Trevor Sargent
Encyclopedia
Trevor Sargent is an Irish
Green Party
politician. He was a Teachta Dála
(TD) for the Dublin North constituency from 1992 to 2011. He was leader of the Green Party
from 2001 to 2007.
, he is a fluent Irish
speaker and has made appearances on the Irish language TV channel TG4
; he also made an appearance on The Podge and Rodge Show
on 10 April 2006. Sargent, along with Irish Green Party founder Christopher Fettes
, is an Esperantist
. He is separated from his wife Heidi Bedell.
through Roger Garland
. In that same year Sargent stood for election to the European Parliament
, but was unsuccessful. Two years later in 1991 he was elected to Dublin County Council
.
He is well known for waving in the council chamber a cheque received in the post from a builder who was seeking planning permission for a housing development. When he asked the other members whether any of them had also received cheques, he was assaulted by a number of his fellow councillors. Sargent alleged that Fianna Fáil
councillor Don Lydon
put him in a headlock and attempted to snatch the cheque from him. This is one of the incidents which eventually led to the creation of planning tribunals to look into planning matters in Dublin County Council. (See Mahon Tribunal)
he was elected to Dáil Éireann and retained his seat at the 1997
, 2002
and 2007 general elections, topping the poll in 2002. Having been elected to Dáil Éireann he resigned his county council seat in keeping with Green party policy on dual mandate
s. This policy has since been adopted by the Irish government and is now compulsory. Having been the only Green Party member of the Dáil between 1992 and 1997, Sargent was joined in 1997 by John Gormley
, and in 2002 by an additional four Green Party TDs.
At a special "Leadership Convention" in Kilkenny
on 6 October 2001, Sargent was elected the first official leader of the Green Party. He was re-elected to this position in 2003 and again in 2005.
Following the 2007 general election the Green Party entered talks on forming a coalition government with Fianna Fáil. A programme for government was agreed after over a week of negotiations, which was ratified by 86% by a special conference of the Green Party membership following passionate endorsements of the deal by Sargent and the rest of the Green leadership. However Sargent announced that he would resign his position as leader of the party and would not accept a seat in cabinet, as he had promised he would not lead the party into government with Fianna Fáil before the election. It was a surprise announcement and Sargent was generally lauded for such a demonstration of integrity. He was succeeded as leader by John Gormley
. Instead of entering cabinet he was appointed Minister of State for Food and Horticulture
by Bertie Ahern
on 20 June 2007.
He served as the Minister of State for Food and Horticulture from June 2007 to February 2010. He resigned as Minister when he admitted unlawfully contacting Gardaí
about a criminal case involving a constituent. He lost his seat at the 2011 general election, along with all the other Green Party TDs.
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,...
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...
politician. He was 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 North constituency from 1992 to 2011. He was leader of 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...
from 2001 to 2007.
Personal life
A member of the Church of IrelandChurch of Ireland
The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...
, he is a fluent Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
speaker and has made appearances on the Irish language TV channel TG4
TG4
TG4 is a public service broadcaster for Irish language speakers. The channel has been on-air since 31 October 1996 in the Republic of Ireland and since April 2005 in Northern Ireland....
; he also made an appearance on The Podge and Rodge Show
The Podge and Rodge Show
The Podge and Rodge Show is an Irish chat show, broadcast and produced by RTÉ, featuring the popular Podge and Rodge as hosts...
on 10 April 2006. Sargent, along with Irish Green Party founder Christopher Fettes
Christopher Fettes
Christopher Fettes is a founder of the Irish Green Party and an honorary member of the International Vegetarian Union and of the World Esperanto Association....
, is an Esperantist
Esperantist
An Esperantist is a person who speaks or uses Esperanto. Etymologically, an Esperantist is someone who hopes...
. He is separated from his wife Heidi Bedell.
Local politics
A committed environmentalist since the early 1980s, Trevor Sargent first became politically active when he joined the Green Party in 1982. However, it was not until 1989 that the Green Party made an impact on national politics, winning its first seat in Dáil ÉireannDáil 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...
through Roger Garland
Roger Garland
Roger Garland is an environmental activist and a former Irish Green Party politician. He was the Green Party's first candidate to be elected to Dáil Éireann, representing Dublin South from 1989 to 1992....
