Five Degrees of Change

‘We need to prioritise homes, hospitals and schools rather than data centres’ – Bríd Smith TD

The People Before Profit TD for Dublin South Central inherited a family tradition of activism, and believes that the running of the power grid, the outlawing of fossil fuel infrastructure, and transport and food production are all issues that must be given priority

Bríd Smith, People Before Profit TD pictured in Ballyfermot: ‘My Keep it In the Ground bill would remove the possibility of any more drilling for oil and gas.’ Picture: Bryan Meade

Bríd Smith was surrounded by activism from a young age. Coming from a family that was heavily engaged in the republican and trade union movements, her Dublin home was a hive of activity. It gave the People Before Profit TD lots of early exposure to politics.

“I would have been straight into activism as a young woman. When I eventually got a mortgage and moved to Ballyfermot, I got into community politics and the rest is kind of history,” Smith, the TD for Dublin South Central, told the Business Post.