Political Career
Cullen was one of 14 Progressive Democrat TDs elected to Dáil Éireann at the 1987 general election, the first election after the party was founded. During his first period as a TD he served as his party's spokesperson on Tourism, Transport and Communications (1987–1988) and Industry and Commerce (1988–1989). Cullen lost his seat at the 1989 general election but was subsequently nominated by the Taoiseach to Seanad Éireann. During the intervening period he was elected to Waterford City Council, before returning to the Dáil at the 1992 general election.
The following year he was appointed party spokesperson on Enterprise and Employment. In 1994 Cullen became disillusioned with the new party leader, Mary Harney, when he was not allowed to stand as a candidate in the European elections. He subsequently resigned from the party, eventually joining Fianna Fáil.
Read more about this topic: Martin Cullen
Famous quotes containing the words political and/or career:
“American thinking, when it concerns itself with beautiful letters as when it concerns itself with religious dogma or political theory, is extraordinarily timid and superficial ... [I]t evades the genuinely serious problems of art and life as if they were stringently taboo ... [T]he outward virtues it undoubtedly shows are always the virtues, not of profundity, not of courage, not of originality, but merely those of an emasculated and often very trashy dilettantism.”
—H.L. (Henry Lewis)
“From a hasty glance through the various tests I figure it out that I would be classified in Group B, indicating “Low Average Ability,” reserved usually for those just learning to speak the English Language and preparing for a career of holding a spike while another man hits it.”
—Robert Benchley (1889–1945)