Dick Spring
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Dick Spring | |
---|---|
Tánaiste | |
In office 15 December 1994 – 26 June 1997 | |
Taoiseach | John Bruton |
Preceded by | Bertie Ahern |
Succeeded by | Mary Harney |
In office 12 January 1993 – 17 November 1994 | |
Taoiseach | Albert Reynolds |
Preceded by | John Wilson |
Succeeded by | Bertie Ahern |
In office 14 December 1982 – 20 January 1987 | |
Taoiseach | Garret FitzGerald |
Preceded by | Ray MacSharry |
Succeeded by | Peter Barry |
Minister for Foreign Affairs | |
In office 15 December 1994 – 26 June 1997 | |
Taoiseach | John Bruton |
Preceded by | Albert Reynolds |
Succeeded by | Ray Burke |
In office 12 January 1993 – 17 November 1994 | |
Taoiseach | Albert Reynolds |
Preceded by | David Andrews |
Succeeded by | Albert Reynolds |
Leader of the Labour Party | |
In office 1 November 1982 – 13 November 1997 | |
Deputy | |
Preceded by | Michael O'Leary |
Succeeded by | Ruairi Quinn |
Minister for the Environment | |
In office 14 December 1982 – 13 December 1983 | |
Taoiseach | Garret FitzGerald |
Preceded by | Ray Burke |
Succeeded by | Liam Kavanagh |
Minister of State | |
1981–1982 | Justice |
Teachta Dála | |
In office June 1981 – May 2002 | |
Constituency | Kerry North |
Personal details | |
Born | Richard Martin Spring 29 August 1950 Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland |
Political party | Labour Party |
Spouse |
Kristi Hutcheson (m. 1978) |
Children | 3 |
Parent |
|
Education | Cistercian College, Roscrea |
Alma mater | |
Richard Martin Spring (born 29 August 1950) is an Irish businessman and former politician. He was a Labour Party Teachta Dála (TD) for the Kerry North from 1981 to 2002. He became leader of the Labour Party in 1982, and held this position until 1997. He served as Minister for the Environment (1982–83), Minister for Energy (1983–87) and Minister for Foreign Affairs (1993–Nov. 1994, Dec. 1994–97).
He served as Tánaiste during those three governments.[1] Prior to his political career, Spring was a successful sportsman who played for the Ireland national rugby union team and the Kerry GAA football and hurling teams.
Early life
Spring was born in
Sporting career
Spring played
He then won rugby union caps for Munster, and lined out for London Irish in the UK. He also was capped for Ireland three times during the 1979 Five Nations Championship, debuting against France on 20 January 1979 at Lansdowne Road, and receiving his last international cap on 17 February 1979 against England at Lansdowne Road.[4]
Political career
Early career
Spring's political life began in 1979, when he successfully contested the local elections in Tralee. He replaced his father Dan Spring TD on Kerry County Council that year. Spring senior had been a TD for Kerry North since 1943, mostly representing Labour, but he was briefly a member of National Labour.
He was first elected to
Ministerial appointment
Following the November 1982 general election Labour again formed a coalition government with Fine Gael. Spring was appointed Tánaiste and Minister for the Environment. He was closely involved in the negotiations which led to the Anglo-Irish Agreement in 1985. In 1987, the Labour Party withdrew from the government on budgetary issues, and Fianna Fáil took power in the subsequent election. Spring himself narrowly escaped losing his seat when he was re-elected by just four votes.
Opposition
Under Spring, the Labour Party selected Mary Robinson as its candidate in the 1990 presidential election. Robinson was elected, and this success enhanced the credibility of his leadership of the party. For Spring, his period in opposition coincided, with the exposure of a number of business scandals and gave him the opportunity to shine as a critic of the Fianna Fáil government, led by the controversial Charles Haughey.
"Spring Tide" and return to power
As a result, in the 1992 general election the party increased its number of Dáil seats from 15 to 33, at the time its largest-ever number, an event which is referred to as the "Spring Tide". After the election, no government could be appointed when the new Dáil met. After some weeks of stalemate, Spring decided to enter negotiations with Albert Reynolds—who had taken over as Taoiseach from Haughey at the beginning of the year—over the Christmas period on a new programme for government. The Labour Party then entered a coalition government with Fianna Fáil, and thus returned Reynolds to power. Spring was appointed Tánaiste for the second time, and also Minister for Foreign Affairs. This was approved by a special party conference of over 1,000 delegates at Dublin's National Concert Hall in January 1993, though there were some Labour Party TDs who dissented from the leadership position and wanted a coalition with Fine Gael.
Labour took six of the fifteen cabinet ministries and had much of its election manifesto accepted by Fianna Fáil. New Departments of Equality and Law Reform, and of Arts and Culture, were established. Ethics legislation was to outlaw conflicts of interest. Male homosexual acts were to be decriminalised. Purchase of condoms without medical prescription was to be allowed. An extensive programme of family law reform and provision for a divorce referendum was to be undertaken. Spring insisted on a formalised system of programme managers, and state-paid advisers to push the new Government's policy platform.
