Sexism in Irish Politics: Holly Cairns TD interviewed on RTE's Drivetime скачать в хорошем качестве

Sexism in Irish Politics: Holly Cairns TD interviewed on RTE's Drivetime

Sexism in Irish Politics: Holly Cairns TD (Social Democrats, Cork South West) speaking on RTE Radio 1’s Drivetime programme (1st December 2020). The discussion followed an offensive tweet from a board member of Greyhound Racing Ireland which referred to Deputy Cairns as “an ignorant little girl”. The sickening tweet was posted by GRI board member Wayne McCarthy and was “liked” on Twitter by pro-bloodsports Fine Gael TD, Joe Carey, who - after being challenged - apologised for liking “a tweet that was disrespectful to one of my fellow TDs”. McCarthy has since apologised for the tweet, which was condemned by TDs in Dail Eireann today, including Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue who said it was "SIMPLY UNACCEPTABLE". Speaking on Drivetime, Deputy Cairns told listeners: “The Social Democrats had a motion in the Dail last week to reverse the increase in funding to the commercial greyhound industry. In relation to that motion, Mr McCarthy’s comments are one of loads - I’ve been referred to as ‘airy fairy’, a ‘dangerous, dangerous woman’, a ‘fool’ - the list goes on. Some of the language isn’t appropriate for radio.” “For a member of a state body to be referring to an elected woman in 2020 in that way - that is ridiculous and unacceptable,” she continued. “In Mr McCarthy’s comments, he also claimed that my remarks were ‘waffle’ so I wanted to put on the Dail record today - and I did - that none of my remarks were waffle. The opposite. They were all based on fact, research and much of it was obtained by the Irish Greyhound Board itself. He hasn’t challenged any of those facts. He has only challenged my personality and pointed out my gender.” Last week, Deputy Holly Cairns was praised after presenting a motion in Dail Eireann which sought to reverse an announced €2.4 million increase in funding to greyhound racing (bringing the total for 2021 to €19.2m) and phase out the state funding entirely. Since 2001, the government has channelled more than a quarter of a billion euros of taxpayers’ money into an activity based on over-breeding greyhounds, choosing the fastest ones and discarding many of the rest. Thousands of greyhounds who are not fast enough to win are culled in Ireland every year. An RTE documentary broadcast last year included shocking scenes of greyhounds being brought to a knackery where they were shot in the head and dumped in a skip. The Social Democrats’ motion was disgracefully blocked by a government countermotion backed by 33 Fine Gael TDs, 33 Fianna Fail TDs and all 12 Green Party TDs in a move that will ensure that €19.2 million more of scarce public funds will be gifted to greyhound racing and ensure that many more dogs will suffer and die. Wayne McCarthy, the individual who posted the tweet, has been a board member of Greyhound Racing Ireland (formerly the Irish Greyhound Board) since 26 March 2019. The appointment was approved by then Agriculture Minister Micheal Creed (Fine Gael, Cork North West) and welcomed by Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Andrew Doyle (Fine Gael, Wicklow). According to Greyhound Racing Ireland’s recently published 2019 annual report, “[Wayne] has been Involved in the greyhound industry all his life and was a director of Dublin Greyhound & Sports Association Ltd (Harold’s Cross) and a Chairman of the Advisory Council at Shelbourne Park Greyhound Stadium. He has a keen interest in the GAA having previously represented his native county, Dublin, in football.“ https://www.grireland.ie/globalassets... He is a member of the Irish Greyhound Board/Greyhound Racing Ireland’s “Regulation Committee” and “Sales Committee”. For the period 26 March to 31 December 2019, Wayne McCarthy received a total of €6,199 in fees and €2,620 in expenses. He attended 10 Irish Greyhound Board meetings and 1 sales committee meeting. The same annual report reveals that in 2019, more and more people turned their backs on greyhound racing, with attendance at tracks falling to the lowest level ever. Attendance plummeted by a massive 43,433 compared to the previous year - from 506,142 in 2018 to 462,709 in 2019. Also down was food and beverage sales and turnover from racing activities. The report notes that the second half of the year [i.e. following the broadcast of the Greyhounds Running for Their Lives documentary] “proved much more challenging from a commercial perspective”. The latest available figures show that attendance at tracks continued to fall in January and February of this year.