Renua Ireland, commonly called Renua, is a fringe
political party in Ireland. The party was launched on 13 March 2015, with former
Fine Gael
Fine Gael (, ; English: "Family (or Tribe) of the Irish") is a liberal-conservative and Christian-democratic political party in Ireland. Fine Gael is currently the third-largest party in the Republic of Ireland in terms of members of Dáil ...
TD Lucinda Creighton
Lucinda Creighton (born 20 January 1980) is an Irish businesswoman and former politician, who served as Minister of State for European Affairs from 2011 to 2013. She was leader of Renua from its March 2015 foundation until May 2016, and served a ...
as founding leader.
Prior to its launch it had used the slogan Reboot Ireland. The name ''Renua'' is intended to suggest both the English ''Renew'' and the Irish ''Ré Nua'' "New Era".
Renua was founded primarily by former members of Fine Gael who left that party because they refused to endorse Fine Gael's pro-abortion stance.
Before the
2016 Irish general election
The 2016 Irish general election took place on Friday 26 February to elect 158 Teachtaí Dála (TDs) across 40 constituencies to Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's parliament. The 31st Dáil was dissolved by Preside ...
, Renua had 3 members of
the Dáil through defections, however, afterwards it was left with no national representation as none of its election candidates were successful.
In the immediate aftermath, all its most prominent founder-members either returned to Fine Gael or left politics.
However, by virtue of securing over 2% of the national vote, Renua received significant funding from the state, which allowed the party to continue to exist in a diminished form. The party has continued to contest both national and local elections in Ireland since 2016 but has met with little to no success, and currently has no elected representatives. In parallel, since 2016 the party's ideology has shifted from its initial centre-right position to a hard-right one.
History
Reform Alliance
After the
2011 general election a
Fine Gael
Fine Gael (, ; English: "Family (or Tribe) of the Irish") is a liberal-conservative and Christian-democratic political party in Ireland. Fine Gael is currently the third-largest party in the Republic of Ireland in terms of members of Dáil ...
–
Labour
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
coalition government was formed.
Lucinda Creighton
Lucinda Creighton (born 20 January 1980) is an Irish businesswoman and former politician, who served as Minister of State for European Affairs from 2011 to 2013. She was leader of Renua from its March 2015 foundation until May 2016, and served a ...
of Fine Gael was appointed
Minister of State for European Affairs
The Minister of State for European Affairs is a Minister of State (Ireland), junior ministerial post at the Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of Foreign Affairs (Ireland), Department of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Ireland wi ...
. In 2013 Creighton defied the
party whip
A whip is an official of a political party whose task is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. This means ensuring that members of the party vote according to the party platform, rather than according to their own individual ideology ...
on
anti-abortion
Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in respons ...
grounds to oppose the
Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill. Creighton and others were as a consequence expelled from the Fine Gael
parliamentary party
A parliamentary group, parliamentary party, or parliamentary caucus is a group consisting of some members of the same political party or electoral fusion of parties in a legislative assembly such as a parliament or a city council.
Parliamentar ...
; they formed a loose alliance called the
Reform Alliance. Some
TDs continued as ordinary members of Fine Gael, while others left the party completely.
Reboot Ireland
The forthcoming launch of a new political party was announced at a press conference on 2 January 2015 held by Creighton,
Eddie Hobbs
Eddie Hobbs (born 10 November 1962) is an Irish financial advisor, writer, campaigner and former television presenter and author.
Hobbs was a co-founder and former president of the right-wing party Renua Ireland, resigning in 2016.
Before e ...
, a financial advisor and broadcaster, and John Leahy, an
independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
member of
Offaly County Council
Offaly County Council ( ga, Comhairle Chontae Uíbh Fhailí) is the authority responsible for Local government in the Republic of Ireland, local government in County Offaly, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by t ...
.
Foundation of Renua Ireland
![Lucinda Creighton (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Lucinda_Creighton_%28cropped%29.jpg)
The new party was launched in Dublin on Friday 13 March 2015, followed by media appearances by its leading members. Creighton and party president Eddie Hobbs appeared on RTÉ's ''
The Late Late Show'' to explain their policies. Hobbs denied he was planning to stand for election, although the party's website claimed that he would be a candidate.
Its elected representatives on its foundation were TDs Lucinda Creighton,
Billy Timmins and
Terence Flanagan
Terence Flanagan (born 1 January 1975) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as a Dublin City Councillor since May 2019. He previously served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin North-East constituency from 2007 to 2016.
He was a ...
,
Senators Paul Bradford and
Mary Ann O'Brien
Mary Ann O'Brien (born 8 September 1960) is an Irish businesswoman and former politician. She is the founder and chairman of Lily O'Brien's Chocolates and in 1997, she founded the Jack and Jill Foundation with her husband Jonathan Irwin, to pr ...
