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Spotlight on: Billie Sparks, Labour Party General Secretary, on her legal career, social media and the 5Cs keeping women out of politics
From 'The West Wing' to 'The Thick of It', we have always been fascinated by the people who walk the corridors of power, hoping to catch a glimpse at the inner workings of the political machine. But while politicians have never been more accessible, or more answerable, we still know very little about the people who work alongside them, keeping the show on the road. Billie Sparks has been the General Secretary of the Labour Party for over two years. She talks about getting off the sidelines, social media, the 5Cs keeping women out of politics and how politics isn’t the lucrative career it once was.
“My role is like a COO equivalent of a commercial organisation,” Billie says. She looks after the financial administration of the organisation; plays a strong role in political campaigns at local, general and European level; and works to find new candidates across the country, developing their campaigns and “getting as many people elected to represent the Labour Party in their local councils or in the Dáil chamber”. Growing up, Billie recalls, “there was always political...
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