Barack Obama Wants More Women To Get Into Politics Because Men Are ‘Getting On His Nerves’

It’s hard not to miss Barack Obama when Donald Trump is out here bringing us to the brink of nuclear warfare and being the world’s worst pedestrian in front of the Queen, isn’t it?

The former US President visited South Africa this week to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Nelson Mandela, and at an event in Johannesburg, responded to a Kenyan woman despairing over Africa’s “greedy, corrupt and tribal” politicians.

The answer, said Obama, was more young people getting into politics – but young women in particular, because as he says: “Men have been getting on my nerves lately.”

Every day I read the newspaper and I just think, ‘Brothers, what’s wrong with you guys? What’s wrong with us?’ We’re violent, we’re bullying, we’re just not handling our business, so I think empowering more women on the continent – that right away is going to lead to some better policies.

“The one thing you can’t do is pretend that politics doesn’t matter and say to yourself, ‘That’s too corrupt, that’s too broken, I’m not going get involved in it’,” he continued. “Because at some point if you’re ambitious about what you’re doing in your home country, you will confront politics.”

That message can apply to any country in the world, of course. Here in Ireland, the organisation Women For Election encourages and trains women to enter politics – find out more and get involved here.

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