Independents 4 Change | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 2014 |
| Headquarters | 21 Elmwood Drive, Swords, Dublin |
| Ideology | Socialism [1] Anti-neoliberalism [2] Antimilitarism [2] |
| Political position | Left-wing [3] |
| Local government | 1 / 949 |
Independents 4 Change [4] is an Irish political alliance, with registration as a political party, comprising several independent politicians. [5] It had two MEPs in the Ninth European Parliament: Clare Daly and Mick Wallace.
The political grouping registered as a political party in 2014. [6] It was previously known as the "Independents for Equality" Movement.
Four candidates contested the 2014 local elections for the group in each of the local electoral areas in Wexford County Council. [7] None of them were elected.
The party adopted its current name in September 2015, after the establishment of the Right2Change electoral alliance, which its candidates in the 2016 general election subscribed.
Mick Wallace, [8] Clare Daly, [8] Joan Collins, [9] and Tommy Broughan, [10] and councillor Barry Martin [8] contested the 2016 general election for Independents 4 Change, with Broughan, Collins, Daly and Wallace being elected.
Within the 32nd Dáil, I4C took advantage of revised Dáil standing orders to form their own technical group, which also included three Independent TDs who were not members of the party itself: Catherine Connolly, Thomas Pringle, and Maureen O'Sullivan. [11] [12] [13]
Tommy Broughan left the party on 26 July 2016. [14] [ failed verification ] In 2016 Ruth Nolan, a member of South Dublin County Council for Lucan who had been elected for People Before Profit, joined Independents 4 Change.[ citation needed ]
At the 2019 European Parliament election, Clare Daly and Mick Wallace were elected as MEPs; they became part of The Left group in the European Parliament. Three councilors were elected for Independents 4 Change in the local elections held on the same day, including former Labour TD from Sligo, and longtime Independent Socialist councillor Declan Bree.
In the February 2020 general election, Independents 4 Change returned one TD, Joan Collins in Dublin South-Central. However, she soon left I4C to found a new party called Right to Change, leaving I4C with no TDs. [15]
Neither Daly nor Wallace were re-elected in the 2024 European elections. Dean Mulligan was re-elected as a councillor for the Swords electoral area on Fingal County Council.
In addition to Mulligan, [16] Wallace and Daly reportedly indicated an intention to contest the 2024 Irish general election. [17]
| Election | Seats won | ± | Position | First pref. votes | % | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 4 / 158 |  4 |  6th | 31,365 | 1.5% | Fine Gael – Independents with Fianna Fáil confidence & supply |
| 2020 | 1 / 160 |  3 | 9th | 8,421 | 0.4% | Fianna Fáil – Fine Gael – Green Party |
| Election | Seats won | ± | First pref. votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 0 / 949 | | 1,828 | 0.1% |
| 2019 | 3 / 949 | 3 | 8,626 | 0.5% |
| 2024 | 1 / 949 | 2 | 3,537 | 0.2% |
| Election | Leader | 1st pref Votes | % | Seats | +/− | EP Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Collective leadership | 124,085 | 7.39% (#5) | 2 / 13 | New | The Left |
| 2024 | 79,658 | 4.58% (#7) | 0 / 14 | 2 | − |
The Socialist Party is a political party in Ireland, active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Internationally, it was affiliated to the Trotskyist International Socialist Alternative until 2024.
Thomas Broughan is an Irish former Independent politician who served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1992 to 2020.
Clare Daly is an Irish politician who was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Ireland for the Dublin constituency from July 2019 to July 2024. She is a member of Independents 4 Change, part of The Left in the European Parliament – GUE/NGL.
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Joan Collins is an Irish Right to Change politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin South-Central constituency since the 2011 general election.
Maureen O'Sullivan is an Irish former independent politician who served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Central constituency from 2009 to 2020.
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Michael Wallace is an Irish politician, former property developer and former Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Ireland for the South constituency from 2019 to 2024. He is a member of Independents 4 Change, part of The Left in the European Parliament – GUE/NGL. He was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Wexford constituency from 2011 to 2019.
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A by-election was held in the Dáil Éireann Wexford constituency in Ireland on Friday, 29 November 2019, to fill the vacancy left by the election of Independents 4 Change TD Mick Wallace to the European Parliament.
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