Cork TD, Holly Cairns: My aim is to be in government

SOCIAL Democrats leader Holly Cairns has appealed to the ‘ordinary’ women of Cork to consider coming forward as potential candidates for the party in the next local and general elections.

“We’re looking for women who want to see the same sort of change as us,” urged the Cork South West TD.

“But women often don’t put themselves forward so they have to be asked, and then asked again. So, I’m now asking women to ask themselves, because I don’t know who you are to ask yet, which is one of the disadvantages of being a new party as we don’t yet have branches all over the country. My message is to please come forward if you’re thinking about it, and chat with us.”

Deputy Cairns said people generally think that to be involved in a party, not to mind be a candidate, you need a special invitation or qualification.

“That’s not the case,” she stressed, pointing to herself just four years ago before she was elected a county councillor in 2019, when she knew next to nothing about politics.

We need ordinary people. The key is in the word ‘public’ representative; we need all types of people to be represented, so please consider it, and reconsider it, because we need better representation.

While people might not have experience in politics, she said they might have experienced the fall-out of politics.

“I often find that people who have had a bad experience from political decisions, for example it could be if you have child with a disability, you are usually just too busy fighting for things, but to have that representation at a higher level is crucial. So if you find you have something to say, there’s a platform there to say it, and you need to grab that.”

The West Cork woman, elected to the Dáil in 2020 and the only female representing Cork at this level, said she was excited looking ahead to the local and national elections.

“But the big defining factor in how well we do is how quickly we can find these people. And we’re not just looking for candidates, we need people to come out to support them.

“When I first started out in politics, I met two women canvassing for Repeal and basically the three of us won that local election seat by working hard together.

“So we need the campaign manager, the canvassers, the sandwich makers, we need everyone to get involved.”

PRIORITIES AS LEADER

There’s busy times ahead, and the past few months have also been a whirlwind, but it’s all been positive since Holly took the leadership position in February.

“I’m particularly lucky. For the most part, when you see a change in leadership in a party there’s a controversy, metaphorical knives in backs and all that sort of stuff, and I couldn’t have asked for a nicer transition,” she said.

While it was nice, it was also swift, with little time to mull things over.

I remember at the time doing up the pros and cons of taking on the leadership, and the cons definitely outweighed the pros from a personal perspective; but I had that feeling that I couldn’t not do it.

Outside of finding election candidates, her other current priority issues, not surprisingly, include housing, which is “beyond an emergency at this stage”. Introducing a punitive tax for the 100,000-plus vacant homes in the country, and properly implementing existing policies, to bring back short-term lets like Airbnb into circulation, are some of her party’s policies.

“This government’s approach to housing is not compatible with ours. We’ve seen what it’s like when the government says there’s an emergency, we saw that in Covid, and they’re not treating the housing emergency like an emergency. It comes down to ego at this point as it involves Fina Gael admitting they got it wrong over 12 years.”

As for healthcare, she said it needs to be free at the point of need, and not dependent on how wealthy you are.

“The question is should someone be entitled to health care based on how deep their parents’ pockets are or not? We’re the only country in Europe without a national health service, and we’re the country that spends the most per capita on health.”

A FOCUS ON WOMEN

And female-related issues on her desk right now?

“Where to start,” she said.

“There’s the absence of proper sex and relationship education, which results in a culture of violence against women, and we’ve always been calling for science-based sex and relationship education in schools. We’re also pushing for more refuge spaces – at the moment we provide half of the recommended bare minimum.

“Also, I don’t think we’ll ever reach a point where we have gender equality if we don’t have free childcare like we have free schooling. There needs to be a move towards a public model of provision of childcare. That won’t happen overnight, or quickly but we need a real focus on that.

“We don’t consider the impact of women stepping out of work for certain periods of time because childcare is too expensive,” she said.

This impacts wages, not taking into account the existing gender pay gap, promotions, PRSI contributions and pensions.

“Then, because women are predominantly the carers, we see how the abject failure of successive governments to provide proper disability services disproportionately impacts on women as well because they’re the carers, they’re the ones staying at home.

