Tony Gregory

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Tony Gregory (born December, 1947) is an Irish Independent politician and a Teachta Dála (TD) for Dublin Central.

Born in Dublin, Tony Gregory was educated by the Christian Brothers at O’Connell School and University College Dublin where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree. Gregory worked as a secondary school teacher before becoming involved in politics as a member of Dublin City Council in 1979. Gregory is a former member of Official Sinn Féin and the Irish Republican Socialist Party. In 1982 he was elected to Dáil Éireann as an Independent TD.

On his election in February 1982 he immediately achieved national prominence through the famous "Gregory Deal", which he negotiated with Fianna Fáil leader Charles Haughey. In return for supporting Haughey as Taoiseach, Gregory was guaranteed a massive cash injection for his inner-city Dublin constituency, an area beset by poverty and neglect. Although Gregory was reviled in certain quarters for effectively holding a government to ransom, his uncompromising commitment to the poor was widely admired.

Gregory has remained a TD ever since 1982 and, although he has never held a Cabinet position, remains one of the country's most recognised Dáil deputies.