Patricia McKenna was a prominent member of the Irish Green Party since the mid 80’s. She left the party in 2009, because of the party’s failure to pursue specific policies in Government, to run as an independent/non party candidate in the June European Parliament elections.

She was elected to the European Parliament in 1994, making political history for the Greens in Ireland as the first Green Party candidate to top the poll in an election.  She became the party’s first Member of the European Parliament and held the seat for the party for ten years until the 2004 elections, when she lost her seat to Sinn Fein. She is Chairperson of the People’s Movement, a non-party citizens movement campaigning for democracy and transparency in the EU.

During her ten years in Europe, she was considered to be one of Ireland’s most active and hard-working MEPs. She was a Vice President of the Green Group in the European Parliament and a Vice President of the Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with Member States of ASEAN, South-East Asia and the Republic of Korea.

Over the years Patricia has been involved in many campaigns as an MEP and as a political activist. She is perhaps best-known for her victory over the Irish Government in the Irish Supreme Court in 1995.

She went to the High Court and subsequently to the Supreme Court to challenge the Government of the day for its unconstitutional use of taxpayers’ money for propaganda purposes in referendum campaigns. The Supreme Court ruled that the Irish Government was not permitted to use public funds to promote a particular outcome in referenda.

“The use by the Government of public funds to fund a campaign designed to influence the voters in favour of a ‘Yes’ vote is an interference with the democratic process for the amendment of the Constitution and infringes the concept of equality which is fundamental to the democratic nature of the State... “  Chief Justice Hamilton

“Ireland is a democratic State. The citizen is entitled under the Constitution to a democratic process. The citizen is entitled to a democracy free from governmental interference with the process no matter how well intentioned. No branch of the government is entitled to use taxpayers’ monies from the Central Fund to interfere with the democratic process either as to the voting process or as to the campaign prior to the vote.” Justice Denham, J.

“ ... Has the Executive observed fair procedures in submitting the amendment to the people? In my view it has not. The Government has not held the scales equally between those who support and those who oppose the amendment. It has thrown its weight behind those who support it. “  Justice Blaney

“It is no answer to say, as has been said, that the advocacy is gentle, bland and mild and put forward in the context of making a fair effort on the Government’s part to put all matters before the people; … - nor, finally, is it any answer to say that it is either the entitlement or the ‘duty’ of a Government so to educate the public. If the Government regards itself as having that right or duty, it must exercise it without resort to public funds.“ Justice O’Flaherty

As a result of the Supreme Court ruling, which was very unpopular with the Irish political establishment, the Referendum Commission was set up with the approval of all parties in the Oireachtas.

Patricia is also well-known for her campaigns against the nuclear industry, in particular the controversial Sellafiled plant in the UK and is an active campaigner against nuclear weapons and an executive member of Irish CND.

She has been one of Ireland’s most prominent figures during the referendum campaigns on the Maastricht, Amsterdam, Nice and Lisbon EU treaties. For years she has been committed to bringing EU issues to the attention of the people, including the first Alternative EU Summit in Dublin during Ireland’s Presidency of the EC in 1990.

She has supported Irish and international campaigns against U.S. led military aggression in various parts of the world and has consistently called for the Irish government to end facilitating U.S. warplanes and Extraordinary Rendition flights through Shannon Airport.

In the early years Patricia was involved in setting up a number of citizen initiatives, including the Irish Women’s Environmental Network and the Shut Sellafield Campaign. She was  active in the Constitutional Rights Campaign during the 1987 referendum on the Single European Act. She later acted as a Dail adviser to Ireland’s first Green TD, Roger Garland. She was Co-Secretary of the European Green Coordination - now known as the Federation of Green Parties - and is President of the Irish Anti-Vivisection Society and Trustee of the Irish African and Asian Conservation and Wildlife Trust.

Patricia is also one of the founders of CAEUC, the Campaign against the EU Constitution.