Fine Gael Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe has defended the government’s allocation of taxpayer money to try and increase the number of election candidates from “diverse” backgrounds, calling it money “well spent.”
Last week, Donohoe’s Fine Gael party colleague, Minister of State for Local Government Alan Dillon, announced €171,162 in funding for See Her Elected (SHE), a Longford-based initiative aimed at “supporting and encouraging” women from rural Ireland to participate in local politics. Fully funded by the government, the programme aims to equip women with political skills and knowledge through “capacity building, training,” and other resources to increase the number of women on local councils.
https://twitter.com/griptmedia/status/1844363135576391928This announcement follows a funding package of €230,372 announced last December, which also aimed to support “an increased number of women candidates and people of diversity” in Local Elections, including LGBT individuals and ethnic minorities.
https://twitter.com/griptmedia/status/1735374716355916160Asked if it was appropriate to spend taxpayer money on such initiatives, and if it wasn’t a case of “manipulating” the makeup of politics, Minister Donohoe defended the measure.
https://twitter.com/griptmedia/status/1845885565566075175“I wouldn’t describe trying to make sure that we have candidates that reflect the diversity of our society as manipulation,” he said.
“What we are trying to ensure is that, in a difficult political environment, we can give support to more and more women not only standing for public office but becoming elected. I have to say, I think it is an essential ingredient in how we can have public life that reflects our country.”
Donohoe said that “we’re not doing well enough at the moment” as regards diversity, adding: “Any support that can change that, for me, is not just welcome – it’s essential.”
“In relation to ensuring we have politics that reflect the diversity of our society, all the different cultural traditions and all the different groups that live in Ireland and make Ireland their home – for me, in order for politics to provide leadership and representation to people, it needs to reflect our people in the first place,” he continued, adding: “Any euro spent in doing that, for me, is a euro well spent.”
The Minister further stressed that the purpose of the initiatives was not to influence the electorate’s vote.
“None of that money is about trying to influence votes to those candidates,” he said.
“That funding is about trying to have those candidates get on the ballot paper in the first place. That’s what we’re aiming to do. And we, at the moment, don’t have the candidates going forward that reflect the diversity and strength of our society.”
The Minister went on to say that the Dáil needed to be more diverse than it currently is.
“We need a Dáil which has more women in it. We need a Dáil that has more groups and traditions that reflect our country,” he said.
“But what we’re not looking to do is spend taxpayers’ money to influence how people vote. What we’re trying to use is relatively modest amounts of our country’s money to help those people get on the ballot paper in the first place. And if we don’t do that, I fear we will have a politics that is not representative of our people.
“If it’s not representative of our people, it won’t be able to guide them and lead them through the great opportunities, but also difficult moments, that our country at times has to confront.”