‘Bring it on!’ Kate O’Connell issues challenge to FG ‘choirboys’

Fine Gael TD Kate O’Connell has been told some party figures will “have a word” with her soon, she has said. During the recent Fine Gael leadership campaign, she sparked controversy when she described Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s backers as “choirboys” who were “singing for their supper”.

Ms O’Connell, who supported the newly appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney in the race, struck a defiant note when she participated in a panel discussion at a Women For Election event in Dublin on Thursday night.

“I’ve been told that a few people are going to have a word with me soon. I’m looking forward to it. Bring it on boys, bring it on,” she said.

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise Frances Fitzgerald, who was also on the panel, said the lack of a “critical mass” of women in Irish politics meant the State had a “completely unfinished democracy”.

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Referring to the percentage of women TDs in Leinster House, Ms Fitzgerald said: “We have to get more and more impatient with the 22 per cent”.

Former tánaiste and ex-Labour leader Joan Burton expressed disappointment at the gender balance of the new Cabinet announced by Mr Varadkar on Wednesday.

The Cabinet has four women members, the same number as the former Cabinet.

“Here we have our youngest Taoiseach . . . and yet were women high on his list in terms of how he wanted his Cabinet to look?

Degree of disappointment

“The proportion of women in the new Cabinet is quite significantly diluted because of the extra super juniors. I did feel a degree of disappointment that there was a dilution rather than an increase.”

Ms Burton said the number of women at Cabinet made a difference.

She advised women considering getting involved in politics to “feel the fear, but still do it”.

Sinn Féin Senator Rose Conway-Walsh said her party leadership had always been very keen to promote women.

“I remember Gerry Adams saying to me about 20 years ago, we were discussing that time around getting seats, and I said sure it doesn’t matter once we get the seats whether it’s a man or a woman.

“And I’ll be really honest, he said ‘Rose if we get them in we’ll never get them out’.”

The Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy said the “lack of new political entities” was not helpful to women wanting to break into politics.

Green Party leader Eamon Ryan, the only man on the panel, told Ms O’Connell: “You were strong when you stood up to the choirboys.”

Women For Election is trying to raise €50,000 through a crowdfunding campaign. The organisation’s chairwoman, Michelle O’Donnell Keating, said Wednesday’s Cabinet reshuffle was “not a good day for women”.