has also supported the tenants of Tyrrelstown who were made homeless when a Goldman Sachs vulture fund sold their houses.[7][8][9][10][11]
On 21 January 2016, Coppinger's house was burgled - she told RTÉ the following day: "When I arrived home at nine o'clock last night, the house had been rifled through."[12][13]
She was re-elected to the Dáil at the 2016 general election, this time under the Anti-Austerity Alliance–People Before Profit banner.[14] On 10 March 2016, at the first sitting of the 32nd Dáil, she nominated Richard Boyd Barrett for the role of Taoiseach, quoting James Connolly from a hundred years previously when she said: "The day has passed for patching up the capitalist system. It must go" and declaring: "We will not vote for the identical twin candidates" of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil after they "imposed austerity".[15] On 6 April 2016, following the failure of the Dáil to elect a Taoiseach at that first sitting, she herself was nominated for the role of Taoiseach, becoming the first woman to achieve this in the history of the state.[16][17][18][19]
Personal life
Coppinger lives in Mulhuddart. She is married to Imran Khan[20] and is a secondary school teacher.[21] Her eldest brother Eugene Coppinger serves on Fingal County Council.[22]
References
- ^ a b "Ruth Coppinger". ElectionsIreland.org. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
- ^ "Coppinger wins Dublin West by-election". RTÉ News. 24 May 2014.
- ^ O'Connor, Niall (25 May 2014). "Ruth Coppinger's victory doubles Socialist Party's voice in Dail". Irish Independent.
- ^ McCarthaigh, Sean (24 May 2014). "Coppinger: Win is a result for ordinary working people". BreakingNews.ie.
- ^ "Group occupies Nama-controlled property to raise awareness of homelessness". Irish Independent. 22 September 2015.
- ^ "Dail deputy Ruth Coppinger and homeless families 'occupy' West Dublin show house". Irish Independent. 3 October 2015.
- ^ "Tyrrelstown tenants organise protest today". The Sunday Business Post. 22 March 2016.
- ^ Edwards, Elaine (18 March 2016). "Families begin to leave Tyrrelstown estate as leases not renewed: Residents meeting tonight agree to protest march on the Dáil next Tuesday". The Irish Times.
- ^ "Tyrrelstown tenants meeting over eviction notices". RTÉ News. 14 March 2016.
- ^ Lennon, Barry (17 March 2016). "Pressure on Kelly to help families facing eviction". Irish Independent.
- ^ "Tyrrelstown Tenants Action Group calls for government intervention". BreakingNews.ie. 19 March 2016.
- ^ "Ruth Coppinger reveals house burglary live on RTÉ". RTÉ News. 22 January 2016.
- ^ Treacy, Ciara (22 January 2016). "Dublin TD Ruth Coppinger's home burgled while she was on the radio". Irish Independent.
- ^ "Election 2016: Ruth Coppinger". RTÉ. 27 February 2016.
- ^ McQuinn, Cormac (10 March 2016). "Parties nominate their leaders to be the next Taoiseach". Irish Independent.
- ^ "Ruth Coppinger will become the first woman nominated for Taoiseach". 5 April 2016.
- ^ "Ireland will have its first ever female Taoiseach nominee on Wednesday". 5 April 2016.
- ^ "Ruth Coppinger set to make Irish political history this afternoon". 6 April 2016.
- ^ "Left Wing TD Ruth Coppinger will be the first woman ever nominated for Taoiseach today". 6 April 2016.
- ^ "Coppinger makes dramatic entrance". The Sunday Times. 25 May 2014.
- ^ "About Ruth". Official website. Archived from the original on 3 January 2012.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Murphy, Cormac (27 May 2014). "Fingal County council: Final counts filled overnight". Irish Independent.
Eugene Coppinger, brother of new Dublin West TD Ruth Coppinger, had a successful campaign. Mr Coppinger, a Socialist Part[y] and Anti-Austerity Alliance candidate, said the whole family is proud of his little sister Ruth's achievement.
External links
- Coppinger, Ruth. "Resentment over property tax is palpable", The Irish Times. 14 May 2014