'There is a difference between constructive criticism and actual dog abuse'

Newly appointed Donegal Senator Nikki Bradley didn’t take the traditional route into politics.

The disability campaigner received the Taoiseach’s appointment to the Seanad as a voice for others in Ireland.

As a cancer survivor and an adaptive amputee, Nikki’s strength has always been in figuring out her own way to reach a goal.

Indeed on the first week, she brought her dog Luna along with her to navigate through Leinster House, thinking it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission.

“I felt like the President bringing my dog in,” she said.

“I allowed myself to feel the feelings of “what am I doing here?” because when you get a Taoiseach’s nomination, that’s a different way to enter the Seanad, it’s reserved for people doing things in different walks of life.”

Senator Bradley with her family and family pets at Leinster House

Nikki’s appointment was closely followed by a nomination to the Fine Gael selection convention in Donegal. Now that she’s running for general election, alongside Kilcar’s John McNulty, she’s already thinking of how to adapt her route to the Dáil.

“Because of my own situation, I am going to have to move away from traditions when it comes to politics,” she said.

“It will be a hybrid campaign because I physically can’t knock on all the doors.”

Nikki has had two hip replacements since surviving cancer as a teenager. In 2022, she underwent a rare rotationplasty surgery which involved losing part of her leg for a specialised prosthesis.

Drawing from her own experience of disability, she is planning a more online approach to reaching people and listening to issues. Her key priorities are disability barriers, defective concrete blocks and getting more young people to play an active role in communities and in politics.

“Before an election, an in-person event actually isolates a lot of people with disabilities, by having meetings online I can invite people to share their issues from the comfort of their own home. It’s also helping me so I don’t have to physically be everywhere,” Nikki explains.

In August, Fine Gael selected Senator Nikki Bradley and John McNulty to contest the Donegal constituency in the General Election

“My key word has always been ‘be authentic’. If I am going to go to something, it has to be for a reason. I’m not going to go because it’s expected. If I can add value, I will go. I think that is breaking tradition.

“Not that long ago, politicians would be expected to go to every funeral and wake the county. I think, for the respect of the family of someone who has passed away, I know I don’t want a stranger in my home when I am grieving. I think that is a tradition we can move away from. Maybe it’s a controversial thing to say, but so be it.”

Nikki’s campaign work for ‘Fighting Fit for Ewings’, raising awareness of the cancer she had, was built through the power of social media.

In the realm of politics, she is all too aware that the online world can be cruel.

“I want to remind people that do the likes of online abuse there is somebody at the end of that, that is reading that, and they go home to their family and are expected to carry on,” she said.

Since the summer she has braced herself and her family for trolls. While she has already seen offensive comments about her disability, she has had years of an online presence to steel herself.

“Stuff like that is water off a duck’s back, it’s ridiculous,” she said.

“My strategy from day one is to ignore it where possible. There is a difference between constructive criticism, which I will read, and actual dog abuse.”

For other women who want to enter politics, Nikki wants to see this online vitriol change.

“Yes, there is a negative side but you can put coping strategies in place to protect yourself,” she said.

“We need to encourage more women to enter this world. All you have to do is look at political pictures and see how few women, up until very recently, were in any of them.”

Like her disability campaigning, Nikki believes that female politicians bringing their lived experience to discussions, debates and policymaking can achieve greater change..

The gender quota, she said, is a step in the right direction.

“Having quotas in place is important, because if it’s not happening naturally, it will encourage more of that mix. Without them progress will be incredibly slow,” she said.

“Not everybody agrees with them, but they have to be acknowledged in a positive way because the barriers that initially stopped women from moving forward are still there.”

Nikki said she had to think long and hard about agreeing to the “new world” of politics. She not only had to consider the impact public life would have on her life and family, but also the physical demands.

As we spoke on Zoom last week, Nikki sat ready to spring up if the voting bell should ring. Members have a short time to make their way through the corridors to get to the Seanad chamber before the door is locked.

A life of adaptive mountaineering has Nikki well-prepared for the race to the chamber.

“We did do a walkthrough, and they are not going to lock me out,” she laughs.

Nikki Bradley receives Taoiseach’s nomination to Seanad. Picture by Fergal Phillips

As a motivational speaker, Nikki often encouraged others to step outside their comfort zones and pursue their goals, and is hoping to set another example in this new journey.

“If I can be proof of anything, it is that you can jump into things and be absolutely terrified and figure it out as you go,” she said.

“If we were waiting to be 100% ready we would never leave the house. Sometimes you have to just step out the front door without knowing and feel excited.

“I’ve never been busier but the feeling that you are genuinely helping people is good and you are slowly but surely making a difference.”