, and Councillors John Leahy (Offaly) and Ronan McMahon. O'Brien, a
Taoiseach's nominee to the Seanad, stated that she would not join the party until the general election campaign. Financial advisor Eddie Hobbs was announced as party president, and later announced that he would not stand for election.
Later recruits included councillors
Patrick McKee (
Kilkenny
Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512.
Kilken ...
, elected for
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil (, ; meaning 'Soldiers of Destiny' or 'Warriors of Fál'), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party ( ga, audio=ga-Fianna Fáil.ogg, Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach), is a conservative and Christian- ...
), James Charity (
Galway
Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...
, elected as an Independent), Frank Durkan (
Mayo Mayo often refers to:
* Mayonnaise, often shortened to "mayo"
* Mayo Clinic, a medical center in Rochester, Minnesota, United States
Mayo may also refer to:
Places
Antarctica
* Mayo Peak, Marie Byrd Land
Australia
* Division of Mayo, an Aust ...
, elected as an Independent), and Keith Redmond (
Fingal
Fingal ( ; ) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is one of three successor counties to County Dublin, which was disestablished for administrative purposes in 1994. ...
, elected for Fine Gael). Charity, who had joined on 20 May 2015, left Renua on 30 July. Journalist
John Drennan
John Drennan (real name Sean Armstrong) is an Irish political journalist and writer. He is a columnist for the '' Sunday Independent'', an occasional TV panelist and a frequent contributor to radio shows. From County Laois he was educated at St. ...
joined as the party's director of communications and political strategy.
The first Renua Ireland candidate to face election was Patrick McKee, in the
Carlow–Kilkenny by-election on 22 May 2015. He finished fourth, with 9.5% of the first-preference vote.
Although
the Irish abortion debate was what precipitated Creighton's defection from Fine Gael, the party initially stated that it was not taking a position on the issue and would allow members a
free vote
A conscience vote or free vote is a type of vote in a legislative body where legislators are allowed to vote according to their own personal conscience rather than according to an official line set down by their political party. In a parliamenta ...
, before later stating under Leahy's leadership that it was an anti-abortion party that will ask all representatives to oppose a repeal of the Eighth Amendment, which places the life of the unborn on an equal footing to the life of the mother. After the passing of the abortion referendum, Renua stated it would support Vardakar's promise to keep abortion "safe, legal and RARE".
2016 general election
The party had hoped to run between 50 and 60 candidates in the
2016 general election, with at least one in each
Dáil constituency.
In January 2016, Renua announced a list of 18 candidates and published a manifesto.
The main points of the manifesto included a
flat
Flat or flats may refer to:
Architecture
* Flat (housing), an apartment in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and other Commonwealth countries
Arts and entertainment
* Flat (music), a symbol () which denotes a lower pitch
* Flat (soldier), ...
personal tax rate of 23%,
and a
three-strikes law
In the United States, habitual offender laws (commonly referred to as three-strikes laws) have been implemented since at least 1952, and are part of the United States Justice Department's Anti-Violence Strategy. These laws require a person who i ...
that would require
mandatory life sentence
Mandatory sentencing requires that offenders serve a predefined term for certain crimes, commonly serious and violent offenses. Judges are bound by law; these sentences are produced through the legislature, not the judicial system. They are inst ...
s on a third conviction for serious crimes. The flat tax rate was criticised by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael and described by Labour's
Kevin Humphreys as "too right-wing for
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
".
At close of nominations, 26 candidates were standing for the party at the 2016 general election.
At the 2016 general election, incumbent TDs Billy Timmins, Terence Flanagan, and party leader Lucinda Creighton all lost their seats, leaving Renua with no representation in the
Dáil. Nevertheless, the party won over 2% of first-preference votes, which means that it will be entitled to €250,000 of annual state funding for the duration of the next government. Following the defeat, Creighton insisted that Renua would continue and would field candidates for the next
local elections in 2019.
Aftermath
On 14 May 2016, in the aftermath of the general election and following the formation of the new government, Creighton resigned as leader of Renua. Deputy Leader Billy Timmins had already resigned, and president Eddie Hobbs resigned from the party in June.
At the party's AGM in September 2016,
John Leahy, an Offaly County Councillor, was selected as party leader, and businesswoman Mailo Power was elected as party president. In November 2016, Power resigned from the position of party president and from the party. By December 2016, Councillors Patrick McKee and Keith Redmond had both resigned from the party, leaving its leader John Leahy, and Ronan McMahon, a member of
South Dublin County Council
South Dublin County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae Átha Cliath Theas) is the authority responsible for local government in the county of South Dublin, Ireland. It is one of three local authorities created by the Local Government (Dublin) Act ...
, as its only elected representatives. McMahon also subsequently resigned.
