My Friend The Future Taoiseach (For Jennifer Carroll MacNeill)

In this poem I illustrate that as befits a joint honours graduate in Geography And Politics my interest in these issues goes beyond just Scotland or even the UK and this is particularly true of women’s and trans related issues and in the newly elected Fine Gael TD Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (TD is Irish for MP for those who may not know) the causes of equality and the environment have gained a powerful voice. I first got to know Jennifer on the social media in the run up to her country’s General Election and have been very impressed with what I’ve seen of her so far. In fact I’ve been so impressed I’ve written this poem and titled it My Friend The Future Taoiseach I hope you enjoy the read

My Friend The Future Taoiseach (For Jennifer Carroll MacNeill )

My friend the future Taoiseach
is intelligent dignified and has lots of creative skills .
she will be a role model
for a generation of girls.
who will inspire others
including fathers and brothers
to discover their better selves.
she will not be afraid to talk about mental health.
and its hidden impact on the economy.
she will look at how she can tackle discrimination
the causes of poverty
and further advance equality for all her country’s people.
she will find ways of fighting the evils of extremism and exclusion
seeing them in whatever guise they use
to spread their message of hate.
my friend the future Taoiseach
will never say progress can wait.
a modern woman she will not be chained to a past
of myths and legends.
Preferring to build on successes achieved
and create the climate
for an even greater Ireland.
in which the culture of silence around toxic masculinity
will be challenged and defeated .
changed forever by the first woman to rule in Leinster house.
this feisty female fighter will create a country fit for the future.
where sensible sustainability
takes over from macho virility
as the dominant narrative of the nation.
she will inspire generations to aim higher
in every possible way.
when the day finally dawns
to asses the impact of her tenure
history will remember her with kindness
she will be judged not by her gender
but by the content of her character
and by the way she changed
the nation for the better
when Ireland voted for a daughter to govern with humanity
to show her sons a different way of doing things.

© Gayle Smith 2020