Alex White (politician)
| Alex White | |
|---|---|
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| Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources | |
|
In office 11 July 2014 – 6 May 2016 | |
| Taoiseach | Enda Kenny |
| Preceded by | Pat Rabbitte |
| Succeeded by | Denis Naughten |
| Minister of State for Primary Care | |
|
In office 27 September 2012 – 11 July 2014 | |
| Taoiseach | Enda Kenny |
| Preceded by | Róisín Shortall |
| Succeeded by | Kathleen Lynch |
| Leader of the Labour Party in the Seanad | |
|
In office 13 September 2007 – 8 March 2011 | |
| Leader | Eamon Gilmore |
| Preceded by | Brendan Ryan |
| Succeeded by | Phil Prendergast (acting) |
| Teachta Dála | |
|
In office February 2011 – February 2016 | |
| Constituency | Dublin South |
| Senator | |
|
In office July 2007 – February 2011 | |
| Constituency | Cultural and Educational Panel |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
3 December 1958 Marino, Dublin, Ireland |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Political party | Labour Party |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Corcoran |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Dublin |
| Website |
www |
Alex White (born 3 December 1958) is an Irish senior counsel, Labour Party politician, and former Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources.[1] He was elected at the 2011 general election as a Teachta Dála (TD) for Dublin South, having previously been member of Seanad Éireann, elected by the Cultural and Educational Panel in 2007.[2] He lost his Dáil seat in 2016.
Early life
White grew up in Marino, Dublin. He was educated at Chanel College Coolock, Trinity College, Dublin, and the King's Inns. He was called to the Bar in 1987.[3]
White was a student activist in Trinity College, Dublin, where he was president of the Students' Union and also for a time a supporter of various Trotskyist groupings, including the League for a Workers Republic.[4] He was later a national officer of the Union of Students in Ireland. During his time as a producer with RTÉ he was active in the SIPTU trade union. In common with Mary McAleese he was attacked and criticised by a group led by Eoghan Harris and associated with the Workers' Party over what they perceived as their bias towards Republican groups in the North.[5] White was a strong opponent of Section 31 of the Broadcasting Act, which prevented Sinn Féin members from being heard.
Political career
He was first elected to South Dublin County Council in 2004, for the Terenure-Rathfarnham electoral area. He was an unsuccessful candidate at the 2007 general election in the Dublin South constituency.[6]
White was nominated as a general election candidate in 2007 by the Labour Party leadership. He had voted for coalition with Fine Gael in a Labour Party congress (the line of Pat Rabbitte, then leader of the party). His election to the Senate was due to a voting pact with Sinn Féin.[7]
He was the Labour Party candidate in the 2009 by-election in Dublin South.[8] He came second behind the former RTÉ economics editor George Lee.[6] White was his party's Seanad group leader and national spokesperson on children between 2007 and February 2011, when he was elected to the Dáil. He subsequently was appointed as chairman of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform.[9]
White was leader of an Oireachtas delegation that met the Bundestag's Budgetary and European Affairs committees in Berlin in late January 2012.[10]
White was formally nominated for the position of Minister of State for Primary Care by Eamon Gilmore, on 27 September 2012, following the resignation of Róisín Shortall.[11]
Following the resignation of Eamon Gilmore as Leader of the Labour Party in the aftermath of Labour's poor result at the local and European elections, White announced his candidacy for the party leadership. On 4 July 2014, Joan Burton was elected as Labour Party leader, defeating White by 77% to 22%.[12]
On 11 July 2014, he was appointed Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources in a cabinet reshuffle.[13]
White lost his seat at the 2016 general election.[6] He remained Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources in an acting capacity during prolonged talks on government formation, earning €13,515 in that time.[14]
References
- ↑ http://www.rte.ie/news/2014/0711/629951-cabinet/
- ↑ "Mr. Alex White". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 7 January 2010.
- ↑ "Alex White: Biography". alexwhite.ie. Archived from the original on 5 February 2011. Retrieved 3 March 2011.
- ↑ "Section 31 saved many young men of 20 from PIRA". Sunday Independent. 8 January 2012.
- ↑ Hanley, Brian; Millar, Scott (26 March 2009). The lost revolution: the story of the official IRA and the workers' party. Penguin Ireland. ISBN 978-1-84488-120-8. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
- 1 2 3 "Alex White". ElectionsIreland.org. Retrieved 7 January 2010.
- ↑ "Labour and SF discuss voting pact to elect senators". The Irish Times. 7 July 2007. Retrieved 7 January 2010.
- ↑ "In short". The Irish Times. 22 October 2008. Retrieved 23 October 2008.
- ↑ "Party spokespersons". Labour.ie. Archived from the original on 27 September 2010. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
- ↑ "Oireachtas delegation in Bundestag meeting". RTÉ News. 26 January 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
- ↑ "Eamon Gilmore proposes Alex White to replace Roisin Shortall". RTÉ News. 27 September 2012.
- ↑ "Need to govern with more heart, says Joan Burton". RTÉ News. 4 July 2014.
- ↑ "Live: Cabinet reshuffle". RTÉ News. 11 July 2014.
- ↑ McGrath, Meadhbh (6 May 2016). "Revealed: The salaries TDs pocketed over 10 weeks of government talks". Irish Independent.
External links
| Oireachtas | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Eamon Ryan (Green Party) |
Labour Party Teachta Dála for Dublin South 2011–2016 |
Incumbent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Róisín Shortall |
Minister of State for Primary Care 2012–2014 |
Succeeded by Kathleen Lynch |
| Preceded by Pat Rabbitte |
Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources 2014–2016 |
Succeeded by Denis Naughten |