Pat Rabbitte
Encyclopedia
Pat Rabbitte is an Irish
Labour Party
politician who has been Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources since March 2011. He is currently a Teachta Dála
(TD) for the Dublin South West
constituency and was the leader of the Labour Party from October 2002 to August 2007.
and brought up in Woodstock, Ballindine
, County Mayo
. He was educated locally at St Colman's College, Claremorris
before emigrating to Britain
to find employment. He returned shortly afterwards to attend University College Galway
where he studied English. While at university Rabbitte became involved in several college movements before serving as President of the NUI, Galway Students' Union
in 1970–1971. Between 1972 and 1974 he achieved national attention when he served as President of the national Union of Students in Ireland
(USI). Following the completion of his presidency in 1974 he became an official in the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union
(ITGWU), becoming National Secretary for the union in 1980.
Rabbitte became involved in electoral politics for the first time in 1985 when he was elected to Dublin County Council
. At the 1989 general election
he was elected to Dáil Éireann
as a Workers' Party
TD for Dublin South West
. He has retained his seat at every election since as a Workers' Party, then Democratic Left
and now a Labour Party TD.
After the retirement as Party President of the Workers' Party by Tomás Mac Giolla in 1988, Rabbitte was seen as one of those who wanted to move the party away from its hard left
position and alignment with the Soviet Union
and international communist
and workers' parties. He and some others who had come from the USI via the trade union movement were seen as wanting to bring the party more to the centre. This led Rabbitte, Eamon Gilmore
and others to earn the nickname "The Student Princes". In 1992 Rabbitte played a prominent role with Proinsias De Rossa
in an attempt to jettison some of its more hard left positions. This eventually split the party.
, the Labour Party and Democratic Left came to power. Rabbitte was a member of the junior ministerial team, serving as Minister of State
to the Government, as well as Minister for State at the Department of Enterprise and Employment
with responsibility for Commerce, Science and Technology. During his tenure as a junior minister Rabbitte was instrumental in establishing an anti-drugs strategy as well as enacting legislation which gave the Credit union
movement more authority. Rabbitte also decided to locate the proposed new state backed Technology Campus for West Dublin, based on high speed telecommunication links, at CityWest Business Campus beside the N7 motorway, near Clondalkin
.
the Rainbow Coalition lost power. The following year saw a merger between the Labour Party and Democratic Left, with Rabbitte participating in the negotiations. In October 2002 Rabbitte succeeded Ruairi Quinn
as the new leader of the Labour Party. Under his leadership the party has made some gains in the local elections of 2004. Rabbitte has been described as an extremely good performer in the Dáil, often outshining his Fine Gael counterpart Enda Kenny
. He is also noted for his anti-Fianna Fáil
rhetoric.
Under Rabbitte the Labour Party agreed to enter a pre-election pact with Fine Gael in an attempt to offer the electorate an alternative coalition government at the 2007 general election, which took place in May 2007. This was commonly known as 'The Mullingar Accord' and the proposed alternative government was called 'The Alliance for change'. The Green Party
were also anticipated to be likely members of the coalition government on the basis of agreed points of view on many issues covered by the Mullingar Accord.
This move is rumoured to have caused some tension in the parliamentary party, as some members would prefer not to be aligned with any party in advance of an election. The election result did not return a sufficient number of seats for the Alliance for Change to occupy government, even with the support of the Green Party. Rabbitte himself commented on the election result: "This leaves Mr. Ahern in the driving seat". Negotiations between Fianna Fáil and the Green Party resulted in a government
being formed on 13 June 2007.
Following the disappointing result in the election for Labour, Rabbitte announced he was stepping down as leader on the 23 August 2007. He said in his resignation statement. that he took responsibility for the outcome of the recent general election, in which his party failed to gain new seats and failed to replace the outgoing government. He was succeeded as party leader by Eamon Gilmore
.
Rabbitte gained strong public attention on 18 November 2010 when he angrily criticised the Minister for Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs, Pat Carey
, when they appeared together on the Prime Time
television programme. A recording of the outburst on the Internet was viewed 100,000 times in its first three days there.
