Susan O'Keeffe | |
|---|---|
 O'Keeffe in 2014 | |
| Senator | |
| In office April 2011 –April 2016 | |
| Constituency | Agricultural Panel |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 18 September 1960 Dublin,Ireland |
| Political party | Labour Party |
| Profession | Journalist |
Susan O'Keeffe (born 18 September 1960) is an Irish journalist and former Labour Party politician. [1] [2]
She was educated at Mount Anville Secondary School,Dublin,and at University College Cork. She lives in Collooney,County Sligo with her husband and three children.
O'Keeffe is a journalist by profession. In 1995,when working on World in Action ,she was threatened with prison in Ireland for refusing to reveal her sources. She had investigated scandals within the Irish meat industry in two films in 1991. The investigation centred on the Goodman International group –involving tax fraud,misappropriation of beef and Larry Goodman's dealings with Saddam Hussein's Iraq,leading to the setting-up of a Tribunal of Inquiry,known as the Beef Tribunal,which found that much of her criticism of the industry was substantiated. However,the Tribunal demanded that she name her informants,and when she refused to do so,she was charged by the Director of Public Prosecutions. The case became a cause célèbre in Ireland,and,in January 1995,she faced trial for contempt of court but was cleared of the charge. [3] She was honoured in the 1994 Freedom of Information Awards for her stand. [4] [5] [6]
She was an unsuccessful candidate at the 2011 general election for the Sligo–North Leitrim constituency,polling 4,553 first preference votes (10.2%). [7] She was also a candidate in the 2009 European Parliament election for the North-West constituency. Her candidacy in the 2011 general election was not helped by the fact that three former members of the Labour Party stood against her. [8] She was elected to the 24th Seanad in April 2011 by the Agricultural Panel. [9]
She was appointed whip of the Labour Senators in the Seanad. In May 2012,it was reported that she had the worst voting record amongst Labour Party Senators. [10] A motion of no confidence in her was tabled by Senator John Whelan,although later withdrawn. It was reported in The Irish Times that "Ms O’Keeffe is considered by her critics to be too close to the leadership and inclined to play along with the official Labour Party line of accepting Fine Gael's proposal to abolish the Upper House." [11]
At the 2016 general election,she unsuccessfully contested the Sligo–Leitrim constituency. She was not re-elected to the Seanad. [12]
Ray MacSharry is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as Tánaiste from March 1982 to December 1982,European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development from 1989 to 1993,Minister for Finance from March 1982 to December 1982 and 1987 to 1988,Minister for Agriculture from 1979 to 1981,Minister of State at the Department of the Public Service from 1978 to 1979. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Sligo–Leitrim constituency from 1969 to 1988. He also served as Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Connacht–Ulster constituency.
The 1992 Irish general election to the 27th Dáil was held on Wednesday,25 November,almost three weeks after the dissolution of the 26th Dáil on 5 November by President Mary Robinson,on the request of Taoiseach Albert Reynolds following a defeat of the government in a motion of confidence. The general election took place in 41 Dáil constituencies throughout Ireland for 166 seats in Dáil Éireann,the house of representatives of the Oireachtas,under a revision in the Electoral (Amendment) Act 1990. Three referendums on abortion were held on the same date.
Kathleen O'Meara is an Irish former Labour Party politician. She was a member of Seanad Éireann from 1997 to 2007. On both occasions she was elected by the Agricultural Panel.
Eamon Scanlon is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 2007 to 2011 and 2016 to 2020. He was a Senator for the Agricultural Panel from 2002 to 2007.
Marc MacSharry is an independent,formerly Fianna Fáil,politician who is a Teachta Dála (TD) for Sligo–Leitrim since 2016. From 2002 to 2016,he was a Fianna Fáil Senator on the Industrial and Commercial Panel. He resigned from Fianna Fáil's parliamentary party in September 2021,alleging double standards. He resigned his Fianna Fáil membership in November 2022,amid claims he had bullied colleagues.
