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How did your political career begin?
Political Platform Political platform: Violet-Anne Wynne TD First elected to the Dáil in February 2020, Violet-Anne Wynne is Sinn Féin’s TD for the Clare constituency. A graduate of Trinity College Dublin, Wynne previously worked as a home help provider for young adults with disabilities and is a former member of the Reserve Defence Forces, having accumulated three years of infantry experience. The Offaly native relocated to Clare before joining Sinn Féin in 2012 and unsuccessfully stood in the 2019 local elections.
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eolas public affairs
My political career began in 2012, after only one year of living in rural Clare with my young family and my partner whom at the time was diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder. I discovered very quickly how truly difficult life is in the countryside due to lack of access to transport, medical treatment, and everyday opportunities such as shopping and how this can significantly affect your financial situation and your overall wellbeing. My thirdborn child was experiencing great difficulties also and needed medical intervention as he was not getting enough oxygen due to enlarged adenoids. He was later diagnosed with Autism and the difficulties he and my family faced during these times angered me so much that I wanted to take action and I joined Sinn Féin. I was particularly angry that austerity measures affected the most disadvantaged or marginalised. Services were cut where they really should not have been – it was not corporations targeted – it was the elderly, it was children, and it was disabled people. That put a fire in my belly and made me take action.
What are your most notable achievements to date? I was appointed as a Sinn Féin representative on the Joint Oireachtas Committee for Disability Matters tasked with Monitoring the implementation of the UNCRPD. I co-signed two bills; the first being a River Agency Management bill and the second was legislation to ban accent-based discrimination and/or discrimination based on socio-economic background or address. I am also the third female ever elected as a TD in Clare and the first Sinn Féin TD in nearly 100 years.
What is unique about representing the Clare constituency? What is unique about representing Clare is its huge geographical area and the number of constituents living rurally with a distinct lack of access to the basics, including: adequate housing; health and mental health services; public transport; and job opportunities. The lack of
