David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I note that a report in today's edition of The Irish Timesindicated a decline in support to 74% for the marriage equality referendum. While I hope that level of support remains true, I very much doubt it. I believe this referendum easily could be lost because of the confusion being shown. It is extremely important to get out the message that this referendum is in the balance. If people want it to pass, they must mobilise people and there cannot be indifference. This is the last hurrah for the reactionary forces in this country. They lost on contraception, on divorce, on the abortion situation and on civil partnership and they will put every effort into winning this referendum campaign.

Second, I see the Order Paper contains the referendum wording and so on for the proposal to reduce the age at which one can become President of Ireland. This is just fiddling at the edges. It is an utter waste of time and is avoiding the real issue. I was a delegate at the Constitutional Convention and succeeded in getting through a motion with 96% support, the highest figure of the entire convention, to the effect that the public should be given some degree of access to the nomination process for the Presidency. All the main parties in this House, namely, Fine Gael, the Labour Party and Fianna Fáil, supported this proposal some years ago. Not only that but they produced legislation for it. Why this deafening, stunning silence on something that 96% of the people at the Constitutional Convention voted through? I am aware the Government did not want this to be voted on or discussed but I managed to get it discussed and to get 96% of the people there to decide in favour. Let us hear from the Government. What is it doing about this? Has it shelved the legislation is produced all those years ago? It is the same with the Opposition. Everybody agreed, legislation was produced; this is an important democratic issue and the Government is ignoring it.