Articles And Publications
Tatler - Women, Politics & Power.
Liz O’Donnell,
former Minister for State and one of the
few women in our history to serve in
cabinet, writes for Irish Tatler on women
in public life and how the battle has only
begun in their gaining real influence on
Irish society.
Irish society is currently dusting itself down in the wake of economic and financial collapse. This means rebuilding our disgraced and degraded institutions such as banks, boards and regulatory and financial authorities. Much of what passed for 'public life' has been diminished by revelations of bad governance and downright corruption. People are
crying out not only for leadership, but for new ethical standards in the private and the public sector. Institutions, which for generations had enjoyed the respect and compliance of the Irish people, like the Catholic church, the Gardaí, the Oireachtas and the centre of democratic power itself, the Cabinet, have all suffered reputational damage following scandals; trust is in short supply and cynicism is rife.