Tag Archive | elections

BE INFORMED…About your 2014 Local Election Candidates

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Where does your Donegal Local Election Candidate stand on issues relating to Childcare, Cuts to Carers, Domestic Abuse + Violence Against Women, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT), Travellers, Women’s Political Representation and Equality within our society?

Early 2014, The National Women’s Collective- Donegal Women’s Network held a number of meetings to hear and collect what are the main issues locally and nationally for women in Donegal. Some of the issues discussed and debated were the lack of women’s representation, lack of local training and employment issues, cuts to home helps and services for the older person and people with disabilities, domestic abuse, lack of transport and accessible affordable community child-care. These meetings were supported by Longford Women’s Manifesto Project.

Following on from these meetings a questionnaire was designed  by The National Women’s Collective- Donegal Women’s Network  and an “Open Invitation” was sent out to the 83 candidates running in the local elections to respond to questions identified  as areas of concern by voters in Donegal.

To-date the responses we have received have been insightful and we are delighted that all of the candidates who responded stated that they would work towards upholding and promoting the ethos of social inclusion, equality and human rights. All agreed that gender equality is a fundamental principle underpinning the concept of social justice, and human and civil rights in Ireland.  All  candidates pledged to sign up to the MAN UP campaign and to undertake a half day workshop on domestic violence in 2014 that would be delivered by Donegal Women’s Domestic Violence Service.

To read your 2014 Local Election Candidates full responses to our questions please click on the candidates picture and you will be taken to their individual response. This we believe will give the electorate an insight into each candidate as well as giving the candidates an open forum which could be helpful in securing votes.


Donegal Electoral Area

   Joseph McN Bernie Mulhern


Glenties Electoral Area

joe mc carron Marie Therese Gallagher


Inishowen Electoral Area

eilis haden Mary McCauley Albert Doherty CiaranMcLaughlin 


Letterkenny Electoral Area 

 sio John Watson gb Jimmy Kavanagh gerry mcm Mick Quinn


Stranorlar Electoral Area

charile Gary Doherty Alan McMenamin  Claudia Kennedy


Still waiting to hear from (as of 15/5/14)

DONEGAL ELECTORAL AREA GLENTIES ELECTORAL AREA INISHOWEN ELECTORAL AREA LETTERKENNY ELECTORAL AREA STRANORLAR ELECTORAL AREA
John Boyle Padraig Doherty Paul Canning Liam Blaney Gerry Crawford
Brendan Byrne Seamus O Domhnaill Rena Donaghey Ciaran Brogan Patrick McGowan
Sean Mc Eniff Hughie McBride Martin McDermott Michael Mc Bride Martin Harley
Michael Naughton Ian Molloy Mickey Doherty Noel Mc Bride Bert Galbraith
Barry O’Neill Enda Bonner John Ryan Ian Mc Garvey Seamus Kee
John Mc Nulty Terence Slowey Bernard McGuinness James Pat Mc Daid Brian McCrea
Patricia McCafferty John Curran Peter McLaughlin John O Donnell Liam Doherty
Laurence McManus Micheal Cholm Mac GiollaEasbuig Martin Farren Tom Crossan Tim Meehan
Jonathan Kennedy Michael Mc Clafferty Joe Murphy Peter Cutliffe
Michael McMahon Brendan Carr Nicholas Crossan Donal Cullen
Noel Jordan Seamus Rodgers Patrick McCarroll David Fisher
John Sheamáis O Fearraigh Ryan Stewart  Charlie McLafferty
Paul Ferguson Paschal Blake
Billy Banda
Dessie Shiels

The BE INFORMED…About your 2014 Local Election Candidates Initiative has been brought to you by the Donegal team at The National Women’s Collective Donegal Women’s Network.

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The 5050 North West Group Letter to Editor of Donegal Democrat

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Dear Editor,

A number of representatives of the North West 5050 group attended the February County Council meeting in Lifford.  5050 is a single national advocacy group dedicated to achieving equal representation in Irish politics. We were welcomed by the Mayor and found the morning both informative and interesting.

However we came away disappointed at the ‘carry on’ of a number of Councillors and aghast that the business of the day can so easily be hijacked by individual posturing and aggressive behaviour.

As ‘Democracy’ was a much mentioned term within the chamber I would like to take this opportunity to highlight the following:

“Equality of representation between women and men is a pre-requisite to participative

democracy.  In its absence, the needs and priorities of one section of the population continue

to be ‘represented’ by another.”

[“Balances along the Border” Marie Crawley & Louise O Meara]

It is very disappointing we only have 6 female candidates selected to date for County Donegal in the Local Elections, with currently only 2 female candidates out of 29 in Donegal County Council.  According to Dr Adrian Kavanagh’s (Maynooth College) to date there are only 358 females selected or declared nationally (23.1 %),   so we have a long way to go to attain a participative democracy.

The question remains, what are the parties doing to encourage and support female candidates? Many parties have Equality Policies which look good on paper.  What obviously seems to be lacking is the will or the way to implement a fair deal for women.

Yours sincerely,

Finola Brennan,

5050 North West Group
NCCWN-Donegal Women’s Network
6 Tir Chonaill Street
Donegal Town
Co. Donegal
 
T:  074 9722790
E:  donwoment@eircom.net