. In that same year Sargent stood for election to the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
, but was unsuccessful. Two years later in 1991 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....
.
He is well known for waving in the council chamber a cheque received in the post from a builder who was seeking planning permission for a housing development. When he asked the other members whether any of them had also received cheques, he was assaulted by a number of his fellow councillors. Sargent alleged that 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...
councillor Don Lydon
Don Lydon
Donal John Lydon is a psychologist and a former Irish politician. He was a Fianna Fáil member of Seanad Éireann from 1987 to 2007, being elected on the Labour Panel.-Professional career:...
put him in a headlock and attempted to snatch the cheque from him. This is one of the incidents which eventually led to the creation of planning tribunals to look into planning matters in Dublin County Council. (See Mahon Tribunal)
Dáil Éireann
At the 1992 general electionIrish general election, 1992
The Irish general election of 1992 was held on Wednesday, 25 November 1992, almost three weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on 5 November. However, after difficulties in forming a government the newly elected 166 members of the 27th Dáil did not assemble at Leinster House until 4 January 1993...
he was elected to Dáil Éireann and retained his seat at the 1997
Irish 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....
, 2002
Irish general election, 2002
The Irish general election of 2002 was held on Friday, 17 May 2002 just over three weeks after the dissolution of the 28th Dáil on Thursday 25 April by President Mary McAleese, at the request of the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern...
and 2007 general elections, topping the poll in 2002. Having been elected to Dáil Éireann he resigned his county council seat in keeping with Green party policy on dual mandate
Dual mandate
A dual mandate is the practice in which elected officials served in more than one elected or other public position simultaneously. This practice is known as double jobbing in Britain and distinguished from double dipping in the United States For example, suppose a...
s. This policy has since been adopted by the Irish government and is now compulsory. Having been the only Green Party member of the Dáil between 1992 and 1997, Sargent was joined in 1997 by John Gormley
John Gormley
John Gormley is an Irish politician. He was the leader of the Irish Green Party from 2007 to 2011, and was a Teachta Dála for the Dublin South East constituency from 1997 to 2011. He served as Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government from 2007–11...
, and in 2002 by an additional four Green Party TDs.
At a special "Leadership Convention" in Kilkenny
Kilkenny
Kilkenny is a city and is the county town of the eponymous County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is situated on both banks of the River Nore in the province of Leinster, in the south-east of Ireland...
on 6 October 2001, Sargent was elected the first official leader of the Green Party. He was re-elected to this position in 2003 and again in 2005.
Following the 2007 general election the Green Party entered talks on forming a coalition government with Fianna Fáil. A programme for government was agreed after over a week of negotiations, which was ratified by 86% by a special conference of the Green Party membership following passionate endorsements of the deal by Sargent and the rest of the Green leadership. However Sargent announced that he would resign his position as leader of the party and would not accept a seat in cabinet, as he had promised he would not lead the party into government with Fianna Fáil before the election. It was a surprise announcement and Sargent was generally lauded for such a demonstration of integrity. He was succeeded as leader by John Gormley
John Gormley
John Gormley is an Irish politician. He was the leader of the Irish Green Party from 2007 to 2011, and was a Teachta Dála for the Dublin South East constituency from 1997 to 2011. He served as Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government from 2007–11...
. Instead of entering cabinet he was appointed Minister of State for Food and Horticulture
Minister of State (with special responsibility for Food and Horticulture)
The Minister of State for Food, Horticulture and Food Safety is a junior ministerial post in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine of the Government of Ireland...
by Bertie Ahern
Bertie Ahern
Patrick Bartholomew "Bertie" Ahern is a former Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 26 June 1997 to 7 May 2008....
on 20 June 2007.
He served as the Minister of State for Food and Horticulture from June 2007 to February 2010. He resigned as Minister when he admitted unlawfully contacting Gardaí
Garda Síochána
, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí , is the police force of Ireland. The service is headed by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.- Terminology :...
about a criminal case involving a constituent. He lost his seat at the 2011 general election, along with all the other Green Party TDs.