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Everybody’s talking about…
Eyebrows were raised among political correspondents this week when it emerged that the leader of the nameless political party, Lucinda Creighton, had invited only female journalists to a briefing this Friday.
Creighton emailed several female journalists – including three from TheJournal.ie – on Monday, inviting them to attend an off the record breakfast briefing on her plans for a new party at a Dublin city centre venue this Friday.
Creighton maintains there is “nothing Machiavellian” about the invitation, but did note to the Irish Times that Leinster House is a pretty male-dominated environment, both in media and politics. While that is certainly the case just what exactly will a briefing for women journalists, at the expense of their male colleagues, achieve?
The agenda
Inside Leinster House
It was almost sinister how positive Fine Gael TDs and Senators were after the party’s four-hour parliamentary party meeting in Dublin yesterday. Everyone was quick to spin that it had been a hugely productive day with absolutely no dissent in the ranks. “It was better than sex,” joked one over-excited deputy.
Meanwhile if you haven’t seen Enda Kenny’s jaywalking yesterday then you really should:
Video: Newstalk.com
What the others are saying…
In case you missed it
On the Twitter machine…
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Just imagine…….*just imagine* a male TD calling a men-only meeting.
Lucinda is trying to get the female vote pinned down. She clearly thinks ‘ooooh if I pander to the feminists they might vote for me’. Not a chance
Can’t help but feel there’d already be at least three articles dedicated to it on the journal if that were the case.
Today I’m getting in touch with my feminine side, I shall remain blameless all day.
True, Ailbhe; if she wanted my vote she should have respected women’s rights in the vote for the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill.
Exactly, on specific female issues she should act in our interest. In general terms such as this, she should not exclude men. She clearly is under the impression that to gain equal status in the dáil, men should be treated as the enemy. That is absurd and damaging to women, not helpful. She hasn’t a clue.
Absolutely Jane and Aoife ..she has no right to impose.her.silly immature views on women in circumstances she knows nothing about …idealist in the extreme not reality ..
As a female public rep, I have to agree, it is totally inappropriate to call a women only meeting and damages the vast amount of good work done towards the achievement of equality in Politics. Equality, by its very nature, should be all inclusive.
“Exactly, on specific female issues she should act in our interest. In general terms such as this, she should not exclude men.”
That just about sums it up really.
Of course, in using that rationale, one could see how she might want to schedule a women only briefing for specific female issues… Oh wait…
Is Eddie Hobbs wearing a dress.. Mmmmmm.lovely …
Paul I didn’t say, nor do I approve of excluding men on female specific topics. Apologies if you misinterpreted
Shes an airhead ailbhne you credit her ability to think to much.
You’re right Patrick!
FG. part two just like the PDs were
Yes…”I can’t believe it’s not Fee Gee”
Does Eddie have to wait outside?
He’ll be outside giving out leaflets – a set of off the plan Bulgarian apartments just came onto the market, you’d be a fool not to buy a couple of them at least.
Bulgaria? What about those holiday homes in the Cape Verde Islands?? Practically giving them away so they are!
Really? I better get onto my financial advisor asap……going forward.
The Lucinda love in continues,she’s just continuity FG so absolutely pointless.
Where’s tbe equality brigade outrage?
Feminists only want equality where it suits them.
I disagree, I consider this to be a pathetic and desperate stunt to engage with feminists and it is pathetic. Excluding men is the opposite of what I want. She’s desperate and it shows
Don’t be ridiculous, Ian. True equality suits everyone. Paternity leave? Yes please. More rights for unmarried fathers? Absolutely. I don’t know a single feminist who thinks differently, and I know a lot of feminists.
I agree James. A true feminist wants equality, not seperation. Devide and conquer (Lucindas strategy) is idiotic at best. I had little respect for her as a politician. Somehow I now have less…
I’m not a masculinist, if there even is such a thing. I believe in equality while realising men and women are different.
As are we, at least myself and Jane. Lucinda clearly doesn’t understand this. As somebody that is a qualified barrister, I worry about her. She must have missed a few days on human rights law…
Because Eddie Hobbs is the only man that turned up the last time!
Spot on Reg! Spot on!
Comment of the week.
Lucinda .. & they new FG party anybody to cast a vote her direction needs there head examined
and spelling lessons, James?
Grammar and spelling Nazi ‘ s are go.
Sorry Norman but I have to agree with James, it’s finally getting to me the amount of times that “there” is mixed up with “their” which is a common mistake in the comment section on the journal….. there said it (breaths deep sigh of satisfaction)
Vannin I know what James meant,auto correct can be a pain.However I don’t feel the need to correct either grammar or spelling when the meaning is clear as it is in the case of James post.My response was to Will.
Opps, sorry James I ment I agree with Will on the spelling, but agree on the head check though, just don’t go to A&E for it unless you’ve a lot of time.
The irony “I ment I agree with Will on the spelling”.
No sweat Norman, “there” and “their” is just one of those little niggles I have which it is why I don’t ever use auto correct, apart from that I think auto correct is rotting our brains through lack of use
Yes the irony, I was thinking the exact same (hangs head in shame)
As pointed out yesterday – Norm is nearly 7….
