Sligo Mayoral election was a missed opportunity for FG

Madam Editor,

So the idea of two women Mayors in a row was too much for Sligo Municipal District members. According to Sorcha Crowley (26/6/17), when outgoing Mayor, Marie Casserly, dared to propose another woman, Fine Gael Cllr. Sinead Maguire, for the job, the deal had alas, already been done, and following some shocked twittering and behind doors wrangling, Cllr Hubert Keaney was duly elected.

Another missed opportunity for Fine Gael, the party which enacted gender quota legislation, to put their avowed gender equality principles into practice, following their party leader’s failure to do so in appointing his new cabinet.

And no, we are not suggesting women should be appointed just because they are women regardless of their ability to do the job.

There are plenty of women with ability who would make great politicians and ministers, but barriers remain, including culture and candidate selection, identified by an Oireachtas report as two of the main constraints on women’s involvement in politics.

Both these factors are at play in the internal party procedures described by Cllr Maguire in her statement.

Politics is still seen as ‘jobs for the boys’, and the drama played out in City Hall does not help entice any woman into local politics.

It beggars belief that Leo Varadkar could not have found a few more women of talent and ability when he was putting his team together. How hard did he try? Let’s hope his new pal Trudeau gave him a few tips on promoting gender equality in politics while they were admiring each others’ socks.

Ultimately, it’s about power, sharing power in the Dáil and in the Council chambers, sharing the leadership positions, becoming a modern democracy, a democracy that reflects the make-up of its citizens.

Since the foundation of the State in 1922 only two women TDs have ever represented the Sligo/Leitrim constituency in the Dáil – Mary Reynolds in 1932 and Marian Harkin in 1996.

Until we see gender balance in Sligo County Council and other councils and in the Dáil, our democracy is still unfinished business.

We need to work together, men and women, to address this democratic deficit. Nóirín Clancy 5050 North West Sligo