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George Colley | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Colley in 1979 | |
| Tánaiste | |
| In office 5 July 1977 – 30 June 1981 | |
| Taoiseach | |
| Preceded by | Brendan Corish |
| Succeeded by | Michael O'Leary |
| Minister for Energy | |
| In office 22 January 1980 – 30 June 1981 | |
| Taoiseach | Charles Haughey |
| Preceded by | Michael O'Kennedy |
| Succeeded by | Michael O'Leary |
| Minister for Tourism and Transport | |
| In office 12 December 1979 – 22 January 1980 | |
| Taoiseach | Charles Haughey |
| Preceded by | Pádraig Faulkner |
| Succeeded by | Albert Reynolds |
| Minister for the Public Service | |
| In office 5 July 1977 – 11 December 1979 | |
| Taoiseach | Jack Lynch |
| Preceded by | Pádraig Faulkner |
| Succeeded by | Albert Reynolds |
| Minister for Finance | |
| In office 5 July 1977 – 11 December 1979 | |
| Taoiseach | Jack Lynch |
| Preceded by | Richie Ryan |
| Succeeded by | Michael O'Kennedy |
| In office 9 May 1970 – 14 March 1973 | |
| Taoiseach | Jack Lynch |
| Preceded by | Charles Haughey |
| Succeeded by | Richie Ryan |
| Minister for the Gaeltacht | |
| In office 2 July 1969 – 14 March 1973 | |
| Taoiseach | Jack Lynch |
| Preceded by | Pádraig Faulkner |
| Succeeded by | Tom O'Donnell |
| Minister for Industry and Commerce | |
| In office 13 July 1966 – 9 May 1970 | |
| Taoiseach | Jack Lynch |
| Preceded by | Patrick Hillery |
| Succeeded by | Patrick Lalor |
| Minister for Education | |
| In office 21 April 1965 – 13 July 1966 | |
| Taoiseach | Seán Lemass |
| Preceded by | Patrick Hillery |
| Succeeded by | Donogh O'Malley |
| Parliamentary Secretary | |
| 1964–1965 | Lands |
| Teachta Dála | |
| In office June 1981 – 17 September 1983 | |
| Constituency | Dublin Central |
| In office June 1977 – June 1981 | |
| Constituency | Dublin Clontarf |
| In office June 1969 – June 1977 | |
| Constituency | Dublin North-Central |
| In office October 1961 – June 1969 | |
| Constituency | Dublin North-East |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1925-10-18)18 October 1925 |
| Died | 17 September 1983(1983-09-17) (aged 57) |
| Political party | Fianna Fáil |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 7, includingAnne |
| Parent |
|
| Education | St Joseph's, Fairview |
| Alma mater | University College Dublin |
George Colley (18 October 1925 – 17 September 1983) was an IrishFianna Fáil politician who served asTánaiste from 1977 to 1981,Minister for Energy from 1980 to 1981,Minister for Tourism and Transport from 1979 to 1980,Minister for the Public Service from 1977 to 1979,Minister for Finance from 1970 to 1973 and from 1977 to 1979,Minister for the Gaeltacht from 1969 to 1973,Minister for Industry and Commerce from 1966 to 1970,Minister for Education from 1965 to 1966 andParliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Lands from 1964 to 1965. He served as aTeachta Dála (TD) from 1961 to 1983.[1]
Colley was born in theDublin suburb ofFairview, in 1925.[2] He was the son ofHarry Colley and Christina Colley (née Nugent). His father was a veteran of the1916 Easter Rising and a former adjutant in theIrish Republican Army (IRA), who was elected toDáil Éireann in 1944, as a Fianna Fáil candidate.
He was educated atSt Joseph's Secondary C.B.S. inFairview, where one of his classmates and closest friends wasCharles Haughey, who later became his political arch-rival. He studied law atUniversity College Dublin and qualified as a solicitor in the mid-1940s. He remained friends with Haughey after leaving school and, ironically, encouraged him to become a member of Fianna Fáil in 1951. Haughey was elected to Dáil Éireann in the1957 general election, ousting Colley's father in the process. This put some strain on the relationship between the two young men.