Yes Gravel you know nothing about but feel qualified to state my age.
About what, Norm?
Gravel left out the word ‘me’.
Ahh yes Norm – it was Chris you went 10 boring/childish rounds with yesterday…
Yet you choose to read the responses and leave a stupid childish comment.
Vannin must have missed the irony in his own comment (after slating someone about the spelling of “their” and “there”).
You normally breathe a sigh. You don’t “breath” a sigh. Maybe you do, Vannin.
Pontius, Gravel and his other 2 accounts are fun.Although haven’t seen the ‘Bill Rooney’ account for awhile now maybe he forgot the login.
PP – we have a lot in common then!
Sadly – unlike you – I am unable to live on here…
o/
Gravel and yet you and Will show up with surprising regularity.
No Derek, I do infact breathe a sigh too, it must of been, em, um, er yes thats it, it was the auto correct…… ( mutters to self)
Jesus lads .. Auto correction .. I ment her new party & their heads examined
Yeah lucinda to combat the male dominated Leinster house start having women only meetings that’s really forward thinking and constructive
A pathetic attempt to get the female vote. No Lucinda, we don’t think you will act in the interest of women. You are in fact just isolating men. Stop shooting yourself in the foot!
I wonder how many articles the journal has done on lucinda and her party this week alone???
Have to agree Pontius, this women or her party won’t get a second look off me. What type of divisive move is this anyway? A women only meeting where they discuss matters that affect everyone, cool….
Not being sexist but why are people creating a male v female situation surely the best is what it’s all about in every walk of life irrespective who is wearing the trousers
Agreed
What Pontius said. Ridiculous stunt, Lucinda does not speak for me.
Eddie Hobbs says the new party would be happy to work with Scientologists. Hobbs is left and right leaning at the same time, which is another difficult one to figure out. Or maybe that’s just an ability to speak out of both sides of his mouth at the same time?
He also said that Creighton’s views on abortion have changed or mellowed. Creighton then denied this is the case, stating that she remains anti-abortion under all circumstances (includes cases of fatal foetal abnormalities, unwanted pregnancy through rape, etc).
And now Creighton calls a women-only press conference. What!? The mind boggles.
Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised the new party (still nameless – yeah, I know) is so gaffe-prone, considering gaffes are and were order of the day in her old party, Fine Gael, to which she will be a shoe-in when her new party fails and the next FG leader, probably Varadkar, welcomes her back into the fold with open arms.
The minute lucinda said she was pro life on tv 3 this morning any hope of me voting for her disappeared out the door
I doubt that is true Frank. It really took you this long to realise Lucinda is anti-abortion?
I think you are just playing the outrage card.
Hi Matt .. i read in a paper that Eddie Hobbs said that Lucinda had moderated her views on abortion but it now appears she has not. . So unfortunately no matter whatever good policies her party has (if any at all) .. i won’t be voting for reboot.. you could say it’s a boot up the arse for lucinda due to her 1950s Catholic dogma.. outrage card? Holding it high man, holding it high
Clever it keeps her name in the papers.
Kerry I think Michael Fitzmaurice and Shane Ross have stolen what little thunder Lucinda had.
She is still FG to the core and whilst I agree with some of Eddie Hobbs analysis bringing him on board was a mistake, perhaps terminal.
Just a FG lite party with nothing different to offer. There to make up the numbers. Will grasp power from anybody who will offer the chance. Same old, same old.
…because mammies know best…???
…because of the time of the month….???
…because the season of the token ladies started…???
…or because otherwise the floodgates will open…???
At least she stood up for her beliefs knowing she would be turfed out from the trough for going against the pigs around the trough. Abortion is still illegal in this country so look to the leaders and blame them not the wan that stood for her beliefs. The amount of indoctrinated misogyny in this country astounds me as does the level of disinhibited behaviour by posters on the journal.
Yet she stood for election under the banner of a party who’s policies she was fully aware of and whose voters voted for her on the basis of those policies.
Carmel, let’s just remember, we the people voted to allow abortion under certain circumstances. Lucinda decided to ignore the wishes of the people, those she is supposed to represent. That is NOT someone I want to see in power.
Stood up for her believes! Didn’t see her standing up when the government she was still part of, were responsible for savage cuts that effected the most disadvantaged, care allowances etc. real human suffering, not foetuses.
Stephen they were the policies she agreed with.
If a bloke did that then that would be sexist???
Whoever took the cover picture is a terrible photographer. It’s only half of her face?
Less is more maybe?
Undeniably.
Irish media is dominated by white people.
That is because the majority of Irish are white?
Is it a Tupperware or an Ann Summers party, only joking…
So all these female journalists attended? Wow that whole “solidarity” fad didn’t last long
Why not wait and see the reason behind this before jumping up and down boys.
It’s Lucinda, she is as transparent as she has always been.
Up and down boys ? Bit sexiest there me thinks. I
Scissor?
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