The 2007 Irish general election took place on Thursday,24 May after the dissolution of the 29th Dáil by the President on 30 April,at the request of the Taoiseach. The general election took place in 43 parliamentary constituencies throughout Ireland for 166 seats in Dáil Éireann,the lower house of parliament,with a revision of constituencies since the last election under the Electoral (Amendment) Act 2005.
Ned O'Keeffe is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as a Minister of State from 1997 to 2001. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Cork East constituency from 1982 to 2011. He was a Senator from May 1982 to November 1982,after being nominated by the Taoiseach.
Gerard Reynolds is an Irish former Fine Gael politician from County Leitrim. He was a Senator and later a TD for the Sligo–Leitrim constituency.
Patrick Joseph Reynolds was an Irish Fine Gael politician who served three terms in Dáil Éireann and five in Seanad Éireann,where he was Cathaoirleach (chairman) for four years.
John Joseph McCartin is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Connacht–Ulster constituency from 1979 to 2004. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Sligo–Leitrim constituency from 1981 to 1982 and 1982 to 1987. He also served as a Senator for the Agricultural Panel from 1973 to 1981.
John Ellis is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician,who was a Teachta Dála (TD) and Senator between 1977 and 2011.
The composition of Seanad Éireann,one of the two houses of the Oireachtas (parliament) of Ireland,is set out in Article 18 of the Constitution of Ireland. This provides for 60 Senators,of whom 11 are nominated by the Taoiseach who is appointed next after the election to general election to Dáil Éireann.
Ann Gallagher is a Social Democrat politician from County Leitrim in Ireland. She was formerly a member of the Labour Party and was a senator from 1993 to 1997. She obtained an honours law degree from Trinity College Dublin and is a solicitor by profession.
Seanad Éireann is the upper house of the Oireachtas,which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann.
The 31st Dáil was elected at the 2011 general election on 25 February 2011 and first met at midday on 9 March 2011 in Leinster House. The members of Dáil Éireann,the house of representatives of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland,are known as TDs. The 31st Dáil lasted 1,793 days. It was dissolved by President Michael D. Higgins on 3 February 2016,at the request of the Taoiseach Enda Kenny.
Michael Comiskey is an Irish Fine Gael politician,a former Senator and farmer. He was elected to the 24th Seanad in April 2011 on the Agricultural Panel. He was an unsuccessful candidate at the 2007 general election for the Sligo–North Leitrim constituency,polling 4,936 first preference votes (12.4%). He also unsuccessfully contested the 2007 Seanad election.
Aideen Hayden is an Irish former Labour Party politician who served as a Senator from 2011 to 2016,after being nominated by the Taoiseach.
Hildegarde Naughton is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as Government Chief Whip and Minister of State at the Department of Health since December 2022,and as a Minister of State attending cabinet since June 2020. She has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Galway West constituency since 2016. She previously served as Chair of the Committee on Communications,Climate Action and the Environment from 2016 to 2020 and Mayor of Galway from 2011 to 2012. She also served as a Senator from 2013 to 2016,after being nominated by the Taoiseach.
The Thirtieth Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2011 was a proposed amendment to the Constitution of Ireland to provide for the Houses of the Oireachtas to conduct full inquiries. The bill was passed by both houses of the Oireachtas,but rejected at a referendum held on 27 October 2011.
The election to the 26th Seanad took place after the dissolution of the 32nd Dáil on 14 January 2020. The Constitution of Ireland requires a general election for Seanad Éireann,the Senate of the Oireachtas,to take place not later than ninety days after a dissolution of the Dáil. There are 60 seats in the Seanad:43 were elected on five vocational panels by serving politicians,for which polling closed on 30 March 2020;6 were elected in two university constituencies,for which polling closed on 31 March 2020;and 11 were nominated by the Taoiseach on 27 June 2020.
The beef tribunal, which reported in 1994, made a series of astonishing findings against the Goodman International group ... The answer, of course, was no: the only person to be prosecuted as a result of the beef tribunal was Susan O'Keeffe, the journalist who uncovered the scandal in the first place ... Larry Goodman suffered no real damage