Sarah Harte: We need a more affordable, more compassionate divorce system 

Would-be reformers are sidelined while those seeking divorce have to endure such a long, expensive, and psychologically draining process that it feels like they're being punished

Ireland has one of the lowest divorce rates in Europe at 0.6 divorces per 1,000 people compared to the European average of 1.6 per 1,000. Picture: iStock

What would you say the chances are of a divorcing Irish person burbling, as a radiant Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, ex-wife of the Canadian prime minister recently did, about divorce not being a defeat but rather “l’évolution amoureuse” — the evolution of love?

Cultural differences aside, the answer is nil thanks to the deeply attritional, adversarial, intimidating, and costly nature of Irish divorce proceedings.