Ruth Coppinger
Ruth Coppinger TD | |
---|---|
Teachta Dála | |
Assumed office May 2014 | |
Constituency | Dublin West |
Personal details | |
Born |
Dublin, Ireland | 18 April 1967
Nationality | Irish |
Political party | Solidarity–People Before Profit |
Other political affiliations | Socialist Party |
Spouse(s) | Imran Khan (m. 2007) |
Children | 1 |
Alma mater | University College Dublin |
Ruth Coppinger (born 18 April 1967) is an Irish Solidarity–People Before Profit politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin West constituency since the 2014 Dublin West by-election.[1]
Political career
Coppinger was a member of Fingal County Council for the Mulhuddart area from 2003 to 2014.[2] 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 for the Socialist Party[3] at the 2011 Dublin West by-election.[2]
She later joined party colleague Joe Higgins in the Dáil, as a result of the 2014 by-election in the same constituency.[4][5] After being elected, she called for a mass campaign of opposition to water charges being implemented by the Fine Gael-Labour Party coalition.[6]
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.[7] 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.[8] She has also supported the tenants of Tyrrelstown, who were made homeless when a Goldman Sachs vulture fund sold their houses.[9][10][11][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 office 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, Coppinger was nominated for the role of Taoiseach, becoming the first female nominee in the history of the state.[16][17][18][19]
Personal life
Coppinger lives in Mulhuddart. She is married to Imran Khan, a Pakistani national,[20] and is a secondary school teacher.[21] Her eldest brother Eugene Coppinger serves on Fingal County Council.[22]
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."[23][24]
References
- ↑ "Ms. Ruth Coppinger". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
- 1 2 "Ruth Coppinger". ElectionsIreland.org. Archived from the original on 15 February 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
- ↑ "Nulty elected in Dublin West". Irish Examiner. 29 October 2011. Archived from the original on 1 November 2011.
- ↑ "Coppinger wins Dublin West by-election". RTÉ News. 24 May 2014. Archived from the original on 16 February 2015.
- ↑ 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. Archived from the original on 25 May 2014.
- ↑ "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. Archived from the original on 7 April 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. Archived from the original on 16 April 2016.
- ↑ "Tyrrelstown tenants meeting over eviction notices". RTÉ News. 14 March 2016. Archived from the original on 10 April 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. Archived from the original on 1 April 2016.
- ↑ "Election 2016: Ruth Coppinger". RTÉ. 27 February 2016. Archived from the original on 29 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. Archived from the original on 6 April 2016.
- ↑ "Ireland will have its first ever female Taoiseach nominee on Wednesday". 5 April 2016. Archived from the original on 7 April 2016.
- ↑ "Ruth Coppinger set to make Irish political history this afternoon". 6 April 2016. Archived from the original on 21 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. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015.
- ↑ "About Ruth". Official website. Archived from the original on 3 January 2012.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ "Ruth Coppinger reveals house burglary live on RTÉ". RTÉ News. 22 January 2016. Archived from the original on 23 January 2016.
- ↑ Treacy, Ciara (22 January 2016). "Dublin TD Ruth Coppinger's home burgled while she was on the radio". Irish Independent.
External links
- Coppinger, Ruth. "Resentment over property tax is palpable", The Irish Times. 14 May 2014
Oireachtas | ||
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Preceded by Patrick Nulty 2011–14 |
Teachta Dála for Dublin West 2014–present With: Joe Higgins 2007–16 Joan Burton 2002–present Leo Varadkar 2007–present Jack Chambers 2016–present |
Incumbent |