Marriage Equality Referendum: ‘Once in a decade chance’

Marriage equality campaigners will have to wait “a decade or more” for another “opportunity” to introduce the legal change if the electorate fails to vote yes in next month’s referendum.

Agriculture Minister and Fine Gael director of elections, Simon Coveney, made the comments during a meeting with Young Fine Gael yes vote campaigners yesterday.

Speaking at the meeting in Dublin City centre, the Cork South Central TD said the marriage equality debate taking place today “is something that would have been impossible five or 10 years ago, in my view”.

However, while welcoming the open discussion on the issue, Mr Coveney said the reality is there is “no such thing as an easily won referendum”.

Urging yes vote campaigners to ensure they are “respectful” of the no side but “address inaccuracies” where they arise in order to gain public support, he said “if we don’t take this opportunity to change Ireland for the better, then will have to wait a decade or more again, and a lot of people will be heartbroken”.

Mr Coveney said it has been “a long time” since Fine Gael has been involved in promoting an issue like this, but that it is similar to the divorce debate in the 1980s in its wide-reaching implications.

Meanwhile, no group Mothers and Fathers Matter has sent out a series of promotional posters to volunteers across the country to convince the public to reject the marriage referendum on May 22.

A spokesperson said the posters will be erected over the coming days in every constituency in a bid to underline what the no campaign says are the currently hidden implications of a yes vote.

The posters, which can be viewed at www.irishexaminer.ie, include one depicting a young child which states “Surrogacy? She needs her mother for life, not just for nine months”.

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