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John Dardis

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John Dardis
Senator
In office
October 1989 – December 1992
In office
September 1997 – July 2007
ConstituencyNominated by the Taoiseach
In office
February 1993 – July 1997
ConstituencyAgricultural Panel
Personal details
Born(1945-07-25)25 July 1945(age 78)
NationalityIrish
Political partyProgressive Democrats
SpouseBeatrice Lane
Children3
Alma materUniversity College Dublin

John Dardis(born 25 July 1945) is an Irish formerProgressive Democratspolitician who served as asenatorfrom 1989 to 2007.[1]He is a retired farmer and formeragricultural journalist.

Early and personal life[edit]

Dardis was educated at the Dominican College inNewbridge, County Kildareand atUniversity College Dublin,where he graduated with a degree in Agricultural Science. He is married to Beatrice Lane, and has one son and two daughters.[2]He lives in Newbridge.

Political career[edit]

Dardis served inSeanad Éireannfrom 1989 until he retired in 2007, beingnominated by the Taoiseachin 1989, 1997 and 2002, and elected by theAgricultural Panelin 1992 (this was facilitated by an electoral pact withDemocratic Left[3]). He was also a member ofKildare County Councilfor twelve years, representing theKildaretown electoral area from the1991 local electionsuntil he stood down from the council in 2003 on the abolition of thedual mandateunder theLocal Government Act 2001.[4]

He stood for election toDáil Éireannfor theKildareconstituency at the1992,but was unsuccessful. After the division of the constituency, he stood again in theKildare Southconstituency at the1997 general electionand again in2002,but was defeated on both occasions. He also stood for election to theEuropean Parliamentin theLeinster constituencyat the1989and1994 elections.[5]

Salmon drift-nets[edit]

In October 2005, Dardis launched a Progressive Democrats (PD) policy document which advocated a ban on the use ofdrift netsto catchsalmonin Irish waters, and called for "fair and appropriate" compensation for licence-holders.[6]The policy was agreed at the party's conference inGalway.[7]

The PDs' policy contradicted that of thecoalition government(withFianna Fáil) of which they were part, and came days before a report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Marine and Natural Resources recommended similar measures. The party was accused of "political opportunism" by theGreen Partyof only taking an interest in the issue in advance of a Government policy shift,[8]andTommy Broughanof theLabour Partysaid "" The PDs had seven years to do something about this and they did nothing. Now they are taking a sudden interest in the issue on the eve of our report coming out. "[7][9]In a letter toThe Irish Times,Dardis – who is a keen angler,[10]– replied that the party had opposed drift-netting since 1999.[11]

The governmented then established an Independent Salmon Group to review policy, and the group's report in October 2006 recommended radical measures to halt "the catastrophic decline of Irish salmon stocks", including both a ban drift nets and on angling for salmon in major rivers including theLiffey,Boyne,Barrow,NoreandSuir.[12]

In November 2006, the government imposed a ban on drift-netting with effect from January 2007, accompanied by a €30m hardship fund. The decision was publicly criticised by the junior minister responsible,Pat "the Cope" Gallagher,whoseDonegal South-Westwas one of the most-important drift-netting area. He said that he did not accept the basis of the scientific report on which the Cabinet had agreed the policy change.[13]The decision was supported by angling groups, but opposed by sea-fishermen, some 400 of whom marched on the Dáil.[14]The drift-netters' anger was directed at the Cabinet Minister,Noel Dempsey,with one poster in the village ofPassage EastinCounty Waterfordreading "'Noel Dempsey should be hanged, not Saddam – Fianna Fail Out".[15]

Dardis responded that the government had to act on the scientific advice, and said that "the future of a species that has been central to Irish life has been secured by today's decision".[14]

Conflicts of interest in planning[edit]

In June 2006, Dardis raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest in the planning system, when local council planning officials take up new jobs with development companies operating in the same area. He told the Seanad that "no less than a former county manager of a local authority has taken up a senior position with a development company", noting that the move came only three months after the manager had approved planning permission for a large and controversial development by the same company.[16]

2007 election[edit]

