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Can Fianna Fáil entice more women by holding bootcamps?*

*No, not the muscle kind.

GENDER QUOTAS WILL come into force for the next general election, in an effort to address the dearth of women in Irish politics.

The quotas mean that 30% of a party’s candidates must be female. If they don’t step up to the plate, the parties will fall foul of funding cuts.

The legislation also requires parties to have 40% or more female candidates after a further seven years.

There are more female TDs in Ireland than ever before – but that means just 27 out of 166 deputies are women.

In the local elections in May 2014, there was a 30% jump in female representation on local councils. But Ireland is about 90th in the global rankings when it comes to female political representation, the Inter-Parliamentary Union says.

Those who are or were in positions of power have been outspoken about what they perceive as the negative side to being both a politician and a woman – Regina Doherty described it as a “culture [that] takes you in, chews you up, spits you out and expects you to bounce back up tomorrow morning in a pink frock and look wonderful”.

Bootcamp

Fianna Fáil has just announced its latest effort to boost the numbers of FF women running in the next election.

It has scheduled an election bootcamp for 7 March at Dublin’s Dean Hotel (which has been described as “so hipster it hurts”). It says this bootcamp “is one element of the party’s roll-out of activities arising from the Markievicz Commission Report”.

It’s not your typical bootcamp though – instead of lifting weights, it will involve workshops by guest speakers on the skills required to win political campaigns, says the party.

Fianna Fáil Leader Micheál Martin TD said:

“The workshop marks the important next step of our campaign to support women who are interested in becoming involved in politics. Fianna Fáil is determined to lead the way in facilitating a new generation of women to become politically active.”

Read: Nine of 17 State arts boards have hit gender balance quotas>

Read: Deeply, deeply misogynistic’: Women share their experiences of life in politics>

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67 Comments
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    Mute Caroline Barrett
    Favourite Caroline Barrett
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    May 16th 2016, 10:28 PM

    Do that in a gallery in the U.S. and you won’t be walking out of it. Idiots.

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    Mute Ziggy722
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    May 16th 2016, 10:21 PM

    Take the Monet and Run.

    172
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    Mute Josephine Sweeney
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    May 16th 2016, 10:36 PM

    Fecking YouTubers

    78
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    Mute windbag
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    May 16th 2016, 11:35 PM

    The mind boggles…

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    Mute Deborah Behan
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    May 17th 2016, 12:30 AM

    Seriously

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    Mute Mark Malone
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    May 16th 2016, 10:37 PM

    I’ll bet they thought they were hilarious.

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    Mute Avina Laaf
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    May 17th 2016, 12:23 AM

    In fairness they have given everyone a laugh, just not in the way they’d hoped.

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    Mute Just Some Guy
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    May 16th 2016, 10:22 PM

    good enough for the idiots

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    Mute Eyepopper
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    May 16th 2016, 11:01 PM

    Theyd barely get that for doing it for real here.

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    Mute Philip Farrelly
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    May 16th 2016, 10:23 PM

    Fcuk n eejits

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    Mute The Girl
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    May 16th 2016, 10:39 PM

    Welcome to the age of smart tech and stupid people..

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    Mute Des Doran
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    May 16th 2016, 11:44 PM

    Maybe they can fake it in the prison showers,
    You tube Bitches

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    Mute Jason Twomey
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    May 17th 2016, 7:24 AM

    These type of YouTube morons think “it’s just a prank bro” is an excuse to steal, harass, and molest.

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    Mute Jason Twomey
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    May 17th 2016, 8:15 AM

    Or “we’re like, conducting a social experiment like”.

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    Mute Cormacklemore
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    May 17th 2016, 12:26 AM

    Bake them away toys

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    Mute Jason Twomey
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    May 17th 2016, 8:15 AM

    Dig up, stupid.

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    Mute Daisy Chainsaw
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    May 16th 2016, 11:33 PM

    Such Bantasaurases! Chortle, eh?

    Idiots.

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    Mute AntiTreeHugger
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    May 17th 2016, 12:23 AM

    They could of been shot dead.

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    Mute Michael Sands
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    May 17th 2016, 4:32 PM

    But would that be art???

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    Mute Michael Sands
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    May 17th 2016, 2:47 AM

    The grease on your hands can damage artwork and that can ruin pieces of art forever. That is why in galleries they wear gloves handling artwork. STUPID EEJITS.

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    Mute Michael Sands
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    May 17th 2016, 2:48 AM

    DROPPING THEM DOES HELP EITHER…

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    Mute Sheila Leahy
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    May 17th 2016, 7:47 AM

    They didn’t touch any art works, they bought props with them. Did you read the article?

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    Mute Michael Sands
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    May 17th 2016, 4:32 PM

    Sheila look at the top picture they are not handling them with their feet lol. I worked in a gallery and I can see in the first picture that one has his hand directly on the painting and the other on the frame, they both do…

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    Mute Dave Murray
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    May 17th 2016, 6:21 AM

    Ebenezer Mensah isn’t feeling to brainy now.

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    Mute Dave Murray
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    May 17th 2016, 6:21 AM

    *too

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    Mute Brian M
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    May 16th 2016, 11:23 PM

    Do it again, only Thomas Crown style

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    Mute Gareth Cooney
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    May 16th 2016, 11:53 PM

    You tube should pay the cost of the states legal fees……..

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    Mute Cool Lights
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    May 17th 2016, 1:18 AM

    Emre Can?

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    Mute Kizzi Yeates
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    May 17th 2016, 10:51 AM

    Hahahaha

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    Mute Joe Dobias
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    May 18th 2016, 11:50 PM

    Troll station live from jail

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