Eugene Kenny (born 25 June 1972) is an Irish People Before Profit–Solidarity politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Mid-West constituency since the 2016 general election.[2][3]
Gino Kenny | |
|---|---|
 Kenny in 2016 | |
| Teachta Dála | |
| Assumed office February 2016 | |
| Constituency | Dublin Mid-West |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Eugene Kenny[1] 25 June 1972 Clondalkin, Dublin, Ireland |
| Political party | People Before Profit–Solidarity |
He moved to Neilstown in 1979, where he lives with his partner.[4][5] Before entering politics he worked as a carer for the elderly in several hospitals having acquired a Masters' in public health studies.[6] He was a member of South Dublin County Council from 2009 until 2016, representing People Before Profit. He was elected to Dáil Éireann on his third attempt in February 2016.[7] He had previously contested the general elections of 2007 and 2011, finishing ahead of sitting TD Paul Gogarty in the latter.
After being elected to the Dáil in 2016, he put forward a Private Member's Bill to legalise the medicinal use of cannabis.[6] After this bill was rejected when an Oireachtas Committee described it as having "too many flaws", he called the Dáil a "kip."[8]
In May 2018 he accused Minister of State for Defence Paul Kehoe of having "blood on his hands" after the government purchased 4 unmanned aerial vehicles from an Israeli manufacturer. Kenny suggested it was immoral for the Irish state to purchase military equipment from Israel because of questions over its civil rights record. Kehoe responded by saying the purchased UAVs had no offensive capacity and that the manufacturer had won the bid on the contract, and said that bids were open to any company not sanctioned or barred by the EU, UN or OSCE.[9]
After looking set to lose his seat at the 2020 general election and having conceded prematurely, Kenny retained it by unseating John Curran of Fianna Fáil, in what RTÉ described as his "resurrection" and "one of the stories of this election".[10]
In October 2020, Kenny sponsored a "Dying with Dignity" bill in the Dáil that proposed legalising assisted suicide in Ireland, an area he has been campaigning on for some time. It passed 81 votes to 71 following the government allowing a free vote on the matter. Following the vote, the Bill has moved to the committee stage.[11][12]
In November 2022, Kenny introduced a bill in the Dáil that would legalise cannabis for personal use and possession of up to seven grams of cannabis.[13]
References
edit- ^ O'Connell, Hugh (10 March 2016). "Meet the working class TD named Gino who'll get the bus to Leinster House today". The Journal. Archived from the original on 1 December 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
- ^ "Gino Kenny". Oireachtas Members Database. Archived from the original on 13 July 2019. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
- ^ "Election 2016: Gino Kenny". RTÉ News. 17 December 2015. Archived from the original on 27 May 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
- ^ Holland, Kitty (28 February 2016). "Profile: Gino Kenny (AAA–PBP) Dublin Mid-West: Fourth TD elected of four". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 4 July 2017. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
- ^ Holland, Kitty. "Election 2020: Gino Kenny (People Before Profit)". The Irish Times. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
- ^ a b Gleeson, Colin (15 December 2016). "People Before Profit TD behind medicinal cannabis Bill calls Donald Trump 'a maniac'". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 24 April 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
- ^ "Gino Kenny". ElectionsIreland.org. Archived from the original on 3 August 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
- ^ McEnroe, Juno. "Gino Kenny stands over Dáil 'kip' remark". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on 23 March 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
- ^ O'Halloran, Marie (10 May 2018). "Minister rejects claim he has 'blood on hands' over Israeli drone procurement". Irish Times. Archived from the original on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
- ^ McMorrow, Conor. "'A day is a long time in politics'". RTÉ News. Archived from the original on 10 February 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
- ^ Quann, Jack (8 October 2020). "Right to die bill: TD hopeful of 'possible referendum' next year". Newstalk. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
- ^ Hosford, Paul (7 October 2020). "Dying with Dignity bill moves to next stage after being passed in Dáil". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on 10 October 2020. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
- ^ Barry, Aoife (12 November 2022). "Bill to be introduced that would legalise personal use of cannabis". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 27 November 2022.