Colley was elected to the Dáil at the1961 general election, reclaiming his father's old seat in theDublin North-East constituency.[3] Furthermore, he was elected in the same constituency as Haughey, thereby accentuating the rivalry. Thereafter, Colley progressed rapidly through the ranks of Fianna Fáil. He became a member of the Dáil at a time when a change from the older to the younger generation was taking place, a change facilitated by theTaoiseachSeán Lemass.
He was active in theOireachtas as chairman of some of the Joint Labour Committees, which were set up under the Labour Court, to fix legally enforceable wages for groups of workers who had not been effectively organised in trade unions. He was also leader of the Irish parliamentary delegation to the Consultative Assembly of theCouncil of Europe. Colley's work as a backbencher was rewarded by his appointment asParliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Lands in October 1964.
Following the return of Lemass's government at the1965 general election, Colley joinedthe cabinet asMinister for Education. He introduced a plan to establishcomprehensive schools, set up an advisory council on post-primary school accommodation in Dublin, and introduced a school psychological service.
He was promoted asMinister for Industry and Commerce, in a cabinet reshuffle in July 1966, and he continued the government policy of economic expansion that had prevailed since the late 1950s.
In November 1966, Seán Lemass resigned suddenly as party leader. Colley contested the subsequentleadership election. He was the favoured candidate of party elders such asSeán MacEntee andFrank Aiken,[4] the latter managing Colley's campaign and annoyed at Lemass's quick decision to retire before Colley had built up his support. Colley was considered to be in the same mould as the party founders, concerned with issues such as the peaceful reunification of the country and the cause of theIrish language. Charles Haughey andNeil Blaney, also declared their interest in the leadership; however, both withdrew when the Minister for Finance,Jack Lynch, announced his candidacy. Colley did not back down and the leadership issue went to a vote for the first time in the history of the Fianna Fáil party.
The leadership election took place on 9 November 1966, and Lynch beat Colley by 59 votes to 19. When the new Taoiseach announced his cabinet, Colley retained the Industry and Commerce portfolio.
Following Fianna Fáil's success at the1969 general election, Colley held onto his existing cabinet post and also took charge of theGaeltacht portfolio, an area where he had a personal interest. He used this dual position to direct industrial investment to Gaeltacht areas. He set about changing the traditional view of the Irish-speaking regions as backward and promoted their equal claim to the more sophisticated industries being established in Ireland by foreign investment.
In the wake of theArms Crisis in 1970, a major reshuffle of the cabinet took place. Four Ministers, Charles Haughey, Neil Blaney,Kevin Boland andMícheál Ó Móráin, were either removed, resigned, or simply retired from the government due to the scandal that was about to unfold. Despite his defeat by Jack Lynch in the leadership contest four years earlier, Colley had remained loyal to the party leader and had become a close political ally. He was rewarded by his appointment asMinister for Finance, the second most important position in government, while retaining the Gaeltacht portfolio.
Colley was regarded as a predictable Minister and the ultimate safe man, as a highly orthodoxKeynesian.[citation needed] His decision to introduce budget deficits in his first three budgets was even welcomed by the opposition. He oversaw thedecimalisation of the Irish currency in 1971. He also championed the introduction ofRTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta and argued the financial case for it in 1972, as the Minister with responsibility for the Gaeltacht.
In 1973, Fianna Fáil was ousted after sixteen years in government when thenational coalition ofFine Gael and theLabour Party came to power. Colley was appointed opposition Spokesman on Finance, in the new Fianna Fáil front bench. He came to be regarded as a hard-working spokesman and was a constant critic of what he viewed as the coalition government's restrictive economic policy and of the capital taxation which he believed discouraged investment.
As the1977 general election approached, Colley andMartin O'Donoghue were the main architects of Fianna Fáil's election manifesto. The party's programme for government included several inducements, including the abolition of car tax and rates on houses, as it was believed that the coalition government would retain office.