Rabbitte was re-elected on the first count in the 2011 general election. His running mate Eamonn Maloney
was also elected. On 9 March 2011, he was appointed as Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources.
The columnist Fintan O'Toole
, writing in The Irish Times
in August 2011, criticised the lack of royalties system for gas and oil in Ireland. He claimed that "The State is about to sign away almost all our resources on terms by far the worst in the developed world". Rabbitte responded with a letter, claiming that the article was inaccurate. Rabbitte's response was in turn criticized by Cian O'Callaghan, a Labour Party ingal County Council|Councillor] for the Labour Party, as "misguided".
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
Labour Party
Labour Party (Ireland)
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. The Labour Party was founded in 1912 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by James Connolly, James Larkin and William X. O'Brien as the political wing of the Irish Trade Union Congress. Unlike the other main Irish...
politician who has been Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources since March 2011. He is currently a Teachta Dála
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
(TD) for the Dublin South West
Dublin South West (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Dublin South–West is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 4 deputies...
constituency and was the leader of the Labour Party from October 2002 to August 2007.
Early life
Patrick Rabbitte was born in 1949 near ClaremorrisClaremorris
Claremorris , is a town in County Mayo in the west of Ireland, at the junction of the N17 and the N60 national routes. The population of Claremoris in the 2011 Census was 3,979....
and brought up in Woodstock, Ballindine
Ballindine
Ballindine is a village in County Mayo, Ireland. It is located along the Western Railway Corridor, 6.5 km south of Claremorris. The N17 route passes through the village, carrying over 10,000 vehicles daily, and it connects to the R328 road on the south side of town...
, County Mayo
County Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
. He was educated locally at St Colman's College, Claremorris
St Colman's College, Claremorris
St Colman's College is an all-boys secondary school in Claremorris, County Mayo. Approximately 400 pupils attend.-History:The School was founded in 1945, as a school for the boys of Claremorris to attend instead of having to travel to Ballinrobe. An Old Manor House on the Knock Road was used as the...
before emigrating to Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to find employment. He returned shortly afterwards to attend University College Galway
National University of Ireland, Galway
The National University of Ireland, Galway is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland...
where he studied English. While at university Rabbitte became involved in several college movements before serving as President of the NUI, Galway Students' Union
NUI, Galway Students' Union
The NUI Galway Students' Union / Comhaltas na Mac Léinn, OÉ, Gaillimh is the representative body of students in the National University of Ireland, Galway in Ireland.-The Union:...
in 1970–1971. Between 1972 and 1974 he achieved national attention when he served as President of the national Union of Students in Ireland
Union of Students in Ireland
The Union of Students in Ireland is the national representative body for third-level students' unions in Ireland. The Union of Students in Ireland is the sole national representative body for students in Ireland but does not represent students from two of the seven Irish Universities, namely...
(USI). Following the completion of his presidency in 1974 he became an official in the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union
Irish Transport and General Workers' Union
The Irish Transport and General Workers Union, an Irish trade union, was founded by James Larkin in 1908 as a general union. Initially drawing its membership from branches of the Liverpool-based National Union of Dock Labourers, from which Larkin had been expelled, it grew to include workers in a...
(ITGWU), becoming National Secretary for the union in 1980.
Rabbitte became involved in electoral politics for the first time in 1985 when he was elected to Dublin County Council
Dublin County Council
Dublin County Council was a local authority for the administrative county of County Dublin in the Republic of Ireland. It was established by the Local Government Act 1898....
. At the 1989 general election
Irish general election, 1989
The Irish general election of 1989 was held on Thursday, 15 June 1989, three weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on 25 May. The newly elected 166 members of the 26th Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 29 June...
he was elected to Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...
as a Workers' Party
Workers' Party of Ireland
The Workers' Party is a left-wing republican political party in Ireland. Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970 after a split within the party, adopting its current name in 1982....
TD for Dublin South West
Dublin South West (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Dublin South–West is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 4 deputies...
