Mutant commentator from Oz strikes below the belt

It came from Down Under and was certainly below the belt when an Australian political adviser launched an anti-Irish tirade during a TV debate about marriage equality, spurred by the referendum here.

Speaking on Sky News Australia, Grahame Morris made several claims about Ireland and the Irish people, among them a reference to the Great Famine, during which 1m people died.

He said he felt Australia was being forced into a vote after Ireland’s referendum, describing us as a people who “can’t grow potatoes”.

“The trigger was a vote in Ireland,” said Mr Morris. “Now I love the Irish, the parliament is full of Irishmen but these are people who can’t grow potatoes, they’ve got a mutant lawn weed as their national symbol and they can’t verbalise the difference between tree and the number three.

“But, and then all of a sudden, Australia has to follow suit.”

RELATED: VIDEO: Australian political advisor launches anti-Irish rant

Australian politicians in favour of same-sex marriage are pushing their parties to allow a free vote on the issue.

The opposition Labor Party put forward a bill replacing the words “man and woman” with the term “two people” to define who can be legally married.

In the TV debate on the issue, Mr Morris, who himself mutated from being an adviser to the ruling Liberal Party to being a Conservative commentator, said that both the country and parliament “aren’t ready” to vote on same-sex marriage.

“I have a feeling this could end up like that stupid referendum on a republic where the electorate wasn’t ready,” said Mr Morris.

“The parliament wasn’t ready and you’ve got to put it off for another 10 years. This is going to be divisive and I’m just not even sure the parliament is ready.”

Opinion polls show that most Australians support same-sex marriage. LGBT advocates say Australia is now the only English-speaking developed country to ban it after Ireland’s vote.

Gay marriage was explicitly outlawed in Australia in 2004. Prime minister Tony Abbott has said his country will not follow Ireland’s lead and hold a referendum on gay marriage.

“Under the constitution, questions of marriage are the preserve of the Commonwealth parliament,” he said.

DISCOVER MORE CONTENT LIKE THIS