At the party's second AGM, held in Tullamore in November 2017, Leahy said the party was "ready to field 17 candidates" in any general election triggered by the imminent Dáil motion of no confidence in
Frances Fitzgerald. The 2017 AGM was addressed by
John Waters
John Samuel Waters Jr. (born April 22, 1946) is an American filmmaker, writer, actor, and artist. He rose to fame in the early 1970s for his Cinema of Transgression, transgressive cult films, including ''Multiple Maniacs'' (1970), ''Pink Flamin ...
.
Two of the founding parliamentary members of Renua later rejoined Fine Gael. Billy Timmins was selected in 2019 as candidate in
Wicklow
Wicklow ( ; ga, Cill Mhantáin , meaning 'church of the toothless one'; non, Víkingaló) is the county town of County Wicklow in Ireland. It is located south of Dublin on the east coast of the island. According to the 2016 census, it has ...
for the
2020 general election, and Terence Flanagan was elected to
Dublin City Council
Dublin City Council ( ga, Comhairle Cathrach Bhaile Átha Cliath) is the authority responsible for local government in the city of Dublin in Ireland. As a city council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. Until 2001, the council wa ...
at its
2019 election.
Rosa Parks controversy
Renua attracted controversy when its official Twitter account tweeted the view that the 1955
Rosa Parks
Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005) was an American activist in the civil rights movement best known for her pivotal role in the Montgomery bus boycott. The United States Congress has honored her as "the ...
incident, or
Montgomery bus boycott
The Montgomery bus boycott was a political and social protest campaign against the policy of racial segregation on the public transit system of Montgomery, Alabama. It was a foundational event in the civil rights movement in the United States ...
, generally considered an important event in the
civil rights movement
The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional Racial segregation in the United States, racial segregation, Racial discrimination ...
, was "orchestrated as part of an ongoing campaign" and that Parks was a "trained activist". The tweet in which the claims were made was subsequently deleted after the party received backlash on social media.
John Leahy later expressed regret that the tweet was deleted.
2019 local elections
Renua ran 25 candidates in the
2019 local elections, which took place on 24 May 2019. Only Leahy was elected, topping the poll in the
Birr area of Offaly County Council.
He resigned from the party soon after the election.
2020 general election
The party fielded 11 candidates in the
2020 general election in February. Its candidates received a total of 5,473 first preferences votes (0.3%), and none were elected.
Standards in Public Office Commission
In November 2020, the
Standards in Public Office Commission
The Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO) ( ga, Coimisiún um Chaighdeáin in Oifigí Poiblí) is an independent body established in December 2001 by the Irish Government under the Standards in Public Office Act, 2001. It replaced the Public ...
(SIPO) announced that Renua were one of five political parties who failed to provide them with a set of audited accounts for 2019, in breach of statutory obligations. As of early 2021, SIPO reportedly confirmed that the party had "still not filed its accounts".
Policies
Renua has a policy programme published in addition to its election manifesto of 2016. It claims policies are centred around an evidence-based approach regardless of where that policy may be viewed ideologically. It cites proposals for State-funded community childcare schemes, capping state pensions at €100,000, and replacing defined-benefit pensions with defined-contribution pensions as examples.
The party has stated that "we would be strongly against further integration of the EU, particularly with relation to taxation or military affairs, and believe strongly that the EU works best when member countries are recognised fully as
sovereign countries
The following is a list providing an overview of sovereign states around the world with information on their status and recognition of their sovereignty.
The 206 listed states can be divided into three categories based on membership withi ...
coming voluntarily together to promote economic cooperation rather than as a stepping stone to a
federal Europe
The United States of Europe (USE), the European State, the European Federation and Federal Europe, is the hypothetical scenario of the European integration leading to formation of a sovereign superstate (similar to the United States of Americ ...
."
In 2021, Renua joint-published a
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
information leaflet (with
Direct Democracy Ireland
Direct Democracy Ireland (, ) is a minor political party in Ireland. It has no representation at local or national level.
Established in 2010, Direct Democracy Ireland (DDI) was registered as a political party in October 2012. The organisation ...
and the
Irish Freedom Party
The Irish Freedom Party or the Irexit Freedom To Prosper Party, sometimes referred to as IFP, or IFTPP is a minor right-wing to far-right hard Eurosceptic political party in Ireland, launched on 8 September 2018. It advocates Irish withdrawal ...
) advocating against the
use of lockdowns as a means of controlling a virus which the leaflet stated was "harmless to the vast majority".
Election results
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
2015 establishments in Ireland
Anti-abortion organisations in the Republic of Ireland
Christian democratic parties in Europe
Conservative parties in Ireland
Eurosceptic parties in Ireland
History of Fine Gael
Political parties established in 2015
Political parties in the Republic of Ireland
Social conservative parties