Marriage referendum is a circus
If that statement is not hyperbole, nothing is. Yes, the issue is very important for a lot of people, for those directly affected and those close to them. However, it will do nothing to define us as a nation.
Some other nations in Europe and elsewhere do not permit same-sex marriage, yet we do not hear that they are diminished as a nation as a result.
Perhaps the Taoiseach’s overstating that it will define us as a nation has to do with his relative lack of success at other referenda and he’s adamant that this will not happen this time.
I do hope that those who will probably benefit from this referendum realise that we are in a year that will have, at some stage, a general election.
It’s important for the Government to distract us, to create good news stories and, perhaps, also divide us a little bit and even pigeonhole us as they seek to get themselves re-elected for another five years.
Over the next several weeks, the Government, politicians in general and many others will have their eyes focused on having this referendum going their way rather than on what they should be doing.
If the people want a referendum, let them have it but allow the people to deal with it.
Once the date has been set, get back to the business at hand — that is, trying to run a country that is just getting up off its knees.
However, a circus we must have, so that our eyes will be firmly off the ball and instead focused on how we might or should or will vote in the referendum, instead of being allowed see what happened in IBRC with Siteserv, AIB et al.
To some, this might seem hard and even unfair to those wishing and working for a yes vote.
However, most of us are intelligent and mature adults and we really do not need big daddy telling us what to do and campaigning for the desired result with our own money.
You see, that is what the Government and politicians do best. They use our own money to sell to us, to tell us how good they are even when they are dire, and then to ‘bribe’ us.
Given that the economy is appearing to improve, it is no surprise to see that the public sector unions are looking for payback.
We all, including the private sector, want payback but most of us lack the muscle to get it. Yet, whether we have muscle or not should not be relevant. The availability of the necessary funds and the correct timing from a national perspective are.
The funds are not available. We are still borrowing a net €5bn a year just to stand still or, if you wish, to pay public servants.
Sure, the EU has loosened the reins a bit but that’s no reason to go off half-cocked and to increase recurring pay even if it is getting back to where you were.
There are many other more important and urgent uses for this money. Our health service is in dangerous territory; the old, the disabled, the sick, the long-term unemployed, services in general, the state of our roads and the low-paid deserve consideration before those such as politicians, and the higher paid who have feasted at the trough for long enough, are considered.
In Tuesday’s Irish Examiner, the leader writer wrote of the state of the roads in Kerry — a situation that is replicated across the country.
Roads are falling into disrepair with the potential for them to be considered as a possible reason for rising road deaths and damaged cars. Unfortunately, there are no votes, not many anyway, in repairing roads.
The political warhorse Michael Noonan insisted the Government was not trying to buy votes when he advised that he had €1.5bn to spend on tax cuts and on boosting spending.
If we were to believe that the season for buying votes was not upon us, we would be naive indeed. Siteserv proves that. We can only live and hope that wiser heads will prevail and monies will be used wisely and in all of our interests.
We should also remember whoever wins the election will have the same €1.5m per annum until 2020.
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