Thanks to Holywell Trust for having myself and @cjharvey1.bsky.social speak last night at one of the ‘forward thinking’ workshops. A great, informative and productive space for discussing constitutional questions.

Colin Harvey@cjharvey1.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Powerful contribution from Aoife Clements (50:50 NI) at the Forward Thinking workshop in Holywell Trust last night.

I've written about why Ireland has now elected a woman as president for the third time, yet there has never been a woman as Taoiseach, and the number of women in politics overall is disappointingly low. Read my thoughts here: shorturl.at/tyuhB

Why Can Women be President but not Taoiseach?

Ireland has elected a woman as president for the third time, but the number of women in government positions remains disappointingly low.

shorturl.at

I feel something has been missing in the analysis of the rise of far-right, anti-immigrant sentiment. I wrote about this on my new Substack. When the far right says they are protecting women, they aren't simply lying; they actually believe they are. This is dangerous. shorturl.at/TrKIS

Why Do Far-Right Protesters Think They Are Protecting Women?

Thanks for reading The Feminist Lens!

shorturl.at

That most train services on the Portadown line don't go to Newry, the next station, the last station on the line in the north, infuriates me! Translink has extra train services for Belfast Vital, that's great! But from the website, it looks like they don't go to Newry?

I had a great time chairing a panel yesterday at Feile an Phobail, for Ireland's Future. Great discussion on decolonial approaches to a New Ireland. Balancing accommodation and social justice, and thinking about what role a new Ireland might play in the international community.

FÉILE 25: Creating a new Ireland and the Protestant perspective

IF challenging stereotypes and giving rise to fresh opinions are key components of Féile debates then we got off to a positive start on Thursday.

belfastmedia.com

They starved us once, like they starve you now. Our children died as yours do. They shipped our food out in boats; they keep yours out in trucks. It is a shame on humanity that another nation suffers the pain, devastation and horror of Ocras. Saoirse don Phalaistín, Gaza go brách. 🇵🇸🇮🇪

"The result is that women are choosing not to run, stepping back from public roles or enduring ongoing psychological harm." Aoife Clements, @itseeefa.bsky.social, Founder of @5050ni.bsky.social, is this week's guest writer for Pivotal Platform. www.pivotalpolicy.org/our-work/piv...

Really enjoyed taking part in this round table at #BISA2025!

Daniela Suárez Vargas@danielasuarezv.bsky.social · last yr.

Had a great time at #BISA2025 @mybisa.bsky.social yesterday! Loved sharing a roundtable with Diana Ortega, @itseeefa.bsky.social & Dr Claire Wright on GBV, organised crime & transitional justice in Colombia, Mexico & Northern Ireland 🇨🇴🇲🇽☘️ Always a joy to work with such smart colleagues & friends🫰🏼

This week we think of the women who play important yet often overlooked roles in the ongoing decolonisation of the 17 Non-Self Governing Territories recognised by the UN. Women's voices must be included in order to dismantle all systems of colonial domination - including the patriarchy!

Our Solicitor, Úna Boyd has joined hundreds of legal professionals across the UK and Ireland in signing open letters calling for urgent government action in response to the situation in Gaza. Read more 👇 theguardian.com/world/2025/m... irishtimes.com/politics/202...

UK must impose sanctions on Israel to meet legal obligations, say more than 800 lawyers

Exclusive: Letter to PM signed by retired supreme court justices among others says lack of action will imperil international legal system

theguardian.com

Had a lovely morning yesterday at the Launch of Women's Spaces 'Pillars for Peace' toolkit. An amazing tool to facilitate, encourage and increase women's role in peacebuilding in NI. You can access a fantastic resource here: www.pillarsforpeace.org/toolkit

During my week in NYC, The Irish Arts centre in Manhattan was kind enough to host me and my peers at the opening night of "The United States v Ulysses", which was really amazing! And we were lucky enough to attend @theirelandfunds.bsky.social's annual NYC Gala.

I had a fantastic week in NYC presenting my policy paper on online violence against women at the NCAFP Emerging Leaders Conference. My paper focuses on online violence against women in politics and how this is a major barrier to women taking the step into politics.