“And then we need changes to the current abortion legislation. We have an independent review telling us what they are, and the government shying away from taking action, delaying, trying to play politics with it when women are suffering.

I remember from Repeal, women who needed terminations for medical reasons, that was a lot of what changed people’s minds and hearts on the door, the thought of that woman having to travel for care.

“Those women are still travelling for care, because the legislation doesn’t allow them access care in Ireland.”

The TD pauses for breath, and we ask if it can all seem too big a mountain to climb?

“No. In terms of all those things, I feel we can achieve change, but we need more women involved, we need a different style of politics, and we need a different government, but I feel hopeful about those things.

“What’s difficult to balance is being hopeful and excited about change, and the level of climate action needed yesterday. It’s worrying. But the other things, we can change and we can do it.”

TIME OUT

What Holly may be lacking in experience, the 33-year-old makes up for in energy and enthusiasm, but not burning out is something she’s conscious of.

I do have a tendency to get really into something, and I do think in politics you need to go hard or go home, but there’s a balance I need to strike there so I’m trying to be more conscious of that.

The job is obviously full-on, but she says it’s really important she finds time for her partner, who lives in West Cork, friends, and family to make sure she can continue to do the job at a sustainable pace.

“One of my best friends, who I grew up with in West Cork, has been in Switzerland for a good few years and I’m planning to go and see her next time there’s a break in the Dáil,” she said, as an example.

During her down time, Holly loves nothing more than getting out of the city and back to her home in Lisheen, on the Turks Head and to her dog, Hei Hei.

“I miss her so much when I’m in Dublin!” she said, and ultimately she hopes to build her own home near her home place.

Putting in for planning permission is top of her to-do list, but things have been busy, she jokes!

HER BIG INSPIRATION

Holly grew up in a ‘modern blended family’ and has one sister, two half-sisters and two step-brothers.

“I’m either the third youngest, or the fourth eldest, depending what way you look at it! It was lovely growing up like this, really nice. We gained so many more siblings in having a modern family, and I absolutely loved it.

“My parents separated when I was around four or five. My mum raised me as a single mother but not as a lone parent, as we spent half the week in mum’s house in Lisheen, and half in our dads in Durrus. We did that from when I was four or five and my sister was six or seven, until we finished school, and we’ve a really good relationship with both our parents,” she said.

Her mum Madeleine McKeever, is her biggest inspiration.

“She was a single mum, milking cows, running a dairy farm by herself, and raising two children. It wasn’t easy for her and she’s my biggest inspiration. Not just because of that either, but she’s also just one of the most fair, understanding, reasonable and sound people I ever came across. I’m obviously biased, but she’s just amazing.”

The Meath woman is also an entrepreneur, having founded Brown Envelope Seeds.

LOW POINTS

Meanwhile, Holly, who bravely spoke out in January about her terrifying ordeal when a persistent online stalker began to show up at her home, said it’s not something she thinks about any more.

She was forced to get CCTV and a security system at her property. It made national headlines at the time.

It was a definite low of my political career so for. But for the most part, West Cork is very safe, and we’re very lucky to live here. I don’t feel afraid.

Another career ‘low’ was her frustration at being in opposition during the Mother and Baby Home investigation.

“It felt incredibly frustrating to not be able to do more in opposition and it still really bothers me. But it’s also a massive motivation for me to go into government to finally give people who suffered at the hand of the state and of the church, people in industrial schools, Magdalene Laundries as well as Mother and Baby homes, the justice they deserve.

It was just frustrating that you fight for the local seat, fight for the general seat, get on to committees, fight, fight, fight, but you still cannot change it, she said with clear emotion.

So, ultimately, her ambition is to be in government.

“I didn’t go into politics to go into opposition, I recognise the importance of it now that I’m in it, to hold government to account is key, but my aim is to be in government.

“So I’m determined to do it, but not for the sake of it, not if we don’t have a big impact. That’s why I need to get more people involved and in seats, and then we can make real and meaningful changes for people together.”