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gender balance
After the reshuffle snub and McNulty-gate, what's it like to be a woman in Fine Gael?
We asked backbencher Aine Collins.
LAST YEAR WAS widely acknowledged as Fine Gael’s annus horribilis for a myriad of reasons, including the party’s questionable treatment of women.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny was widely criticised for ignoring women in the refhuffle of junior ministers. Then the botched selection of John McNulty as the party’s candidate for the Seanad by-election came at the expense of several female party members who had been tipped for the role.
This prompted one member to quit Fine Gael, claiming the party “is ignoring the talented pool of female candidates”.
So when Cork North-West TD Aine Collins, one of those overlooked for a promotion last year, spoke to TheJournal.ie this week we asked her about her party’s attitude towards women:
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