International Women’s Day 2012 – a personal view by Paul O’Mahony

Paul O’Mahony is @omaniblog on Twitter – his business is MarketingWriteNow.com  -he’s written & recorded this piece specially for International Women’s Day

Why I support the aims of the 5050 Group – audio version of blogpost written for International Women”s Day 2012 (mp3)

Why do I support the aims of the 5050 Group?

Simple… I have a 6 year old daughter (& 2 sons too).  I want her to rule the world – or at least feel she could run anything she likes when she grows up…

As a parent, I feel responsible for bringing her back to Ireland –  from UK where she was born.  She had no power, no ability to influence where she grew up.  It’s my fault she grew up in Ireland.  That’s the way I think…

So when I got a chance to go to the Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis, I swallowed my pride – I buried my impulse to damn Fianna Fáil –  in favour of my will to be a good parent. I went willingly into “that good night“.

I support 5050 Group because…
it was formed to lobby for a better Ireland – for an Ireland in which my daughter could grow up taking it foregranted laws are made by women & men equally.  That’s what I want her to assume.  Unconsciously & consciously suck it up that she lives in an environment in which she can flourish…

I don’t want my child to grow up in a society in which men make laws & women pull strings behind the scenes.  Pubic life is for all.

For me this is a crystal clear issue.
Gender quotas are trivial compared with the big picture.  The really important matter is who makes the laws.   Who debates & votes on legislation…  who interprets the laws in the courts…  For me the best way to ensure my child gets an Ireland I can comfortably die in is for the Oireachtas of Ireland to be occupied by 50% of each gender.  Parliament & Constitution set the framework of culture, icons, symbols & flags that matter fundamentally.

Just to be clear…
those who oppose gender quotas in Irish politics may well be decent people – the only thing separating us may be the tactical question of whether quotas will lead to improvement.  But opposition to quotas may also disguise attachment to the status quo.  Those who oppose gender quotas are responsible for persuading me they are not “backwoodsmen” – conservative old codgers dedicated to putting gender equality “on the long finger“.

I have no time for those who oppose gender quotas in principle.  All I care about is whether people are on the side I favour, the side that will result in my daughter being free to apply all her talents.

Others may take a different view.
That doesn’t bother me – I have only one vote.  Thank goodness each person has only one vote.  This is not about political ideology or political point-scoring.  No matter how many Fine Gael or Fianna Fail young people oppose change – I count each person as having only one vote.

Why support 5050 Group?
I’m clear on why I do.  Even if I fail to convince one single person to join the struggle to change Ireland for the better in this respect –  at least I’m clear on my desire.

Let there be change.

I’ll admit I’ve always been a radical.  I’m on the extreme wing of the gender equality in politics movement.  If it was up to me, I’d reserve 50% of the seats in Dail Eireann for women.  I totally agree with Kathleen Lynch when she says “I want to vote for mediocre women.”  As far as I’m concerned the quality can wait – I want the stats first.

Whether women like it or not, I insist they should be lawmaking. Whether men like it or not, I insist they deserve no more than 50% of the vote on every single law & local authority bye-law.

This is an extreme view…
I can & do collaborate with people who don’t share my extreme view.  I don’t expect anyone to agree with me.  But I am fighting the good fight for a better world for my child.  That’s what a good-enough parent is meant to do, isn’t it?

I started off writing this
in a spirit of celebrating International Women’s Day 2012 – I end up throwing myself forward with the Suffragettes.  They are my mentors – even though I won’t pretend to know exactly how they all thought & acted.

Tomorrow I’ll calm down
& write more measured argument…  I’ll apply forensic skills to the so-called logic of my apparent opponents.  Today is a day for passion & honesty.

That’s why I’m with 5050.  If you’re with us – join up.  We have a lot of work to do.

 

3 days to go: history is being made…

It feels good.  This is an important week in the history of Ireland. We’re about to take an important step towards gender equality in political life.

It feels good that Minister Phil Hogan will introduce the Gender Quotas Bill in the Seanad on Thursday, February 2nd 2012 at 1145. Good that the government is fully behind this change. Great that Fianna Fail is so much in favour of gender quotas that it’s going to press for them to be extended to the Local Elections 2014.

Let’s welcome opposition to gender quotas…
Of course, there are voices against change – people who want to retain the status quo, conservatives. This is good – it means we have political debate – the interest of citizens will be sparked.  It would not be good if this historic change was made without public debate. The unconvinced sceptics & downright sexists strengthen our argument.

Wasn’t it encouraging…
Wasn’t it remarkable to see Leaders & General Secretaries of Fine Gael, Labour & Fianna Fáil in full support of legal gender quotas.  They’re the people who have to make it happen within their parties – deal with those who are disappointed, frustrated & angry.

Wasn’t it superb to see Sinn Féin & People Before Profit Alliance speaking up in favour of gender quotas – as part of their commitment to gender equality.

Right now, there’s furious internal debate within political parties. Many who dreamed of being selected as candidates in the next General Election have had their dream disrupted.

Imagine…
Imagine if this was 3 days before the introduction of the Bill to give women the vote in Ireland.  Imagine we were back introducing equal suffrage in 1922.
Would we be celebrating?  Of course we would.  Would we be satisfied? Of course we wouldn’t.  We would be saying this is a significant step in the right direction.

What we really want is gender equality in all law-making, all politics.  We want women & men equally involved in the whole process of governing our society.  So we are pleased at what we’ve achieved, but we have more to fight for.

Isn’t that what we’d have said in 1922?

Help the Cause now : Lobby your local councillors, TDs, Senators, party activists, party workers, local papers, radio stations, favourite media…