The Mary conspiracy
Grandad November 12th, 2009
I was trying to read a book the other night, and Herself was watching television.
There was some panel discussion or other on, and I just happened to overhear a line from one of the women there.
“If we had a greater representation of women in the Dail, then maybe we wouldn’t be in our current mess”.
It’s funny how when someone says something like that, you get a mental impression of the Dail being full of people like Mary Robinson or Mary McAleese. Reality is somewhat different.
Take for example our Minister for Health. Here we have an obese teacher who apparently had a vision as to how our health service is to be run. In the space of a few short years, she has ploughed billions into the system, and has managed to utterly destroy a system that had been functioning reasonably well. Most Irish people would now prefer to fly to Bosnia or Somalia for medical treatment rather than risk the Irish one. Her other great claim to fame is a complete blind eye when it comes to expenses. She seems to think that the government jet is her own private taxi. So much for feminine compassion there.
Then there is our Tainiste, or Deputy Prime Minister. She is Ireland’s answer to Sarah Palin. Her qualification for the position is that she’s the daughter of a politician, and a social worker. Her only real value lies in her persistent ability to amuse us all with her complete and utter ignorance of what is going on.
How about our Bev? Daughter of another disgraced politician, she is famous for aiding and abetting tax evaders during her time as a bank employee. In her time, she resigned once in disgrace from government, and has been sacked twice, always managing to inveigle her way back in somehow. I suppose it’s a case of corruption loving corruption. She is also famous for her love of expense accounts and allowances.
I nearly forgot Gruppenführer Hannafin! Again, we have a daughter of a politician and a founder member of SPUC [an extreme right wing anti-abortion, anti-contraception and anti-divorce group]. Somehow she has ended up as Minister for Social and Family Affairs. Fuck! She has about as much feminine compassion as a rampant bull on steroids.
I suppose there is a sort of intellectual argument for having more women in the Dail. But it remains just that – an intellectual argument for debate over a pint.
Women in the Dail are no better and no worse than their male counterparts.
A funny thing strikes me about all the above. With the exception of our Bev [who is the only one not to get a top job], they are all called Mary.
Is this a conspiracy?
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