Pádraig Rice chosen to contest general election for Social Democrats in Cork South Central
Pádraig Rice became the Social Democrats party's first Cork city councillor when he was elected in June, coming in third with 10% of the first preference vote.
Cork city councillor Pádraig Rice has been selected by the Social Democrats to contest the next general election in Cork South Central.
He secured the nomination ahead of the party's European candidate Susan Doyle.
Mr Rice became the party's first Cork city councillor when he was elected in June, coming in third with 10% of the first preference vote.
With a law degree from UCC and a Master's in Public Policy from the University of Oxford, Mr Rice is involved in policy and research and is also a community organiser and human rights campaigner.
In the past, he has worked as a parliamentary assistant in both the Dáil and the Seanad, as a community worker with the Cork Gay Project, and has worked with Trocaire in Uganda.
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Since his election to Cork City Council, Mr Rice has been vocal on the issue of housing, particularly on the need to take action on vacancy and dereliction.
“Too many people in my generation have been locked out of housing, and I want to stand up for them and fight for a fairer and more equal Ireland," Mr Rice said following his selection.
“We need to build more homes, provide better disability services, take meaningful climate action and reduce hospital waiting lists – the only way to achieve that is by electing new TDs and a different Dáil."
The Ballyphehane resident also said that better disability services must be provided and meaningful action needs to be taken to tackle climate change.
He said:
Calling for a "republic of equals", Mr Rice has campaigned on ending the two-tier health system and long waiting lists.
"Delivering better healthcare is also really important for me. Everyone should have access to good, quality healthcare that is free at the point of use," he said.
Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns welcomed the selection of Mr Rice calling him a dedicated and hard-working public representative who has hit the ground running.
"Pádraig exemplifies the type of change that the Social Democrats offer and I am certain that he would be an incredible, and extremely hard-working, TD for the area," said Ms Cairns.
“The Social Democrats put in a very strong performance in the local elections in this constituency. There is now a real opportunity for the people of Cork South Central to vote for meaningful change.”
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