Also, saying that Irish people in NI aren't truly Irish is a perfect example of how toxic ethnonationalism is. The definition of 'Irishness' keeps getting narrower: It starts with immigrants. It ends with LGBT+ people, disabled people, and anyone deemed 'other.'

Utterly disappointing & deeply ironic to see Irish people protesting immigration. The Irish experienced centuries of ethnocide, oppression and devastation; our diaspora reaches every corner of the globe because while we were terrorised, persecuted & starved, we were able to immigrate

Happy Easter! 🌼 As we commemorate & remember those who fought for Irish freedom, let’s remember that Ireland’s freedom is only 1 among many struggles for freedom Today let us not forget our brothers & sisters in Palestine, the women of Afghanistan and all other oppressed and colonised peoples 🇦🇫🇵🇸🇮🇪

I had a brilliant time this week at @slsauk.bsky.social (My first academic conference as a presenter!) at @liverpooluni.bsky.social ✈️ I presented a paper on feminist legal theory & connected with amazing scholars working on gender, sexuality & law ⚖️ Feeling inspired and ready to get back to work!📚

The biggest irony of gender *critical* "feminists" is none of them has ever had a critical thought in their life if they think Sex = Gender.

I'm so disgusted at the Supreme Court ruling. Sending solidarity to all our trans sisters today. I'm so tired of regressive, conservative 'activists' who pretend to be feminists, throwing one of the most vulnerable groups of women under the bus.

I wrote an overview of where we are in terms of women in politics for The Morrigan, part of the brilliant Doing Feminist Legal Work project. Looking at quotas, tools for getting more women into seats, and the remaining barriers women in political life still face. dflw.ie/women-in-pol...

Women in Politics in Northern Ireland - Doing Feminist Legal Work

The representation of women in political life is both a measure and a driver of equality in society. In Northern Ireland, the number of women in elected roles

dflw.ie

There is no sensible reason to oppose Irish language signs at the new Grand Central Station. I suspect, as usual, a loud minority of unionist politicians and 'activists' are out of sync with the majority of unionists, who know this is not a zero-sum game.

Thank you to @sdlp.bsky.social , Harriet Brown & @sdlpwomen.bsky.social for inviting me to speak on a fantastic panel on women in politics in NI. It was a pleasure to share ideas and experiences with @clairehanna.bsky.social, Doire Finn, and Catherine McDaid.

This was a beneficial and engaging workshop on political lobbying and campaigning by the wonderful Gráinne Walsh from Stratagem. Looking forward to presenting my policy paper on online violence against women in politics in New York at the end of the month!

The rhetoric around welfare & use of the term ‘handouts’ is so disappointing Cutting welfare to raise gov’t funds is lazy, predictable & shameful An astounding lack of creativity, leadership or integrity is on display from Labour. This is *not* what the UK was asking for when they elected you!

Wonderful to be invited to attend a fantastic discussion today at The Department of Foreign Affairs on women’s political leadership in Northern Ireland. The panel was amazing and represented women who have been involved in politics since the GFA and women who are more recently elected.

It was also great to hear from Minister @nealerichmond.bsky.social and Lord Mayor of Dublin Emma Blaine at the women’s assembly launch. It’s encouraging to hear the minister discuss the importance of women in politics and prioritising Women, peace and security at home and abroad.

Thank you to National Women’s Council for having me as a panellist at the launch of the Women’s Assembly along side Andree Murphy, Leanne Abernethy, Kelsey Doyle and MariaElena Costa Sa.

I spent two fantastic days in Dublin 🇮🇪 with the National Committee on American Foreign Policy's Emerging Leaders Program, diving into US-Ireland relations, all-island cooperation, and Ireland-UK ties. This was a fun, memorable and informative trip!

Thanks to @ursulasav.bsky.social for having me on her Personal Politics podcast. We chatted about women in politics, the barriers to equal representation, and how we can break these down! 🎙️ 🎧 Listen here: Spotify ➡️ spoti.fi/43qw47N Apple ➡️ bit.ly/4k2PDIW

Aoife Clements, Founder of 50:50 NI

Personal Politics · Episode

spoti.fi

I'm very keen to fully transition away from X/Twitter! Feel free to get in touch with me here or on Linkedin- www.linkedin.com/in/aoifeclem...