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Clare Bailey

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Northern Irish politician

Clare Bailey
Bailey in 2020
Leader of Green Party Northern Ireland
In office
21 November 2018 – 15 August 2022
DeputyMal O'Hara
Preceded bySteven Agnew
Succeeded byMal O'Hara
Deputy Leader of Green Party Northern Ireland
In office
November 2014 – 1 October 2017
LeaderSteven Agnew
Preceded byOffice created
Succeeded byTanya Jones
Member of the Legislative Assembly
for Belfast South
In office
5 May 2016 – 28 March 2022
Preceded byFearghal McKinney
Succeeded byKate Nicholl
Personal details
Born (1970-06-18) 18 June 1970 (age 54)
Clonard, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Political partyGreen Party
Children2
Alma materQueen's University Belfast

Clare Bailey (born 18 June 1970) is a Northern Irish activist and former politician who was the Leader of Green Party Northern Ireland from November 2018 to August 2022, having been deputy leader of the party from 2014 to 2017. Bailey was a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Belfast South from 2016 to 2022.

Early life

Bailey was born in Clonard on the Lower Falls. She was one of the first 28 pupils of Lagan College, Northern Ireland's first integrated school. She later attended Queen's University Belfast.

Political career

Bailey identifies as pro-choice and a feminist. She was a client escort for women accessing healthcare advice at the Belfast Marie Stopes Clinic, enduring assault and intimidation from anti-abortion protesters. She has also worked supporting survivors of sexual violence and abuse.

In 2011 she stood unsuccessfully for the Laganbank district electoral area on Belfast City Council, narrowly missing a seat and coming 6th in a 5-seat district electoral area.

Bailey was elected as an MLA in Belfast South at the 2016 Assembly election. She nearly trebled the Green Party vote in the area compared to the previous Assembly election. Political commentators considered her election so unlikely that pundit Alex Kane said he would sing on the steps of the Assembly if Bailey was elected. Kane kept this promise and was filmed by the BBC doing so.

Bailey was re-elected to the Assembly in 2017.

She served as the Greens' Deputy Leader until 2017. In November 2018, Bailey became Leader of the Green Party.

In May 2019, Bailey ran unsuccessfully for European Parliament, receiving 12,471 votes which placed her 7th and increased the Greens' share of the vote by 0.48%. In December 2019, she pulled out of the Westminster election to back Claire Hanna of the SDLP who she described as the "pro-Remain" candidate.

In March 2022, Bailey secured cross-party support and successfully passed a bill through the Assembly creating 'safe zones' around abortion clinics to prevent the harassment of women. Bailey also proposed her own Climate Change Bill, and ultimately succeeded in strengthening Minister Edwin Poots' eventual Climate Change Bill. Bailey said that Poots' Bill "simply wouldn’t be in place" if it wasn't for the Green Party proposing a climate bill in the first place.

Speaking ahead of the 2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election, Bailey highlighted the Green Party's outsized influence in the Assembly by noting that the Greens' policies, previously dismissed by rival parties, were now appearing in their manifestos. In the election, she lost her seat to Lord Mayor of Belfast Kate Nicholl of the Alliance Party.

After the 2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election, Bailey chose not to stand for re-election as leader. She was succeeded by Mal O'Hara in August 2022.

Ahead of the 2024 Westminster elections she signed the nomination papers of Claire Hanna of the SDLP, choosing not to endorse her former party colleague Cllr Áine Groogan.

References

  1. McNeilly, Claire (24 July 2017). "MLA Clare Bailey: I know what it's like to be homeless single mum on benefits". Belfast Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  2. Atkinson, Karen (11 March 2017). "The Scout Hall school". BBC News. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  3. "Clare Bailey MLA, South Belfast". The Green Party Northern Ireland.
  4. "The Big Interview: Clare Bailey deputy leader of the Green Party". Belfast Telegraph. 28 June 2015.
  5. Ferguson, Amanda (8 December 2017). "Closure of Marie Stopes Belfast clinic ends five years of hostility". The Irish Times. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  6. The Newsroom (28 May 2016). "'˜I could have ended up sleeping on the streets'". News Letter. Retrieved 1 August 2020. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  7. Williamson, Claire (13 May 2016). "Political pundit Alex Kane dons dress and sings on steps of Stormont after losing Assembly election bet". Belfast Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  8. "Alex Kane keeps promise to sing in dress". BBC News. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  9. Allsop, Bradley (8 May 2016). "Winds of change as Greens and People Before Profit win seats". Bright Green. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  10. "NI Assembly election: DUP remains largest as assembly count ends". BBC News. 7 May 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  11. "Ex-Green Party leader Clare Bailey backs SDLP candidate Claire Hanna in election". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 6 June 2024. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  12. Black, Rebecca (24 March 2022). "Range of legislation passed in final hours of Assembly mandate". Belfast Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  13. "Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Bill". www.niassembly.gov.uk.
  14. "Climate Change Bill". www.niassembly.gov.uk.
  15. "Climate Change (No. 2) Bill". www.niassembly.gov.uk.
  16. "Running late, but Bailey sees climate bill amendment pass". Belfast Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  17. Manley, John (11 March 2022). "Green leader Clare Bailey slams rivals who 'rowed back' on net zero commitments ahead of assembly election". The Irish News. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  18. Hewitt, Ralph (3 April 2022). "Climate Change Bill was 'not everything' Green Party leader Clare Bailey hoped for". Belfast Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  19. Hughes, Brendan (11 March 2022). "Green leader says their long-held policies now adopted by rivals". BelfastLive. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  20. Black, Rebecca (7 May 2022). "Alliance gain seat in South Belfast as Green Party leader loses out". Belfast Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  21. "Alliance gain seat in South Belfast as Green Party leader loses out". BBC. 15 August 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  22. McClements, Freya (15 August 2022). "Mal O'Hara to replace Clare Bailey as leader of North's Green Party". The Irish Times. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  23. "Ex-Green Party leader Clare Bailey backs SDLP candidate Claire Hanna in election". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 6 June 2024. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
Northern Ireland Assembly
Preceded byFearghal McKinney MLA for Belfast South
2016–2022 		Succeeded byKate Nicholl
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2014–2017 		Succeeded byTanya Jones
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