Michael Collins (politician, born 1968)
Michael Collins (born 26 February 1968)[citation needed] is an Irish politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Cork South-West constituency since the 2016 general election.[2] Collins is the leader of the Independent Ireland political party, which was founded in November 2023.
Michael Collins | |
|---|---|
 Collins in 2016 | |
| Leader of Independent Ireland | |
| Assumed office 10 November 2023 | |
| Preceded by | New party |
| Teachta Dála | |
| Assumed office February 2016 | |
| Constituency | Cork South-West |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1968 or 1969 (age 55–56)[1] Cork, Ireland |
| Political party | Independent Ireland (since 2023) |
| Other political affiliations | Independent (until 2023) |
Political career
editHe served as a member of Cork County Council from 2014 to 2016.[3][4][1]
In May 2018, the Irish Independent published a "political rich list", outlining how much personal wealth Ireland's political class was estimated to have. The report featured Collins and estimated him to be a millionaire, suggesting he had property assets worth almost €850,000 alone.[5]
Collins was re-elected as an independent TD at the 2020 general election.[6]
In December 2021 Collins was among a group of TDs who proposed a bill in the Dáil that would require pain relief for a foetus during later abortions. The bill was defeated by 107 votes to 36.[7] The Minister of Health Stephen Donnelly stated it would not be appropriate for a piece of legislation to dictate clinical practice in a medical or a healthcare setting. Meanwhile, Collins' fellow Cork South-West TD Holly Cairns stated that the move was "upsetting for the women and families who have had later abortions and insulting to our healthcare practitioners" and suggested Collins and his group were determined to try and re-run and undermine the 2018 referendum on the Eighth amendment using American conservative style tactics.[7][8]
In November 2023, he was named as the leader of Independent Ireland, a new political party.[9][10]
Political views
editIn January 2018, in the run-up to the referendum on the 8th amendment of that May, Collins stated that he was "against abortion. Full stop."[11]
In May 2021, while speaking in the Dáil, Collins suggested that a hotel chain being used by the government to quarantine those suspected of having COVID-19 was linked to Jeffrey Epstein.[12][13]
In an April 2024 interview with Hot Press Collins stated he believes that prostitution should be legalised, that abortion should be permitted in extreme circumstances, that rapists should be chemically castrated, that third-time offenders should receive an automatic 25-year sentence, and that legally-held firearms should be permitted for self-defence.[14][15][16] He also stated that asylum seekers should be held in "holding bays" like in Australia, that the burqa should be banned in schools and that Travellers should not be legally recognised an ethnic minority.[14][15][17]
Controversies
editIn 2015 following his announcement of intending to run for in the 2016 general election, it emerged that Collins had provided a character reference to an acquaintance's son who was in court and later convicted of a child sex offence. Collins later stated he regretted the decision.[18]
In September 2019, Collins defended anti-immigrant rhetoric used by fellow TD Noel Grealish,[19] and in doing so claimed Ireland was "losing its culture" because of immigrants and suggested that Ireland should "look after our own people first and then when that issue is sorted, let's start looking at people from across the world".[20] For this, both he and Grealish were criticised in Irish political circles, with Labour leader Brendan Howlin calling the pair "highly dangerous",[21][22][23] and Irish President Michael D. Higgins, while not directly referencing them, publicly rejected their rhetoric, suggested it was not factual that immigrants were replacing people in Ireland, and that immigrants accounted for a high percentage of Ireland's GDP.[24]
In February 2020, after the general election, Collins referred to Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Shane Ross as a "scumbag".[25][26] In response, John Halligan said that Collins was a man "beneath contempt" and a hypocrite who claims not to make personal attacks, but, in fact, does so repeatedly. Collins had previously referred to Ross as a "clown" in a separate incident, and upon learning that Ross had not been re-elected on the same night, he said he was happy to see Ross "on the scrapheap of Irish politics". Collins later apologised for his comments about Ross and denied being drunk when he made them.[25][26]
In June 2020, during global protests over the murder of George Floyd, Collins was criticised alongside Danny Healy-Rae when both TDs used the slogan "All Lives Matter". Collins described the phrase as "his mantra" and said the phrase meant he valued everyone equally regardless of background. Shane Curry of the Irish Network Against Racism said he found it hard to believe that both Collins and Healy-Rae were naive about the meaning of the slogan and didn't know that many people use the phrase as a refutation of the Black Lives Matter Movement.[27] During the same period, Collins rejected calls for statues and plaques commemorating historic figures involved in the Transatlantic slave trade be removed.[28]
While speaking on the Claire Byrne radio show on RTÉ in November 2020, Collins defended giving the roles of his parliamentary assistant and parliamentary secretary to his brother and his partner, respectively. Collins said he denied that this was a "jobs for the boys" situation.[29]
In December 2020, Collins was amongst only 3 TDs out of 160 to say he would not take a COVID-19 vaccine in a survey conducted by the Claire Byrne show. Collins stated he did not trust "professionals and companies who make money from the vaccine".[30] In response to his comments, James O'Connor of Fianna Fáil criticised Collins in the Dáil, saying that it was "absolutely outrageous that we have members of this House who are willing to come in here and pander to the message of anti-vaxxers. It’s disgusting" and noted that “the Covid-19 vaccine has seen more investment than any other vaccination in history”.[31] Following O'Connor's comments, Collins augmented his statement and declared he would be happy to take a vaccine "if it was proven to work".[31]
References
edit- ^ a b "General Election 2020 - Michael Collins". thejournal.ie. Journal Media Ltd. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
- ^ "Michael Collins". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
- ^ "Michael Collins". ElectionsIreland.org. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
- ^ "Election 2016: Michael Collins". RTÉ News. 17 December 2015. Archived from the original on 23 February 2016.
