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INDEPENDENT IRELAND HAS some 20 candidates secured to run in the next general election, party leader Michael Collins said today.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio 1′s This Week programme Collins said six or seven of these are women and that they are “talking to a lot more”.
Collins said he believes there will be a general election imminently, despite Taoiseach Simon Harris saying it will not take place until next year.
He said he is confident the party will be able to meet the gender quota of 40% female candidates but said it was not because of the funding implications.
The Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Act 2012 introduced gender quotas into the Irish electoral system and last year the quota moved from 30% to 40%.
The quota is in place for national elections only and imposes a financial penalty on political parties who do not meet the quota.
“I’d rather have 10 great women and there’s loads of great women out there, than to have 100 great women and maybe 90 not interested. We need good, strong candidates,” Collins said today.
The Cork South-West TD refused to say how many seats his party is targeting but said that his party “absolutely” wants to be in Government.
When asked if Independent Ireland is really a party or if it is instead a collective of independents with different agendas, Collins said:
“We certainly are a collective of Independents.”
When asked how it can then act as a party, Collins responded: “We can certainly act as one, we’re a registered party to start with”.
He added that the party would implement a whip system on matters relating to a programme for government and the budget but that it would allow free votes “in other situations”.
Collins was also asked about comments he made in a Hot Press interview earlier this year, in which he proposed the chemical castration of rapists and automatic 25-year sentences for people convicted of three “serious” crimes.
Collins said the proposal on chemical castration is not an Independent Ireland policy but that automatic 25-year prison sentences is.
“We have to be strong in relation to crime. We haven’t been strong in relation to crime in this country, and there’s people attacking people in our streets, and they’re getting away,” Collins said.
“I won’t stand over it and Independent Ireland won’t stand over it,” Collins added.
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Whatever she might claim about who pays her salary and how much it is, is there nothing that tells her that earning the guts of a quarter of a million euro a year when the charity is only gaining 10,000 euro from scratch card sales is fundamentally wrong, “charity begins at home” , selfish , self centered, self serving and she sickens me
Should not the comments be closed…. This is a clear case of criminality!!!!
The woman is on another planet. How many lawyers did it take to come up with todays answers. So even though the State pumps money into Rehab she is not funded by the taxpayer???? Where does the State get it’s money then – the tooth fairy? She has some neck.
That’s the thing she has a brazen neck, getting a straight honest answer, from people like her is like trying to catch an eel from a bucket of jelly!. Well done for trying Mary Lou.
What a greedy self absorbed woman. I thought McDonald grilled her good.
Great performance by Mary Lou McDonald.
Just shows what our system is made of after all it was put together by the few to bully the many. This lady should resign
@Harry I agree she should resign but I doubt she is a lady. Parasite yes….
Greedy Greedy Greedy Greedy Greedy Greedy self entitled woman.
A little misogynistic don’t you think… does it matter that she’s a woman?
If she was a man I wouldn’t said ‘man’, Thats the problem nowadays, people like you in the politically correct brigade interpreting remarks and turning them into something they don’t mean.
*would have said man*
I’d love to see Vincent Brown do a “interrogation” of that woman, I’d say he have her squirming !!!
Let Mary Lou run the country. She’s got my vote. Not afraid to say what the rest are!
Seriously? I suppose you’ll be heading with her and SF to that welcome home party planned in Donegal this weekend so. I’m not saying she isn’t right to take Rehab to task, but if we are talking morals here, make sure your own doorstep is clean first…
her and Pearse will be getting the votes.
On an other note for someone earning €250,000 you would think she could get a decent haircut and am not going to get started on your wan beside her..rehab indeed.
Senior Management including this Lady in Rehab have necks like Jockeys @*&%$&…..all charity CEO positions should be capped at €125k. I think a lot of them have forgotten the charity bit when they go to work and expect to be paid as if they are working in a private company earning massive profits. We are talking about vulnerable people getting cut after cut in services, disability cuts, mobility cuts from central government. Frontline staff in the CRH and Rehab have been forced to take Public sector pay cuts but at Senior levels they are getting top ups and pay increases. I think this Rehab board need to resign like the CRH and the government steps in and pulls the plug on this gravy train
All of this is just appalling, but as we know these people have brass necks and an incredible sense of entitlement. They don’t mind the public exposure of their obscene earnings even if Kerins fought against it being made public. As was shown by the CRC episode and the various revelations there, the parties involved just keep their heads down and wait for the conflict to blow over. They keep their bumper salaries and pensions. No one is called to account. This is the country we live in. What are this woman’s qualifications to be paid as head of a not-for-profit organisation on this scale? Why does she sit on so many state boards? Why does she believe that she is worth it?
