24/04/2015

'No Country For Young Women Under Fianna Fáil' - FG

Ireland would be "no country for young women under Fianna Fáil", Fine Gael has said.

North-West TD Áine Collins made the comments when speaking about female election candidates ahead of this weekend's Fianna Fáil Ard Fhéis.

Deputy Collins said: "Fianna Fáil has no female TDs. In each of the seven bye-elections since 2011, Fianna Fáil hasn't run a single female candidate. This shows that it is Fianna Fáil, not the electorate, needing a change of mind-set when it comes to women and politics.

Ms Collins said that Fianna Fáil candidates would have "young women flanking their spokespersons for the benefit of the cameras" at the Ard Fhéis.

"We will likely see young female party members sitting in view behind their leader as he makes his televised address. That would be fine if they were prepared to run women in elections. It's time for this type of patronising window-dressing to stop. If the Fianna Fáil leadership is happy to stand beside young women for a media interview, why not put them on bye-election tickets?" Deputy Collins added.

(MH/JP)

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