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LAST UPDATE | 27 Mar 2023
TÁNAISTE MICHEÁL MARTIN has told the Women of Honour (WoH) group that the publication of an independent report into allegations of bullying and sexual harassment will be a “watershed moment”.
This afternoon, Martin met with the WoH group to discuss the upcoming report, which is due to be published tomorrow.
The WoH are a number of female Defence Forces members who acted as whistleblowers in regard to their own treatment over bullying and sexual harassment in their military lives.
Their claims were detailed in a high-profile RTÉ radio documentary in late 2021.
It detailed the alleged shortcomings of reporting processes in the forces, as well as the devastating personal and professional implications of abuse and attempts to report it.
Some victims claimed they suffered depression, eating disorders and suicidal ideation as a result of their experiences, while some left their jobs in the forces.
Speaking after the meeting with Martin today, Diane Byrne, a former Defence Forces captain and member of the Women of Honour, said that it was a constructive meeting but that the WoH did not receive specific details of the report.
“It was, you could say constructive. We still are none the wiser in a lot of senses, we don’t have any recommendations, we haven’t seen the report,” Byrne said.
“But the Tánaiste gave certain strong impressions that he is keen to re-engage, that we will be involved going forward but we’re still waiting. We’re still not clued in at this point.”
Byrne told reporters that Martin said he would bring all of the report’s recommendations to Cabinet for approval.
“We’ve questioned in relation to what the manner or the mechanism in which that will be done and will we have engagement in that process because we believe that in any of these things, there needs to be a victim-led approach to designing the solutions.”
Retired captain Yvonne O’Rourke said that the Tánaiste reiterated to the group that it would be a “watershed moment”.
“I think that word itself is powerful, so we are expecting history to be changed,” O’Rourke said.
The Independent Review Group report, which was received by the Tánaiste in early February, is due to go to Cabinet tomorrow.
“The Tánaiste held a constructive meeting with the Women of Honour group today,” said a spokesperson for Martin.
“He now intends to bring the report of the Independent Review Group to Government for consideration tomorrow.
Alongside his meeting with the WoH, the Tánaiste also met with representative bodies for the Defence Forces – RACO and PDFORRA.
Speaking to The Journal, President of PDFORRA Mark Keane said that there was “productive engagement” with Martin.
“We had a productive engagement with the Tánaiste but as we have not seen the report we have looked for further meetings and then will consult with our members,” Keane said.
“The clock is against us but the recommendations must be introduced as a matter of urgency.”
Conor King, General Secretary of RACO, said that he was hopeful the report would bring forward positive changes to the Defence Forces.
“As always, we welcome the Tánaiste’s willingness to listen to the concerns of our members,” King said.
“We are hopeful that the recommendations from this report will herald a positive change for the Defence Forces, and address the shortcomings highlighted both by the Women of Honour and other contributors including our own association.”
However, King said that it was important that there needed to be both adequate funding and staffing to ensure that the recommendations could be implemented.
It is understood that Martin told the WoH and representative bodies that he could not show them the report today ahead of Government meeting tomorrow on grounds of Cabinet confidentiality.
Byrne said that the WoH would give the report consideration following its publication, but would be continuing to push for a full statutory inquiry if one was not recommended.
Earlier today, Byrne told RTÉ Radio that the WoH would only support a full statutory inquiry into their allegations.
The WoH did not co-operate with the report as they disagreed with the use of a review because it lacked the more robust standing of a full statutory inquiry.
Byrne said her group believes that a key failing in the IRG is that it looked only to the Irish Defence Forces and not at the Department of Defence or the Office of the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces.
“You can’t fix something if you don’t have the full depth of what’s broken with the terms of reference that were put forward in the IRG. They were flawed in themselves because they looked specifically at the Defence Forces.
“It was (the IRG) generally a paper exercise. This needs to be much, much broader. The issues extended into the Department of Defence, it extended into the ombudsman.
“We’re not suggesting for a second that you believe everything we say we’re saying put a statutory process in place to truly investigate and understand the extent of the issues and then we can start putting solutions in place,” she added.
Byrne said she believes that the IRG was put in place by Government “to delay and defuse the situation” rather than bring about a solution.
Additional reporting by Tadgh McNally
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Take note any Labour or Green voters who mistakenly believe they’re voting for left wing parties.
@Rochelle Hart: Why do supposedly left-wing parties support reducing the money DCC has to spend, by repeatedly reducing property tax?
That’s a populist policy, not a left policy. Greens + Labour are right to pull out of that BS.
