Jim Mitchell | |
|---|---|
| Deputy leader of Fine Gael | |
| In office 9 February 2001 – 5 June 2002 | |
| Leader | Michael Noonan |
| Preceded by | Nora Owen |
| Succeeded by | Richard Bruton |
| Minister for Communications | |
| In office 2 January 1984 – 10 March 1987 | |
| Taoiseach | Garret FitzGerald |
| Preceded by | New office |
| Succeeded by | John Wilson |
| Minister for Transport | |
| In office 14 December 1982 – 2 January 1984 | |
| Taoiseach | Garret FitzGerald |
| Preceded by | John Wilson |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Minister for Posts and Telegraphs | |
| In office 14 December 1982 – 2 January 1984 | |
| Taoiseach | Garret FitzGerald |
| Preceded by | John Wilson |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Minister for Justice | |
| In office 30 June 1981 – 9 March 1982 | |
| Taoiseach | Garret FitzGerald |
| Preceded by | Gerry Collins |
| Succeeded by | Seán Doherty |
| Lord Mayor of Dublin | |
| In office 6 June 1976 – 5 June 1977 | |
| Preceded by | Paddy Dunne |
| Succeeded by | Michael Collins |
| Teachta Dála | |
| In office November 1992 – May 2002 | |
| Constituency | Dublin Central |
| In office June 1981 – November 1992 | |
| Constituency | Dublin West |
| In office June 1977 – June 1981 | |
| Constituency | Dublin Ballyfermot |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Mitchell (1946-10-19)19 October 1946 |
| Died | 2 December 2002(2002-12-02) (aged 56) Phibsborough, Dublin, Ireland |
| Political party | Fine Gael |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 5 |
| Relatives | Gay Mitchell (brother) |
| Alma mater | Dublin Institute of Technology |
Jim Mitchell (19 October 1946 – 2 December 2002) was an IrishFine Gael politician who served asdeputy leader of Fine Gael from 2001 to 2002,Minister for Communications from 1984 to 1987,Minister for Transport andMinister for Posts and Telegraphs from 1982 to 1984,Minister for Justice from 1981 to 1982 andLord Mayor of Dublin from 1976 to 1977. He served as aTeachta Dála (TD) from 1977 to 2002.[1]
He was born inInchicore, Dublin, the seventh child among five sons and five daughters of Peter Mitchell, a machinist, and Eileen Mitchell (née Whelan).[2] He was educated at James's St. CBS, Inchicore vocational school, and theCollege of Commerce, Rathmines. At age 14 he entered theGuinness Brewery as a shop-floor worker.[3] While working he completed hisLeaving Certificate, and did computer studies at night atTrinity College Dublin. After qualifying as a computer analyst, he joined the Guinness computer staff in the early 1970s.[2]
Mitchell began his political involvement when he joinedFine Gael in 1967, becoming that party's unsuccessful candidate in aby-election in 1970. He was an unsuccessful candidate forDáil Éireann at the1973 general election inDublin South-West and lost again in the1976 by-election in the same constituency, toLabour Party'sBrendan Halligan. Mitchell was elected toDublin Corporation in 1974. In 1976, aged 29, he became the youngest everLord Mayor of Dublin.[4]
At the1977 general election he was elected toDáil Éireann as a Fine GaelTD for theDublin Ballyfermot constituency.[5] With the party's loss of power in 1977, the new leader,Garret FitzGerald appointed Mitchell to the Party'sFront Bench as Spokesperson for Labour. At the1981 general election, Mitchell was elected for theDublin West constituency as Fine Gael dramatically increased its number of seats before forming acoalition government with the Labour Party. On his appointment asTaoiseach, Garret FitzGerald caused some surprise by excluding some of the older conservative former ministers from his cabinet.[citation needed] Instead young liberals were appointed, with Mitchell receiving the post ofMinister for Justice.[6] The Fine Gael–Labour government collapsed in January 1982, but regained power in December of that year. Mitchell again was included in theFitzGerald cabinet, asMinister for Posts and Telegraphs andMinister for Transport.[7] These positions were combined into the position of Minister of Communications in January 1984.[8]
Mitchell granted the aviation licence to the fledgling airlineRyanair on 29 November 1985.[2] This was granted despite strong opposition by Ireland's national carrierAer Lingus, and fromFianna Fáil and other left-wing parties. The issue of the licence broke Aer Lingus' stranglehold on flights toLondon from the Republic of Ireland.[9]
Mitchell, who was seen as being on theliberal wing of Fine Gael and was, however, out of favour withJohn Bruton when hebecame Fine Gael leader in 1990. When Bruton formed theRainbow Coalition in December 1994, Mitchell was not appointed to any cabinet post.
Mitchell contested and won Dáil elections in 1977, 1981, February 1982, November 1982, 1987, 1989, 1992 and 1997. He also ran unsuccessfully for theEuropean Parliament in the 1994 and 1999 elections.[10][11] He also was director of elections forAustin Currie, the Fine Gael candidate, in the1990 presidential election. In 2001, Bruton was deposed as Fine Gael leader, and replaced byMichael Noonan. Mitchell served as his deputy from 2001 to 2002.
Mitchell also chaired theOireachtasPublic Accounts Committee.[12] Under Mitchell's chairmanship, the committee began to look at allegations of corruption and wide-scale tax evasion in the banking sector, particularly regardingDeposit interest retention tax (DIRT). It was established that there was a culture of encouragingtax evasion within Irish banks, which had allowed wealthy customers to set up non-resident (off-shore, international) bank accounts into which money was transferred, enabling the account holder to avoid paying DIRT. The scandal resultedAllied Irish Banks being forced to reach a settlement of €90 million with the Revenue Commissioners in respect of DIRT evasion in 2000 in addition to thousands of tax-evaders being prosecuted including the former Minister for JusticePádraig Flynn. The Mitchell inquiry was "shocked and horrified" at the "careless and reckless" manner in which the Governor of theCentral Bank of Ireland had quoted false statistics to the Public Accounts subcommittee.[13] Mitchell received much praise for his role in exposing the scandal.
Though regarded in politics as one of Fine Gael's "survivors", who held onto his seat amid major boundary changes, constituency changes and by attracting working class votes in a party whose appeal was primarily middle class, Mitchell lost hisDublin Central seat at the2002 general election. That election witnessed a large-scale collapse in the Fine Gael vote, with the party dropping from 54 to 31 seats in Dáil Éireann. Although Mitchell suffered from the swing against Fine Gael in Dublin, he was not aided by the fact thatInchicore, which was considered his base in the constituency had been moved toDublin South-Central. Jim had chosen not to run in that constituency as his brotherGay was a sittingTD running for re-election for that constituency.
Mitchell had earlier had a liver transplant in an attempt to beat a rare form of cancer which had cost the lives of a number of his siblings. Though the operation was successful, the cancer returned, and Mitchell ultimately died of the disease in December 2002.[14]
His former constituency colleague and rival,Bertie Ahern, described Jim Mitchell as having made an "outstanding contribution to Irish politics."
| Civic offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Lord Mayor of Dublin 1976–1977 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Minister for Justice 1981–1982 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister for Transport 1982–1984 | Succeeded by Himself as Minister for Communications |
| Minister for Posts and Telegraphs 1982–1984 | ||
| Preceded by Himself as Minister for Posts and Telegraphs andMinister for Transport | Minister for Communications 1984–1987 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Deputy leader of Fine Gael 2001–2002 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