. He has retained his seat at every election since as a Workers' Party, then Democratic Left
Democratic Left (Ireland)
Democratic Left was a democratic socialist political party active in Ireland between 1992 and 1999. It came into being after a split in the Workers' Party and, after just seven years in existence, it merged into the Irish Labour Party.-Origins:...
and now a Labour Party TD.
After the retirement as Party President of the Workers' Party by Tomás Mac Giolla in 1988, Rabbitte was seen as one of those who wanted to move the party away from its hard left
Hard left
Hard left is a name often given to an internal tendency within the British Labour Party. Similar terminology is used also in the context of the Australian Labor Party....
position and alignment with the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and international communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
and workers' parties. He and some others who had come from the USI via the trade union movement were seen as wanting to bring the party more to the centre. This led Rabbitte, Eamon Gilmore
Eamon Gilmore
Eamon Gilmore is an Irish Labour Party politician and the current Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade. He has been the Leader of the Labour Party since September 2007, and a Teachta Dála for the Dún Laoghaire constituency since 1989, first with the Workers' Party of Ireland, and...
and others to earn the nickname "The Student Princes". In 1992 Rabbitte played a prominent role with Proinsias De Rossa
Proinsias De Rossa
Proinsias De Rossa is an Irish Labour Party politician and Member of the European Parliament for the Dublin constituency. He a former President of the Workers' Party and subsequently leader of Democratic Left, and later, a senior member of the Labour Party. He was Minister for Social Welfare from...
in an attempt to jettison some of its more hard left positions. This eventually split the party.
In government
In 1994 a new Rainbow Coalition government of Fine GaelFine Gael
Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
, the Labour Party and Democratic Left came to power. Rabbitte was a member of the junior ministerial team, serving as Minister of State
Minister of State (Ireland)
A Minister of State in Ireland is of non-Cabinet rank, attached to one or more Departments of State of the Government of Ireland....
to the Government, as well as Minister for State at the Department of Enterprise and Employment
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Ireland)
The Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation is a department of the Government of Ireland. It is led by the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation who is assisted by two Ministers of State.-Departmental team:...
with responsibility for Commerce, Science and Technology. During his tenure as a junior minister Rabbitte was instrumental in establishing an anti-drugs strategy as well as enacting legislation which gave the Credit union
Credit union
A credit union is a cooperative financial institution that is owned and controlled by its members and operated for the purpose of promoting thrift, providing credit at competitive rates, and providing other financial services to its members...
movement more authority. Rabbitte also decided to locate the proposed new state backed Technology Campus for West Dublin, based on high speed telecommunication links, at CityWest Business Campus beside the N7 motorway, near Clondalkin
Clondalkin
-Today:Modern Clondalkin is a busy satellite town of Dublin, with a population of 43,929 in 2006. Retail facilities include Tesco Ireland- and Dunnes Stores-led shopping centres, and Aldi and Lidl stores on the Fonthill Road and New Nangor Road respectively, and the village centre is a base for...
.
Labour Party leader and aftermath
Following the 1997 general electionIrish general election, 1997
The Irish general election of 1997 was held on Friday, 6 June 1997. The 166 newly elected members of the 28th Dáil assembled on 26 June 1997 when a new Taoiseach and government were appointed....
the Rainbow Coalition lost power. The following year saw a merger between the Labour Party and Democratic Left, with Rabbitte participating in the negotiations. In October 2002 Rabbitte succeeded Ruairi Quinn
Ruairi Quinn
Ruairi Quinn is an Irish Labour Party politician who has been Minister for Education and Skills since March 2011. He is currently a Teachta Dála for the Dublin South East constituency. He was Minister for Finance from 1994 to 1997, and leader of the Labour Party from 1997 to 2002.-Early...
as the new leader of the Labour Party. Under his leadership the party has made some gains in the local elections of 2004. Rabbitte has been described as an extremely good performer in the Dáil, often outshining his Fine Gael counterpart Enda Kenny
Enda Kenny
Enda Kenny is an Irish Fine Gael politician, and has been the Taoiseach since 2011. He has led Fine Gael since 2002. He served as Minister for Tourism and Trade from 1994 to 1997. He is also a two-term Vice President of the European People's Party.Kenny has been a Teachta Dála for Mayo since...