@Michael Barry: Because they believe in housing as an essential right, not as assets to be taxed.
The property tax doesn’t serve as a wealth tax since it applies to even those in the most modest homes and since it’s beyond a council’s remit to remove the property tax, the best they can do is reduce the impact.
@Michael Barry: because many people on low incomes just happen to be in houses that have become valuable.
Do you propose taxing people out of their homes or having them live in unheated homes and all for big government to squander it on wasters and illegal immigrants
@Michael Barry: That is a bit of a red herring that labour included in their press statement. But there was no requirement in the progressive alliance to vote one way or another on the property tax. Socdems have consistently voted to have the maximum property tax within the +15 percent limit allowed. FG and FF have consistently voted to reduce it in the past. It’s unlikely that Labour can make them vote to increase it. That represents a very small part of the overall council budget (2% from the article I saw on Dublin Inquirer which has lots of detail). So the feeling was that pushing for a left alliance was the most important thing.
@David O’Reilly: and I think that the property tax should have some kind of means test. As people said above there are so many people with a fixed income who really struggle with that bill and they may just have a ginormously expensive house because of Ireland’s cyclical crackers property market. I hear it constantly when I’m talking to people in North Dublin anyway. Lots of people who can pay it without batting an eyelid though. It should be clear what they are getting for that though – like in the UK council tax is pretty big but you get your bins and lots of council services that are apparent like street cleaning etc.
That sounds like a solid coalition. I give it 3 months.
@honey badger: I’m sure they care that you give it anytime at all. At least they are trying to change things all you seem to do with your time is post dribble on here
@Ger Whelan: In fairness the lot of them would fall out with their own shadows…..3 months is very ootimistic!!
Great idea in principle. The only way to have real change is that all left leaning parties to come together to vote out fgff,
Labour and greens could be wiped out next election.
So they need to decide what side of history they want to be on.
Labour sold out and electorate don’t forget that. If they have any chance, they need to go back to their roots of supporting the ordinary workers.
Disgraceful Labour, they are at it all over again.
Propping up FF FG.
Refusing to enter left alliance in Dublin city Council.
You won’t see my vote ever again
@Niall Murphy: You don’t understand local politics if you think this is about “propping up FFG”
@Michael Barry: or that SF are left. All they are doing is bandwagoning. They’ll soon exhaust all possibilities.
@Alan: ” bandwagoning” excellent, even my predictive text couldn’t offer an alternative to that……I’ll use in discussion
They’ll be riding unicorns are the chamber in no time. Rainbows everywhere.
Well done Labour. Never get into bed with terrorists.
@Dave c: They already did that when they jumped into bed with FF. Its founding members were originally part of SF and the IRA and split to form their own political party and terrorist movement which caused the Civil war.
@Ger Whelan: That was different Sinn Fein party – learn your history
@Sean Hayes: Better tell them to Update their official website so. Because there it shows its history back to its founding in the early 1900′s.
@Ger Whelan: Everything was found in this country in the 1900s .
If the parties put themselves forward under a Progressive Alliance in the coming general election they could have a breakthrough chance.
@9QRixo8H: such a diverse groups of malcontents would never be able to agree a joint program nationally. Even Sinn Fein would be reluctant to try to form a government that included PBP. When the election comes, the left parties will split the vote as per usual. The old story, governments don’t win elections, the opposition lose them.
@9QRixo8H: Are you serious? They collectively would garner 8% of the vote, if even that in a GE.
This is another ” refurbishment ” of their failed policies, and claptrap .
I honestly thought you had an idea of this works based on your posts, its OK to promote something but to tie to this is farcical.
Exactly
Alliance? More like Axis.
It won’t last there b a falling out somewhere
Lunatics/asylum
Dublin City Council should be disbanded and the management of Fingal brought in to run things.
@Notty Tee: frying pan/fire. Fingal.is about as bad as it gets.
@Notty Tee: that’s hilarious
Labour costing up to FF on the councils
Amazing! Now do something about all the scroats ruining our city!!
Great, a Far Lazy alliance of doleheads to spend my tax money on the bone idle.
In France they’d be called le Front Populaire. When will they split?
The Left axis here is primarily driven by resentment. No one believes higher taxes results in better services. It just sucks money from the real economy. Small local businesses then need grants to survive. Higher taxation validated. The virtuous Left.
Does it really matter? Councillors have no power, all important decisions are made by the city manager. We don’t even get to vote for Lord Mayor the parties take turn enjoying that gig even if the chosen one is unfit for any office.
Any member of Labour is very welcome to join the Social Democrats.
have your say