Nationality Irish Party Socialist Party Role Irish Political figure | Name Mick Barry Political party Socialist Party | |
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Constituency Cork City North Central | ||
Mick Barry (born 17 September 1964) is an Irish Solidarity–People Before Profit politician and a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Cork North–Central constituency, upon being elected at the 2016 general election. He is a member of the Socialist Party which has an international affiliation to the Trotskyist Committee for a Workers' International. The AAA was re-branded as "Solidarity" in 2017.
According to the Irish Examiner, Barry has been "a leading figure in the Cork and national campaigns" against household and water charges.
Dick Spring expelled Barry, alongside Joe Higgins and 12 others, from the Labour Party in 1989. Since then he has taken part in activist activities and moved to Cork from Dublin two years later.
Barry was first elected City Councillor in June 2004 and re-elected in June 2009 and May 2014 (both times on the first count). He also stood as a candidate in the Cork North–Central constituency at the 2002, 2007 and 2011 general elections.
On 1 May 2013, gardaí arrested five members of the Campaign Against Home and Water Taxes, including Barry and fellow Cork City Councillor Ted Tynan of the Workers' Party, during a midday protest inside the St Patrick's Street branch of the Bank of Ireland in the city. People gathered on the street. Cllr Tynan said he felt a need to stand up against austerity.
Barry has campaigned on a number of issues locally and nationally, notably the Anti-Bin Tax Campaign with the Householders Against Service Charges (HASC) in Cork. In support of local services in the Cork area such as the cutbacks in bus services, and against the building of a private hospital on the public grounds of Cork University Hospital. and social housing. He has called for a ban on home repossessions and considers the controversial Gateway employment scheme to be "slave labour". He called for standing orders to be suspended and proposed a motion condemning the jailing of five activists opposing a proposed tax on water.
A founding member of the Anti-Austerity Alliance (AAA), Barry was elected for the AAA-PBP group, in the 2016 general election, on his fourth attempt.