Mother’s Day 2 forget 4 Fidelma and #pcgonemad

Bradley Bytes – A sort of political column by Dara Bradley

Fidelma Healy Eames, best known in recent times for coining the bizarre hash-tag #SexualOrientation, made the mother of all stupid statements last week.

The Independent senator suggested on Twitter that Mother’s Day could be banned if the referendum on same-sex marriage is passed later this year.

“Happy Mothers’ Day all! Hope we can continue to celebrate it after #SSM passed. In some US states Mothers and Fathers Day banned #PCGoneMad,” she declared in a tweet.

Her ridiculous comment drew a predictable – and deserved – backlash on Twitter, after being re-tweeted almost 200 times.

Many people pointed out that (A) no US state had banned Mothers’ and Fathers’ days, a handful of state schools in Canada and New York had; and (B) those bans had nothing to do with same sex marriage, and the schools had decided to mark dedicated days of celebration of the family instead.

But for a politician with a particular jaundiced view of the World, why let truth get in the way of a good old yarn?

Using her #PCGoneMad hashtag, Twitter responded with caustic wit and sarcasm.

Here’s a flavour:

“Went to ring the mam there but the gays have banned her” – @PaulFedayn.

“Once #SSM is passed those mother and child parking slots outside Dunnes will prob be banned #PCGoneMad #Fidelmasworld #Sexualorientation” – @Olivercallan

“@senhealyeames you had better get some antivirus for that #PCGoneMad. It seems to have been hacked into by a paranoid, ignoramus” – @cairotango

“@senhealyeames have you tried switching it off and switching it on again? A lot of people have changed to Mac #PCGoneMad” – @brenstrong

“Imagine taking whatever Fidelma is on on a night out” – @stphmlny

“After the marriage referendum yer ma will be illegal” – @Oireachtas_RX

Perhaps the most worrying tweet for FHE in all of this was from bookmakers John Mulholland’s. The local bookie using, #PCGoneMad, tweeted that her chances of getting elected to the Dáil at the next election had lengthened from a 7/1 shot last month, out to 10/1 now.

Support the King

None of your city councillors are ‘in the pockets’ of big spenders. That’s one conclusion that can be drawn from the latest Local Elections Disclosure of Donations and Expenses forms.

They had to be returned by last month and successful candidates had to declare whether they received any donations over €600 in value from a single donor. Not one of the 18 city councillors who won seats at the May elections declared that they were given €600 plus in a single donation. Strangely, the current mayor, Cllr Donal Lyons did disclose one donation – of €50, from a named supporter in Salthill. As far as we can make out, there is no obligation or need to disclose donations of less than €600. Maybe the King of Knocknacarra was just erring on the side of caution.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.