|
|
Greencastle father and daughter
join race
16.04.09
by Simon McGeady, Inishowen Independent
MEET THE Greencastle father and daughter team that
are hoping to strike electoral gold in Inishowen and
Dublin in June’s local elections. Former Garda
Bartholomew Connell and his gay 26 year old daughter
Lisa’s politics may be different, but they share a
conviction that change is needed.
He is a former Fianna Fáil supporter while she is
Dublin based community activist campaigning to allow
homosexual couples the same rights as heterosexuals.
“I’m running because Gay couples still can’t get
married,” said Lisa, who two years ago set up the
Gay rights group Noise. “At the moment the
government are working on a civil partnership bill
and it’s grossly inadequate. If it comes through it
will legislate inequality. I decided to get involved
politically because we’d have protests and nothing
would happen,” said Lisa who is running as an
independent in Dublin South West. |
“If I was to be very
honest the chances of me getting elected are slim.
The reality at the moment is that I am a single
issue candidate. I am using my campaign as a
platform to talk about equality for Gay people. But
there are other problems in Dublin like homelessness
and drug problems too.”
“Let’s be honest, a lot of people are quite
homophobic still. My Brother’s Andrew and Patrick or
my sister Aoife could all get married in the
morning. I can’t believe that in the eyes of the law
I am not equal.” |
 |
A former Fianna Fail
and Sinn Fein member, Lisa’s father Batty, was a
founder member of Inishowen Community Concern.
“I made up my mind six weeks ago, but this has come
about out of the frustration of not being able to
get anything done over a number of years. We got
onto the council about local problems, but were
getting the cold shoulder.
“A month ago I met a colleague from my time at the
Garda Station on Moville Main Street and asked him
how he was going to vote and he told me he was not
going to vote because there was nobody in the
running worth giving his vote to. He said he would
vote for what I was proposing.”
Mr Connell insists he’s not just a spoiler
candidate.
“I am going all out for a seat. Here in Moville I
think there is a seat to be landed. I want to take a
vote from any elected representative that’s not
being productive.”
He believes he’ll need around 1,100 votes to get
elected.
Fishing, the health service and education are his
chief areas of concern. He will press for reform of
the Now Doc and a reduction in the cost of
prescription medicine
“Government was never meant to be them and us, but
that’s what it has become. The Fianna Fail
grassroots got old and weren’t replaced and so the
party became monstrously out of touch. There is so
much bad feeling towards present politicians that I
don’t think they can go to a door.” |
|