In 2005, Dardis took office as Chairman of the Progressive Democrats Parliamentary Party. He had been expected to stand again in Kildare South at the2007 general electionbut announced his decision in March 2007. Noting that it would be hard for the party to win a seat in the three-seat constituency, he said "We had hoped that the most recent electoral boundary changes would result in a fourth seat for Kildare South but this did not happen".[17]He was instead appointed as chair of the party's election campaign.[18]

In the election, the PDs lost six of their eight seats in the Dáil, including that of the party leaderMichael McDowell.Dardis subsequently headed a committee to examine the options for the party leadership, which recommended that the role be taken on by a senator or councillor to take on the party leadership (the party rules then required that the position must be held by aTD).[19]A meeting of the party's General council on 16 February 2008 changed the rules to allow any senator, councillor or any party member with the support of 20 other members to stand for the party's leadership.[20]

References[edit]

  1. ^"John Dardis".Oireachtas Members Database.Archivedfrom the original on 8 November 2018.Retrieved16 February2008.
  2. ^"Our people: John Dardis".Progressive Democrats website.5 March 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 19 November 2007.Retrieved16 February2008.
  3. ^Chapter 10 The Subterranean Election of the SeanadArchived13 April 2020 at theWayback MachineMichael Gallagher and Liam Weeks UCC
  4. ^"School principal to take Dardis's council seat".Kildare Nationalist.25 September 2003. Archived fromthe originalon 13 May 2006.Retrieved16 February2008.
  5. ^"John Dardis".ElectionsIreland.org.Archivedfrom the original on 23 October 2007.Retrieved16 February2008.
  6. ^Lorna Siggins (8 October 2005)."PDs may break with policy on managing wild salmon".The Irish Times.Archivedfrom the original on 10 October 2012.Retrieved16 February2008.
  7. ^abLorna Siggins and Liam Reid (10 October 2005)."Major shift over salmon policy".The Irish Times.Archivedfrom the original on 10 October 2012.Retrieved16 February2008.
  8. ^Paul Anderson (11 October 2005)."PDs accused of politicking over salmon industry".The Irish Times.Archivedfrom the original on 10 October 2012.Retrieved16 February2008.
  9. ^"PDs using salmon industry survival as 'political football'".BreakingNews.ie.1 October 2005. Archived fromthe originalon 11 July 2012.Retrieved16 February2008.
  10. ^"Drapier: Second-rate FG failing to hold Government to account".The Irish Times.22 October 2005.Archivedfrom the original on 11 October 2012.Retrieved16 February2008.Senator John Dardis, a solid citizen and a keen angler, has played a blinder on this. His quiet demeanour, brought on by fishing one assumes, should not be underestimated.
  11. ^John Dardis (13 October 2005)."PD policy on drift-netting".The Irish Times letters column.Archivedfrom the original on 12 October 2012.Retrieved16 February2008.
  12. ^Stephen Collins (25 October 2006)."Ban on salmon drift-netting expected soon".The Irish Times.p. 1.Archivedfrom the original on 10 October 2012.Retrieved16 February2008.
  13. ^Brian Dowling and Treacy Hogan (2 November 2006)."Dempsey stands by decision to ban salmon drift net fishing".Irish Independent.Archivedfrom the original on 20 May 2011.Retrieved16 February2008.
  14. ^abEoin Burke-Kennedy (1 November 2006)."Fishermen warn of backlash over netting ban".Ireland.Archivedfrom the original on 10 October 2012.Retrieved16 February2008.
  15. ^Dara deFaoite (9 November 2006)."Hang marine minister, insist outraged salmon fishermen".Irish Independent.Archivedfrom the original on 14 May 2008.Retrieved16 February2008.
  16. ^"Dardis calls for action on conflicts of interest when planning officials move on".Kildare Nationalist.1 June 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 22 June 2011.Retrieved16 February2008.
  17. ^"Dardis not to contest General Election".The Irish Times.5 March 2007.Retrieved16 February2008.
  18. ^"Senator John Dardis to chair PDs' election campaign".Progressive Democrats website.5 March 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 19 November 2007.Retrieved16 February2008.
  19. ^Nicola Boyes (28 September 2007)."PDs set to broaden leadership criteria".The Irish Times.Archivedfrom the original on 20 May 2011.Retrieved16 February2008.
  20. ^"PDs change leadership rules".RTÉ News.16 February 2008.Archivedfrom the original on 26 February 2008.Retrieved16 February2008.
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