Sir, - The letter from Ms Mary T. Cleary of Amen (June 7th) and the column by John Waters the following day provide a valuable insight into the state of gender relations and gender politics in Ireland at present.
In her letter Ms Cleary complains of the failure of the Government, and particularly Ministers John O'Donoghue and Mary Wallace (who have responsibility for Justice and Equality) to provide any funding for her organisation, which has provided help for over 3,500 men and their families since it was set up in December 1997. This contrasts sharply with the comparatively generous funding given to deal with violence against women (over £5 million this year) including £25,000 to Firstcontact, the pilot project for male perpetrators. In a similar vein John Waters wrote about Mr O'Donoghue speaking of violence against women and children in a manner which suggested that he either approved of violence against adult men or at least regarded it as a less serious crime than violence against other categories of human beings (or animals?).
Mr O'Donoghue may feel at this stage that someone is out to get him. But rather than wallowing in paranoia he should think deeply about the reasons why he feels compelled to treat adult men as inferior to women, and men's support groups as less worthy than women's support groups. It would, of course, be unfair to say that Mr O'Donoghue alone is guilty in this regard. This malaise affects the entire political establishment both in Ireland and in Europe. There is an unwarranted preoccupation with women's issues and well-being to the exclusion of other groups, which has elevated women to a privileged status to the detriment of men, children, the disabled, the elderly and other groups.
The result is that social policy is now dictated by the Women's Movement. Men, men's groups and men's life experiences are deliberately excluded from the formulation of social policy - a practice which is enthusiastically adhered to by Mr O'Donoghue and Ms Wallace. This exclusion of the views and experiences of 50 per cent of humanity from the democratic process is a deliberate rejection of the basic democratic principles of inclusion and equality. It is a form of tyranny which will ultimately reap its own rewards. Are those in positions of power in our society unable or unwilling to see or understand this reality? - Yours, etc.,
Michael Stephens, Pineview Grove, Aylesbury, Tallaght, Dublin 24.