Sir, – Some seem to labour under the misapprehension that “gender quota legislation” compels political parties to field a minimum percentage of women candidates in general elections. This is far from the case. All political parties are free to field all-male or all-female candidate lists in general elections, if they so wish. What the Government has done is to offer a far lower level of public funding to those parties that fail to meet the required gender quota for candidates, but political parties are not legally obliged to meet any gender quotas.
Therefore, it is completely the choice of the political parties themselves to achieve the quotas and receive full public funding, or not to and suffer the reduction in public funding. The steps any political party takes, voluntarily, to achieve gender quotas is a matter for its members. – Yours, etc,
JOHN COLLINS,
Waterford.
Sir, – I do not fully understand the hullabaloo about the gender quota system. The Irish electoral system makes it so easy to bypass it.
All the unsuccessful (male) candidate has to do is go Independent during the campaign. The proven readiness of the electorate to support Independent candidates and anyone who is felt to be “hard done by” or rejected by “the establishment” will surely get him elected in the present climate. He can then, after the election, rejoin his party again.
There may be a few little hurdles in party statutes to be cleared but any party’s record of accomplishing this in the “interest of the party” or even “the interest of the country” is infinitely better than their record in government.
All both party and candidate have to agree is to go easy on each other during the election campaign, which shouldn’t be difficult considering that they think along the same lines anyway. The “sophisticated” Irish electorate will dutifully deliver. – Yours, etc,
JOACHIM FISCHER,
Ballina,
Co Tipperary.