Independent TD for Dublin South Shane Ross has spent his political and journalistic career as a voice for individuals and minorities.
He has constantly challenged the excesses of the Irish establishment including big business, the banks, political parties, and other vested interests.
- Some of his more recent campaigns include:
- AGAINST BANKS AND AUCTIONEERS’ ABUSESwith reported cases growing and still no real regulation
- TRANSPORT to be substantially improved, no more M50 chaos
- BROADBAND to be accessible to all areas of Ireland
- PARENTS OF YOUNG CHILDREN to be given greater resources, especially for children with special needs
- SCHOOLS and the ever-increasing problems of excessive class sizes, inadequate school buildings and the fact that schools have been forced to open and exist in unsatisfactory temporary accommodation.
Shane’s Background
Shane Ross was educated at St Stephen’s School Dundrum, Rugby School, Trinity College Dublin, and the University of Geneva. At Trinity he studied History and Politics, and edited Miscellany magazine. He is a Vice-President of the Hist, the debating society formed by Edmund Burke in 1770.
Today, Shane is the Business Editor of the Sunday Independent, Ireland’s biggest selling broadsheet. He won the prestigious Journalist of the Year Award 2009 for his investigation into waste and extravagance at the state agency FAS. A qualified stockbroker, he was executive chairman of Dillon and Waldron stockbrokers, and Irish Times stock exchange correspondent for 8 years. He is director or chairman of several investment funds including the Barings New Russia and SVM Global funds, and former chairman of the Kleinwort European Privatisation Trust.
Shane is also a published author. His 2009 bestseller, ‘The Bankers: How the Banks Brought Ireland to its Knees’, lifted the veil from those whose reckless lending to property developers brought Ireland from boom to bust.
In 2010, along with Nick Webb, he co-authored, ‘Wasters’, an examination of the scandal of public sector waste and extravagance at the taxpayers’ expense.
In the 2011 General Election, Shane was elected as an Independent TD to Dublin South. He topped the poll with a total of 17,075 first preference votes, surpassing the quota of 12,108 comfortably with a surplus of 4,967 votes.
He is married to Ruth Buchanan, a noted broadcaster, and they have two children.