. He is also noted for his anti-Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
rhetoric.
Under Rabbitte the Labour Party agreed to enter a pre-election pact with Fine Gael in an attempt to offer the electorate an alternative coalition government at the 2007 general election, which took place in May 2007. This was commonly known as 'The Mullingar Accord' and the proposed alternative government was called 'The Alliance for change'. The Green Party
Green Party (Ireland)
The Green Party is a green political party in Ireland. It was founded as the Ecology Party of Ireland in 1981 by Dublin teacher Christopher Fettes. The party became the Green Alliance in 1983 and in 1987 was renamed to its current title in English...
were also anticipated to be likely members of the coalition government on the basis of agreed points of view on many issues covered by the Mullingar Accord.
This move is rumoured to have caused some tension in the parliamentary party, as some members would prefer not to be aligned with any party in advance of an election. The election result did not return a sufficient number of seats for the Alliance for Change to occupy government, even with the support of the Green Party. Rabbitte himself commented on the election result: "This leaves Mr. Ahern in the driving seat". Negotiations between Fianna Fáil and the Green Party resulted in a government
Government of the 30th Dáil
The 30th Dáil was elected at the 2007 general election on 24 May 2007 and first met on 14 June when President Mary McAleese appointed Bertie Ahern as Taoiseach, on the nomination of Dáil Éireann...
being formed on 13 June 2007.
Following the disappointing result in the election for Labour, Rabbitte announced he was stepping down as leader on the 23 August 2007. He said in his resignation statement. that he took responsibility for the outcome of the recent general election, in which his party failed to gain new seats and failed to replace the outgoing government. He was succeeded as party leader by Eamon Gilmore
Eamon Gilmore
Eamon Gilmore is an Irish Labour Party politician and the current Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade. He has been the Leader of the Labour Party since September 2007, and a Teachta Dála for the Dún Laoghaire constituency since 1989, first with the Workers' Party of Ireland, and...
.
Rabbitte gained strong public attention on 18 November 2010 when he angrily criticised the Minister for Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs, Pat Carey
Pat Carey
Pat Carey is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was a Teachta Dála for the Dublin North West constituency from 1997 to 2011. He served as the Minister for Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs from 2010–11, and also as Government Chief Whip from 2008–10.-Early and private life:Carey...
, when they appeared together on the Prime Time
Prime Time
Prime Time is an Irish news analysis, current affairs and politics programme. It is broadcast on RTÉ One on Tuesday and Thursday nights between 21:30 and 22:10. It is currently presented by Miriam O'Callaghan, who has presented the programme since its commencement in 1996...
television programme. A recording of the outburst on the Internet was viewed 100,000 times in its first three days there.
Rabbitte was re-elected on the first count in the 2011 general election. His running mate Eamonn Maloney
Eamonn Maloney
Eamonn Maloney is an Irish Labour Party politician. He was elected as a Teachta Dála for the Dublin South West constituency at the 2011 general election....
was also elected. On 9 March 2011, he was appointed as Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources.
Ministerial career
Rabbitte was appointed Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources after the 2011 general election.The columnist Fintan O'Toole
Fintan O'Toole
Fintan O'Toole is a columnist, assistant editor and drama critic for The Irish Times. He has written for The Irish Times since 1988 and was drama critic for the New York Daily News from 1997 to 2001. He is a literary critic, historical writer and political commentator, with generally left-wing views...
, writing in The Irish Times
The Irish Times
The Irish Times is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Kevin O'Sullivan who succeeded Geraldine Kennedy in 2011; the deputy editor is Paul O'Neill. The Irish Times is considered to be Ireland's newspaper of record, and is published every day except Sundays...
in August 2011, criticised the lack of royalties system for gas and oil in Ireland. He claimed that "The State is about to sign away almost all our resources on terms by far the worst in the developed world". Rabbitte responded with a letter, claiming that the article was inaccurate. Rabbitte's response was in turn criticized by Cian O'Callaghan, a Labour Party ingal County Council|Councillor] for the Labour Party, as "misguided".