Fianna Fáil swept to power at the 1977 general election, with a 20-seat Dáil majority, contrary to opinion polls and political commentators. Colley was re-appointed as Minister for Finance andMinister for the Public Service, and was also appointed asTánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister). The latter appointment established him as the heir apparent to Taoiseach Jack Lynch.
During his second term as Finance Minister, Colley implemented controversial policies from the election manifesto. He immediately set about dismantling the previous government's capital taxation programme while also abolishing the wealth tax and diluting the capital gains and capital acquisition taxes. His policy of low taxation and continued government investment resulted in massive foreign borrowing and a balance of payments deficit. In 1979, Fianna Fáil's economic policies were derailed due to strikes, higher wage demands, and the1979 energy crisis. The introduction of a two per cent levy on agricultural production angered some rural backbench TDs, and party tensions emerged.
In December 1979, Jack Lynch resigned unexpectedly as Taoiseach and as Fianna Fáil leader. It is said that Colley and his supporters encouraged Lynch to retire one month earlier than planned because he felt he had the support to win a leadership contest and that the quick decision would catch Charles Haughey and his supporters off guard.
Support for both candidates was evenly matched throughout theleadership contest. Colley had the backing of the majority of the Cabinet and the party hierarchy, while Haughey relied on support from the first-time backbenchers. A secret ballot was taken on Friday, 7 December 1979. The Minister for Foreign Affairs,Michael O'Kennedy announced his support for Haughey on the eve of the election. This was believed to have swung the vote, and Haughey beat Colley by 44 votes to 38.
Colley remained as Tánaiste but demanded and received a veto on Haughey's ministerial appointments to the departments of Justice and Defence. Colley was removed from his position as Minister for Finance and Minister for the Public Service. He declined the position of Minister for Foreign Affairs, preferring instead a domestic portfolio, which resulted in a demotion. He was temporarily appointed Minister for Transport and Tourism, before taking charge of the newDepartment of Energy. During his brief tenure, he blocked theNuclear Energy Board's controversial plan to build a nuclear power plant atCarnsore Point inCounty Wexford.
Fianna Fáil lost power at the1981 general election when a short-lived Fine Gael-Labour Party coalition government took office. Haughey delayed naming a new opposition front bench, but Colley was still a key member of the Fianna Fáil hierarchy.
Fianna Fáil regained office at theFebruary 1982 general election, but there was disquiet about Haughey's leadership and the failure to secure an overall majority. Colley demanded the same veto as before on Haughey's Defence and Justice appointments, but was refused. When it was revealed thatRay MacSharry would be appointed Tánaiste in his stead, he declined another ministerial position. This effectively brought his front-bench political career to an end, but he remained a vocal critic of the party leadership from the backbenches.
When the Fianna Fáil government collapsed and was replaced by another coalition government after theNovember 1982 general election, several TDs and Senators expressed a lack of confidence in Haughey's leadership once again. Several unsuccessful leadership challenges took place in late 1982 and early 1983, with Colley now supportingDesmond O'Malley and theGang of 22 who opposed Haughey.
Colley met his future wife, Mary Doolan, on Irish-language courses in the Kerry Gaeltacht. They married on 27 September 1950 and had three sons and four daughters, one of whom,Anne Colley, became a TD as a member of theProgressive Democrats party.[2]
Colley died suddenly on 17 September 1983, aged 57, while receiving treatment for a heart condition atGuy's Hospital,London.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Lands 1964–1965 | Office abolished |
| Preceded by | Minister for Education 1965–1966 | Succeeded by |
| Minister for Industry and Commerce 1966–1970 | Succeeded by | |
| Preceded by | Minister for the Gaeltacht 1969–1973 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister for Finance 1970–1973 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Tánaiste 1977–1981 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister for Finance 1977–1979 | Succeeded by |
| Minister for the Public Service 1977–1979 | ||
| Preceded by | Minister for Tourism and Transport 1979–1980 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister for Energy 1980–1981 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Deputy leader of Fianna Fáil 1977–1982 | Succeeded by |