However support for the Labour Party declined, particularly as many voters felt betrayed at Labour for going into government with Fianna Fáil.[citation needed] In 1994 the Labour Party performed disastrously in two by-elections, in Dublin South-Central and in Cork North-Central. In both cases the seats were won by Democratic Left. This had grave implications for the electoral health of the party and therefore for the policy of the Labour leadership. Clearly Labour was not doing well electorally, and needed to assess its role in the coalition.
In late 1994, Reynolds wished to appoint the Attorney General, Harry Whelehan, as President of the High Court, but delayed for over a month. Spring had reservations about Whelehan being suitable, owing to the alleged laxity of his handling of a particular child abuse criminal case, involving a disgraced Catholic priest. Reynolds for his part could not understand why Spring was against Whelehan being nominated to the High Court, and yet had no concerns with Whelehan serving as Attorney General. Reynolds became annoyed with Spring's stance, his failure to communicate his reservations, and decided to proceed anyway, whilst calling Spring's bluff. Spring withdrew with his ministers from the cabinet meeting which proceeded to recommend Mr Whelehan's appointment to the President. Immediately afterward, Reynolds implemented the decision.
There followed a rather heated discussion in the Dáil, concerning the appointment. Fine Gael started asking questions about Whelehan's suitability and objectivity. This was supportive of Spring's position. Democratic Left TD Pat Rabbitte then implied that the Catholic hierarchy were instructing Reynolds to appoint Whelehan. Reynolds became irate with this allegation, and responded angrily. Reynolds now realised that Spring was uncompromising about Whelehan. In an effort to remain in government, Reynolds removed Whelehan; however, Spring refused to go back into government with Reynolds. Whelehan served as President of the High Court for one day.
Spring proceeded to withdraw from government. The minority Reynolds government then lost a vote of confidence in the Dáil. Reynolds resigned as party leader, but continued as a caretaker Taoiseach. Spring entered into negotiations with Reynolds' new successor,
During his period as Foreign Minister, Spring along with Reynolds was involved in negotiations leading to the Provisional Irish Republican Army and loyalist ceasefires of 1994 and the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. With Albert Reynolds, he received warm applause in the Dáil on the announcement of the Downing Street Declaration in December 1993. He also advanced Ireland's membership of the Partnership for Peace, a sister organization of NATO a controversial issue due to Ireland's policy of neutrality.
Resignation as party leader and defeat as TD
In the
He remained a TD, being appointed a director in the formerly state owned recently privatized telecommunications company
Spring lost his seat in a shock result at the 2002 general election.[8] He has not sought political office since.
Political legacy
In Irish political circles, the role of foreign minister was considered a poisoned chalice because of the challenge of resolving the delicate problem of how to de-escalate tensions in Northern Ireland, when both sides were wary of Irish governmental policy. Albert Reynolds, and Dick Spring, placed Northern Ireland at the top of the government agenda. Both were helped considerably by the initiative of John Hume, and the understanding built up between Reynolds, and British Prime Minister John Major. Spring devoted considerable energy and resources towards increasing Ireland's international influence and diplomatic ties in UN, in the post Cold War world.
As Foreign Minister, there was much critical comment in the media on Spring's extensive foreign travel. Spring got even harsher criticism, for using the Government Jet to reduce journey times between his home in Tralee and his office in Dublin. However, he did conduct, for the first time, a public consultative process that involved a wide range of citizenry and social groups as well as members of the diaspora, in the re-shaping of Irish foreign policy through the first ever White Paper on Foreign Policy in 1996.[9]
Critics of Dick Spring have described him as a
Subsequent life
Spring later became involved in the
Spring received a directorship appointment to the Irish state telecom enterprise,
Spring lives in Tralee with his wife Kristi (née Hutcheson), an American whom he met while working in New York as a bartender. They have three children. His nephew Arthur Spring was a Labour Party TD for Kerry North–West Limerick until March 2016, having first been a councillor for the Tralee electoral area of Kerry County Council. Spring is a member of Ballybunion Golf Club, and has invited former U.S. President Bill Clinton, amongst others, to visit there.
He is a director of
See also
References
- ^ "Dick Spring". Oireachtas Members Database. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
- ^ Michael C. O'Laughlin, Families of Co. Kerry, Ireland (Irish Roots Cafe, 1994), 137–38.
- ^ "How rugby put Spring in step". The Irish Times. 27 February 2008. Archived from the original on 12 October 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
- ^ "Ireland/Players & Officials/Dick Spring". ESPN Scrum dot Com. 28 February 2011. Archived from the original on 19 July 2013. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
- ^ "Dick Spring". ElectionsIreland.org. Archived from the original on 21 February 2011. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
- ^ "Eircom Directors heavily criticised by shareholders". RTÉ. 13 September 2000. Archived from the original on 12 March 2011. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
- ^ "Spring has yet to invest in Eircom shares". Irish Independent. 24 September 2000.
- ^ "Dick Spring: 'I don't want to sound like I'm lecturing or hectoring young people'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
- ISBN 0-7076-2385-5
- ^ "O'Garas lay rift rumours to rest in NY". Irish Independent. 4 November 2007. Archived from the original on 26 November 2007. Retrieved 18 January 2009.
- ^ Kelly, Fiach (10 November 2011). "Thanks big fellas: Ahern and Cowen get massive pensions". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 14 September 2012. Retrieved 10 November 2011.