School patronage - A rational debate please

People of a certain age will remember the terrible,divisive venom that animated the debates around divorce or abortion.

They polarised this society and went far beyond the issues at hand.

It was a civil war of ideas.

So much so that politicians have, understandably if not admirably, avoided the consequences of court rulings for Ireland’s position on abortion.

Yesterday’s publication of a report on school patronage has the potential to re-open all of the old wounds inflicted during those debates. Let us hope we have moved beyond that. Let us hope that a rational debate that reflects the society we live in and that the primary objective of our schools — to give our children the best possible education — is never overshadowed.