The meeting of the Kerry 5050 group in Listowel family resource centre last Wednesday 18 April was a tremendous success. Many thanks to Dee Keogh from NEKD, & Paul Bowler for their support in organising the meeting.
Twenty-five people turned up & it was encouraging to see that there were eight representatives from the four main parties, Sinn Fein, Labour, Fine Gael & Fianna Fail.
It is also interesting to note that men represented just under half of the participants, it is my belief that the under-representation of women in Irish politics is not just a women’s issue.
The meeting began with a talk from Marion Relihan, tutor for the Active Citizenship & Voter Education project funded by North East Kerry Development explaining the nature of her project. This was followed by a very informative presentation explaining the aims of the 5050 group by Edel Clancy who is the co-founder & National Chair for the 5050 group. A very lively discussion then took place which dispelled some of the misunderstandings about the introduction of gender quotas for each political party for the next general election in 2016.
Ten names were taken from those who are interested in participating in the Kerry 5050 steering group. With groups already established in Cork, Galway, Donegal, Dublin & Meath, we are delighted with the support & interest, to launch the Kerry group. The first meeting of the steering group will take place shortly.
