COUNCILLOR Joe Brennan was struggling a little with the new political realities as he chaired the National Party's manifesto presentation. "Every one of these men here today he began, gesturing at the party's assembled candidates, several of whom were clearly women.
He was quickly corrected and, unabashed, pressed on with his intended tribute about the level of the candidates commitment (absolute). Then he was in trouble again, ending the press conference with a "thank you, gentlemen" to the members of the media, several of whom were clearly not men, gentle or otherwise.
But such little faux pas can be excused in a new political movement, even one so grandly titled as the National Party. In any case, most of the talking yesterday was left to a woman - party leader, Mrs Nora Bennis: Cllr Brennan apart, the main role of the male contingent was to provide manly applause whenever Nora struck one of the election manifesto's primary chords.
The weekly wage for stay at home mothers looks suspiciously like the £9.60 payment to housewives which briefly adorned the shelves of Fine Gael policy back in the early 1980s. But at £100 a week, it has clearly appreciated a great deal in the meantime.
Mrs Bennis had her own metaphor for the party's role, at least on the economy: "We see ourselves as the leaven in the national cake. We want to ensure that the cake rises evenly, with a fair lifestyle for all."
She declined to speculate how much the mothers payment would cost, or how it would be paid. She was adamant, however, that its phased introduction would be part of the price should the next Government require the support of her party.
Whether she can be the leaven that causes the National Party's cake to rise evenly remains to be seen. With a 25,000 vote in the 1994 Euro elections, however, Mrs Bennis is clearly a contender for a seat in Limerick East. She did not say so herself yesterday, but she must be hoping that postelection Dail mathematics could yet cast her as the Tony Gregory of Irish motherhood.