RENUA IRELAND | DUBLIN STREET IMAGES

RENUA IRELAND

Renua Ireland, commonly called Renua, is a political party in Ireland. The party was launched on 13 March 2015, with former Fine Gael TD Lucinda Creighton as founding leader. Prior to its launch it had used the slogan Reboot Ireland. The name Renua is intended to suggest both the English Renew and the Irish Ré Nua "New Era”.

After the 2011 general election a Fine Gael–Labour coalition government was formed. Lucinda Creighton of Fine Gael was appointed Minister of State for European Affairs. In 2013 Creighton defied the party whip on anti-abortion grounds to oppose the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill. Creighton and others expelled from the Fine Gael parliamentary party formed a loose alliance called the Reform Alliance. Some TDs continued as ordinary members of Fine Gael, while others left the party completely.

Renua was officially launched on Friday 13 March 2015 in Dublin, followed by media appearances by its leading members. Creighton and party president Eddie Hobbs appeared on RTÉ's The Late Late Show to explain their policies. Hobbs denied he was planning to stand for election, although the party's website claimed that he would be a candidate.

Its elected representatives on its foundation were TDs Lucinda Creighton, Billy Timmins and Terence Flanagan, Senators Paul Bradford and Mary Ann O'Brien, and Councillors John Leahy (Offaly) and Ronan McMahon. O'Brien, a Taoiseach's nominee to the Senate, stated that she would not formally join the party until the general election campaign. Financial Advisor Eddie Hobbs was announced as party president, and later announced that he would not stand himself for election.

Later recruits included councillors Patrick McKee (Kilkenny, elected for Fianna Fáil), James Charity of (Galway, elected as an Independent), Frank Durkan (Mayo, elected as an Independent), and Keith Redmond (Fingal, elected for Fine Gael). Charity, who had joined on 20 May 2015, left Renua on 30 July. Journalist John Drennan joined as the party's director of communications and political strategy.

On 22 May 2015 the first Renua Ireland candidate to face election was Patrick McKee in the Carlow–Kilkenny by-election. He finished fourth, with 9.5% of the first-preference vote.

Although the Irish abortion debate was what precipitated Creighton's defection from Fine Gael, the party will not take a position on the issue and allow members a free vote on it.

The party initially hoped to run between 50 and 60 candidates in the 2016 general election, with at least one in each Dáil constituency.

General election candidate for the Cavan-Monaghan constituency, Mary Smyth, withdrew her candidacy after posting on her Facebook page that the Vatican was "the Antichrist" and describing it as “corrupt, riddled with gay sex and adoration of wealth”.

In January 2016, Renua announced a list of 18 candidates and published a manifesto. Main points of the manifesto included a flat personal tax rate of 23%, and a "three strikes" law which would see mandatory life sentences on a third conviction for "serious" crimes.

  •  RENUA IRELAND

    RENUA IRELAND

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