Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin

Dr Adrian Kavanagh is a lecturer in the Maynooth University Department of Geography.

On his excellent blog, he regularly shares his research on political parties and the geography of elections.

This morning, he’s written about the fact there are now 273 (32.3%) officially selected or declared female candidates out of 844 selected or declared local election candidates – with Fianna Fáil currently having the fewest female local election candidates.

In relation to parties, he’s found the following parties have declared the following numbers of female candidates so far…

Fine Gael: 49 (27.5%)

Fianna Fáil: 47 (18.7%)

Sinn Féin: 49 (38.9%)

Labour: 29 (42.6%)

People Before Profit: 25 (54.3%)

Social Democrats: 25 (56.8%)

Green Party: 18 (47.8%)

Solidarity: 9 (52.9%)

Workers’ Party: 4 (44.4%)

Renua: 1

Non-party/Independent: 15 (23.8%)

Read in full here: Female candidates contesting the 2019 Local Elections (Adrian Kavanagh)

Related: Fianna Fail falling short on female candidates for local elections in May (Stephen O’Brien, The Sunday Times)

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18 thoughts on “Mickey Fest

  1. Eoin

    Must say this piece last week by Miriam Lord (1/4 of her article, borderline extract length for commentary) about FF was class. I wonder how Mary Lou McDonald would have reacted to someone in her seat…..

    “Fianna Fáil TD Niamh Smyth was hopping mad at the centenary commemoration in the Mansion House, where the lack of a female presence in the front row of her party ranks was very noticeable.
    This wasn’t by accident, but very much by design. Before the event, the party organisation sent out an email telling TDs and Senators of the seating arrangements. In fact, the top brass were so anxious to make sure everyone knew where to sit they sent out a second email confirming the plan. They didn’t think to give one of the front row seats to a woman.
    “Too many boys to keep happy,” says Smyth.
    She was assigned a pew at the top of the third row, next to the platform. But when she arrived, her colleague Seán Haughey was already ensconced in it. She asked him to move and pointed out that the seats had been already assigned.
    Haughey refused to budge, telling her he didn’t care about any email and he wasn’t moving anywhere. The deputy for Cavan/Monaghan then enlisted the help of Michael Moynihan, the party whip, who is in charge of such arrangements. He approached Haughey and asked him to relocate elsewhere, but he too was firmly rebuffed.
    Moynihan then suggested she sit in Barry Cowen’s allotted seat in the front row as it didn’t look like he was going to turn up. But, true to form, Cowen rambled in at the last minute. He took one look at the interloper and asked her to move. Which she did, ending up in the very back row with a number of disgruntled colleagues.
    “It was very childish behaviour,” she complained afterwards of Haughey. “I’ll tell you one thing: chivalry is certainly dead.”

    1. Mel

      She’s a member of Fianna Faíl, these are the people she has chosen to align herself with. I wouldn’t expect anything more from these gangsters particularly Sean Haughey. One has to question though, why did she join Fianna Fail? What was it about the party of Charlie Haughey, Bertie Ahern, Liam Lawlor, Ray Burke, Padraig Flynn, Beverly Flynn,…. the list goes on. What was it about Zanu FF that attracted her?

      1. Paulus

        This is almost exactly my response to new(er)-comers in FF who try to distance themselves from the old regime while canvassing on my doorstep.
        Oh and I throw in Ivor Callely ,Sean “The Doc” Doherty and John “The Bull” O’Donoghue – whose sense of entitlement was as big as the Counting Centre he lost his seat in.

  2. Worlds Biggest Ranter

    “I’ll tell you one thing: chivalry is certainly dead.”

    You better believe it. Cant have it both ways. I’m sorry but if you haven’t got the gumption to fight for a chair at a conference then really! Then almost immediately blame the lads yet simultaneously wonder where the sexist act of chivalry went. Give me a break. Strong women go places, strong people go places. Weak people seek excuses.

    1. Nigel

      Can’t have it both ways! Can’t be a woman AND expect to be treated with a bare minimum of respect!

      1. Worlds Biggest Ranter

        Real world. Bare minimum of respect might not be something on offer when negotiating round a table on world political level. Could You imagine the laugh the Russians would be having. I like my politicians mean and tough as brick dung houses. Like really. Did the boy tell her to go away. Probably better she did if that’s the case. You know this whole equality thing is bringing to the boil nicely the fact that irrespective of your sex sometimes you just have to be tough/ aggressive/ a prick. Its something women and men are equally capable of. This one has gone straight to the media with a winge. Boo hoo. take note people of Ireland.

        1. Nigel

          If sitting in a place that was not allocated to you and then refusing to move when requested is your, and their, idea of tough, the Russians must be laughing indeed. That’s man-child behvaiour.

    2. Starina

      If she’d “fought for the chair” she’d have been branded an angry, difficult b*tch. Not something which is detrimental for a man but has wrecked the career of many a woman.

  3. Shane Duffy

    Hope he has a look at the post above about RTE news, 0% men on the team. Proof that it was never about equality, merely a power grab.

  4. Dr_Chimp

    Why does anyone care how many women there are? Get suitably qualified people into the job and ignore gender, race, age, disability, height, weight, hair colour, eye colour, shoe size etc etc the list goes on and on

    People should not be elected for their ability to lobby on behalf of some random social grouping. I never have and never will vote for someone because of their genitalia

    1. Lobster

      Do you think that’s been what happens to date?
      Do you believe that women and minorities are actually just so much worse at doing stuff that they are less successful? Or that discrimination may play a part but it can sort itself out?

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