Social welfare is paid by tax payer…. Rehab funded by tax payer…. One gets pay increase…. The other gets decrease…. Now Miss, which one pays you ?….
Oh, so she’s a Miss. And there was I pitying her husband.
Shinner is outraged, stop the press.
Mary Lou is outraged 25 times a day.
The local elections are starting early.
I’m no fan of hers either. I shudder to think she’s next in line for the poisoned chalice that is SF. Hopefully, she’ll drink it. I’d much prefer Pearse Doherty to take over. He’s tolerable.
That’s like saying you’d prefer athletes foot to halitosis
“Mary Lou is outraged 25 times a day”
Bit rich coming from yourself Seanie. How many hours per day do you spend on here and on Twitter voicing your outrage?
SeanieRyan – Headline – he defends his FF Hierarchy Colleague – Angela Kerins of – stunning bias Seanie – the man who spend so much time attacking Shatter & Callinan , suddenly changes tack when confronted with his FF Party Hack status of defending Bertie’s great friend Angela , who earns more the President Obama ?
C’mon Seanie – show us that you are a decent fellow please and not just a FF Troll please ?
Is that Cecilia commenting ?
Read the same Pierse’s comments about a welcome home party for the Hyde Park bombing suspect.
Politics is not a popularity or likeability contest.or at least it should not be
Just doing her job not lining the pockets of family & friends like a FF TD would do once elected.
And sure why not!
Ha ha Seanie! Another one of your “inner circle” caught with their snout in the trough of public money!! Greedy little pack of fianna fail pigs! I spit on ye!
Mary Lou. No better girl to get stuck in to these parasites.
She doesn’t decide her salary? Well she’s not exactly turning it down !
A Shinner shocked now that is shocking. She was not shocked, however, when her IRA compatriots were blowing its fellow citizens apart.
Let it go you’re obsessed and I fear it’s making you mentally unstable
A Patrick or as you now call yourself Patricia Lyons – another banned right wing Troll back in action !
How many times were you banned Patsy ?????
Patrick have you not packed your bags yet for that glorious kingdom to the east?
Ms. Kerins is defending the indefensible, and to use Mary-Lou’s terminology – “that jars with me”. However, what also jars with me is this faux outrage coming from the very well renumerated, expensed and pensioned politicians that comprise the Public Accounts Committee. The tables could be turned there and it would be equally valid in my view.
Not detracting from the original issue here, and that is the outlandish pay for those Rehab execs, but come on, Pot – kettle – black
To the author
*Kerins
To the commenter
*Send a Correction
To the window
To the wall
Ah okay, I see the email option there. Thanks.
McDonald really let herself down here I thought. She came across as really petty and aggressive.
Good job done by Mary Lou on behalf of the people.
Kerins takes her apart imo
I think you need to look at this again. I never thought I’d say this – but ML Mc D did a good job there.
Lolz ur mixing them up Bolo! Kerins is the one with Joe Elliott’s barnet.
Exactly . How much were lawyers and PR people paid to come up with this sh-te talk? That money came from the state and charity donations whatever she says.
Big difference to being a CEO of a multi national profit organisation that is answerable to shareholders vs a charity which exists for a cause and should operate in good faith with its donators. A CEO salary for a multinational Pharma company could feasibly be 300k, whilst that of a charity should be no more than 70k and within reason.
With all that money you’d think a hairdressers would be a good investment!!!
Mary-Lou will get her yet !!!!
Ironic that the Public Accounts Committee do not get to the real issues and look at the value Rehab is providing to the disabled in Ireland for the money provided by the taxpayer. They have a well managed, respected and internationally recognised organisation. Much simpler to criticise the CEO. Most organisation would be happy to have a leader with the skill that she has shown to drive the organisation forward.
SF / IRA I assume have no comment on today’s jailing of their laundry man. Who was this money divided out to or is it part of their “average wage”!
@Butterbean, my thoughts exactly!
@msmac to which of my comments does your “my thoughts exactly” comment refer.
Cause if its the first one that would be awesome:)
Only copping this now! It was the hair one I’m afraid! ;-)
This womans earns in 1 working day roughly the same amount a person on Disability Allowance would recieve in almost 5 weeks. And she works for a publically funded, not for profit charity ? Words fail me.
Any 1 that gives to these charities is an ape plain an simple!
Great to see this line of questioning from a very capable woman against a very incapable woman who is bleeding this country dry.
Sociopaths in command, as usual, until people wake up to their prevalence (5% apparently!), and as usual they are always right and don’t really understand why they should be challenged. Wake up folks
Sociopaths in command, as has become the norm, until people wake up to their prevalence (5% apparently!), and as usual they are always right and don’t really understand why they should be challenged. Wake up folks :-)
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