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'''John Gormley''' ({{lang-ir|Seán Ó Gormlaigh}}<ref>[http://www.oireachtas.ie/viewdoc.asp?DocID=14575&&CatID=67 Members of the Government (Cabinet Ministers) and Ministers of State - 30th Dáil as at the 24 January 2011.] [[Oireachtas]] website. Retrieved 15 January 2011.</ref>; born 4 August 1959) is an [[Republic of Ireland|Irish]] politician. He is the current leader of the [[Green Party (Ireland)|Irish Green Party]], and is a [[Teachta Dála]] (TD) for the [[Dublin South East (Dáil Éireann constituency)|Dublin South East]] constituency.<ref name=oireachtas_db>
'''John Gormley''' (born 4 August 1959) is an [[Republic of Ireland|Irish]] politician. He is the current leader of the [[Green Party (Ireland)|Irish Green Party]], and is a [[Teachta Dála]] (TD) for the [[Dublin South East (Dáil Éireann constituency)|Dublin South East]] constituency.<ref name=oireachtas_db>
{{cite web
{{cite web
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|url=http://oireachtas.ie/members-hist/default.asp?housetype=0&HouseNum=28&MemberID=472&ConstID=92

Revision as of 08:58, 26 January 2011

For the Canadian broadcaster and politician, see John Kenneth Gormley.
John Gormley
TD
Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government
In office
14 June 2007 – 23 January 2011
Preceded byDick Roche
Succeeded byÉamon Ó Cuív
Leader of the Green Party
Assumed office
17 July 2007
Preceded byTrevor Sargent
Teachta Dála
Assumed office
6 June 1997
ConstituencyDublin South East
Personal details
Born (1959-08-04) 4 August 1959 (age 65)
Dublin, Ireland
Political partyGreen Party
SpousePenny Gormley
Children2
Alma materUniversity College Dublin,
University of Freiburg
WebsiteOfficial website

John Gormley (born 4 August 1959) is an Irish politician. He is the current leader of the Irish Green Party, and is a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin South East constituency.[1] He served as Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government from 2007–11. He was previously the party spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Health and Children, and chairman of the party.

Early and personal life

Born in Dublin, Gormley was educated in St Munchin's College, Limerick, University College Dublin and the University of Freiburg. Prior to entering full-time politics he ran an academy of European languages. He has held many positions in the Green Party including Campaign Director for the successful anti-smog campaign in the 1980s. He contested his first general election in 1989, in the Dublin South East constituency, but was not elected. He also unsuccessfully contested the 1989 Seanad election and 1992 general election. In 1990 he wrote The Green Guide For Ireland, containing advice on how to live and campaign environmentally.

He lives in Ringsend with his wife, Penny, and their son and daughter.

Political life

In 1991 he was elected to Dublin City Council and was Lord Mayor of Dublin from 1994–95. At the 1997 general election, Gormley became the third Green candidate elected to Dáil Éireann - after a week-long re-count with Michael McDowell, which he won by 27 votes. Gormley and Trevor Sargent served as the only Green Party TDs from 1997–2002. He retained his seat at the 2002 general election, increasing his vote and taking the first seat in his constituency, though McDowell gained the most number of first preferences.

He was elected to the newly created post of party Cathaoirleach (chairperson) of the Green Party in 2002, and re-elected in late 2004 with 80% of the party vote. He is seen by many[citation needed] as the most influential figure within the Green Party, having proposed some of the major changes to the party structures such as the name change (from Green Alliance to Green Party), and the need to have a party leader.

On 16 May 2007, during the run up to the 2007 general election, Gormley emerged from a crowd of journalists to confront Michael McDowell while he was unveiling a poster saying 'Left Wing Government? No Thanks'. Gormley repeatedly requested McDowell to admit that the accompanying pamphlet on the matter was awash with lies. The incident fronted the evening's main news and the footage subsequently circulated on the Internet.[2]

Gormley was re-elected at the 2007 general election, beating McDowell for the last seat by 304 votes.[3] Following the election he led negotiations with Fianna Fáil on forming a government. The programme for government was approved by 86% of party members who attended a specially convened conference in Dublin's Mansion House, after which the party entered government for the first time. On 14 June 2007 he was named as Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government in the new coalition.

Leader of Green Party

Following the general election of 2007, Trevor Sargent resigned as leader of the Green Party. The following leadership election was contested by Gormley and Patricia McKenna, and the Green Party announced that in the postal ballot he received 478 votes to McKenna's 263.[4]

Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government

As the new Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Gormley took over the responsibility for the decision to allow the excavation of national monuments near the historical site of the Hill of Tara to facilitate the construction of the M3 motorway. On his final day in office, outgoing minister Dick Roche signed an order which allowed a newly discovered National Monument at Lismullin near Tara to be studied and then destroyed to make way for the building of the motorway. Gormley stated that he was unable for legal reasons to reverse this order.[5] Green Party TD Ciarán Cuffe expressed his dissatisfaction with the former Minister Roche's decision and expressed his hope that Gormley could reverse it.[6] Gormley appointed a long standing critic of the M3 route, Dr. Conor Newman of NUIG, to oversee the archaeological work as part of a special committee on the Lismullen site. [7] In 2009 the Tara-Skryne Valley was designated Ireland's first Landscape Conservation Area by Gormley, prohibiting shopping malls and retail parks from being constructed in the area.[8]