- ^ Connolly, Emma (21 May 2018). "Deputy Collins disputes place on richlist as 'millionaire'". Retrieved 28 May 2021.
- ^ Baker, Noel (10 February 2020). "Cork South-West results: Social Democrat Holly Cairns secures seat". The Irish Times. Dublin. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
- ^ a b Burns, Sarah (15 December 2021). "Dáil rejects abortion Bill from Rural Independent TDs". Irish Times. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
- ^ Moore, Brian (26 December 2021). "Cairns: Collins trying to row back women's rights". Southern Star. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
- ^ Hosford, Paul (10 November 2023). "Cork TD Michael Collins to lead new political party". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
- ^ McGee, Harry (10 November 2023). "New Independent Ireland party registered with Electoral Commission". The Irish Times. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
- ^ "Two out of three CSW TDs against repealing the 8th". 29 January 2018.
- ^ Reilly, Gavan [@gavreilly] (27 May 2021). "Independent TD Michael Collins has raised concerns about links between the owners of the hotel chain operating the MHQ system and the disgraced sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Health (Amendment) Act 2021: Motion – Dáil Éireann (33rd Dáil) – Vol. 1007 No. 7". House of the Oireachtas. 27 May 2021.
- ^ a b "Independent Ireland party leader Michael Collins on why he believes Martin McGuinness has gone to heaven – and how God protects us from the weather..." Hot Press. 11 April 2024. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
- ^ a b Hosford, Paul (12 April 2024). "Independent Ireland leader: Make prostitution legal and chemically castrate rapists". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ Staines, Michael. "Ciara Kelly: 'Providing a service? Sex work is driven by desperation and vulnerability'". Newstalk. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
Independent TD Michael Collins made the comments in a wide-ranging interview with Hot Press magazine in which he also called for the introduction of chemical castration for rapists and paedophiles.
- ^ Vaal, Danny De (12 April 2024). "Asylum seekers should be held in holding bays & burqa banned in schools, TD says". Irish Mirror. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ "Cllr's character reference for sex offender". The Southern Star. 21 September 2015. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ McQuinn, Cormac (17 September 2019). "TD claims Irish people who are 'hungry in the streets' should be prioritised over immigrants". independent,ie. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
- ^ "Quotes of the week". independent,ie. 21 September 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
- ^ McConnell, Daniel (17 September 2019). "Comments about immigrants by Independent TDs branded as 'very dangerous' by Labour leader". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
- ^ O'Shea, Joe (18 September 2019). "Cork TD Michael Collins slammed for 'dangerous' comments about immigrants". Irish Mirror. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
- ^ McQuinn, Cormac (18 September 2019). "'Our own people' should come first before we help immigrants - TD claims". Irish Independent. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
- ^ Loughlin, Elaine (25 September 2019). "Higgins: Some people have 'abused' facts about asylum seekers coming to Ireland". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
- ^ a b Hutton, Brian (12 February 2020). "TD apologises for calling Minister Shane Ross a 'scumbag'". Irish Times.
- ^ a b Baker, Noel (12 February 2020). "Cork TD Michael Collins apologises for calling Shane Ross a 'scumbag'". Irish Examiner.
- ^ Hosford, Paul (17 June 2020). "Danny Healy-Rae and Cork TD Michael Collins criticised for saying 'all lives matter'". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
- ^ O'Halloran, Marie (17 June 2020). "Dáil hears claims TDs used racism to get elected". The Irish Times.
- ^ Keogh, Jackie (2 November 2020). "TD Collins defends jobs for partner and brother".
- ^ O'Shea, Joe (10 December 2020). "Cork TD says he won't take covid-19 vaccine".
- ^ a b O'Shea, Joe (23 December 2020). "Cork TD says he will 'happily' take covid vaccine once the science has been proved and explained".