In September 2007, he announced regulations introducing reductions in energy consumption and carbon emissions for all new homes in new building regulations.[9] New homes are to be 40% more energy efficient, which will reduce the carbon footprint of each house by 40% also. The new regulations are also set to make renewable energy mandatory for all new build homes. [10]

In his leader's speech to the Green Party conference in April 2008, he provoked a walk-out of the Chinese Ambassador and diplomatic delegation by calling for solidarity with the people of Tibet and referring to Tibet as a nation.[11]

July 2008 saw changes to VRT and road tax which Gormley had brought about the previous year. The charges are now calculated on the basis of the carbon emissions of the vehicle. This had a dramatic effect according to Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland on the type of car sales that have occurred subsequently. [12]

In November 2008, he announced new quality standards for rented accommodation which landlords would be obliged to follow. Additional funding for inspections and more severe penalties for landlords who provide substandard accommodation formed part of the initiative.[13]

Gormley introduced a "Bike Scheme" in January 2009 which promoted cycling to work by offering tax incentives to employees and employers who purchased bicycles and switched to cycling. The scheme is part of a strategy to double the number of journeys made by bike by 2020, and also includes a multi-million euro cycle-path upgrade plan.[14]

In 2010, Gormley made a Ministerial order, forcing councillors in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council to revise a decision to rezone lands at The Park, Carrickmines (for retail development[15][16]) during the framing of Dun Laoghaire Rathdown's County Development Plan late in 2009. The Council ultimately voted for the proposal that was advanced by Fine Gael Councillors Jim O'Leary (now resigned) and Barry Ward, but this decision was the subject of much criticism from John Gormley's Green Party colleague and local TD, Ciaran Cuffe.[17] In March 2010, the Minister instructed the Council to reverse its decision.

In a close vote (with then Cathaoirleach Marie Baker exercising a casting a vote in favour of the Minister), the Council did change its decision, but the developer (Tristor Ltd.) took the Minister and Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council to the High Court.[18][19][20] Mr Justice Frank Clarke eventually ruled on the case in November 2010, finding that Minister Gormley had exceeded his powers by ordering the Council to change its decision.[21][22] It remains to be seen what impact this will have on the Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Development Plan.

On 22 November 2010, he called for an election date to be fixed in the second half of January 2011 following the announcement of an EU financial rescue package for Ireland due to the ongoing financial crisis in the country.[23]

He resigned as Minister on 23 January 2011 when the Green Party withdrew from government.[24]

References

  1. ^ "Mr. John Gormley". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 20 June 2009.
  2. ^ "Video of Gormley confronting McDowell". RTÉ News. 16 May 2007.
  3. ^ "John Gormley". ElectionsIreland.org. Retrieved 20 June 2009.
  4. ^ "Gormley elected Green Party leader". RTÉ News. 17 July 2007.
  5. ^ "News - Department of the Environment, Heritage & Local Government". Environ.ie. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
  6. ^ "Gormley seeks legal advice over M3 site". RTÉ News. 15 June 2007.
  7. ^ "Critic of M3 route appointed to Tara committee". Rte.ie. 2007-06-27. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
  8. ^ "Shops and malls to be banned at historic Tara site". Irish Independent. 18 July 2009.
  9. ^ "House rules for green construction". Irish Examiner. 22 September 2007.
  10. ^ "Gormley publishes building regulations to improve energy efficiency of new homes". www.greenparty.ie. 21 September 2007.
  11. ^ "Chinese Ambassador walks out on Gormley". RTÉ News. 12 April 2008. Retrieved 17 February 2010.
  12. ^ "Change in tax laws fuelling 'greener' car trade". Irish Independent. 17 December 2008.
  13. ^ "New rented accommodation standards to be introduced". The Irish Times. 19 November 2008. Retrieved 28 October 2009.
  14. ^ "Tax free bikes for work". BikeScheme.ie. Retrieved 28 October 2009.
  15. ^ "Council votes to rezone land at Carrickmines for retail". The Irish Times. 2010-04-13. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
  16. ^ "Councillors plan to overturn south Dublin zoning decision". The Irish Times. 2010-04-08. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
  17. ^ "Retail plan shows developers have learnt nothing, says Cuffe". The Irish Times. 2010-03-08. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
  18. ^ "Carrickmines designation case in court". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
  19. ^ "Developer seeks to challenge zoning ruling". The Irish Times. 2010-05-18. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
  20. ^ "Developer seeks to quash Gormley's site designation". The Irish Times. 2010-07-28. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
  21. ^ "Court finds against Gormley". The Irish Times. 2010-11-11. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
  22. ^ "Judge finds Gormley acted outside powers over planning". The Irish Times. 2010-11-12. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
  23. ^ "Green Party calls for election date to be set". RTÉ News. 22 November 2010.
  24. ^ "Green Party withdraws from government". RTÉ News. 23 January 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
Civic offices
Preceded by Lord Mayor of Dublin
1994–1995 		Succeeded by
Oireachtas
Preceded by Green Party Teachta Dála for Dublin South East
1997–present 		Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government
2007–2011 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Leader of the Green Party
2007–present 		Incumbent

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