Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Labour) | Oireachtas source

A couple of months ago I raised the issue of posters pertaining to this referendum. I made the comment that perhaps it would be best for all sides if neither "Yes" nor "No" posters were erected because of the sensitive nature of the issue at hand. I feel that even more strongly now. Walking past Leinster House today, I was greeted by an incredibly offensive and insensitive banner. Members of An Garda Síochána told me that there is a very long and complicated process involved in complaining about such an offensive banner.

The posters around the city and the country feature statements that do not have to be verified or fact checked. In fact, there is nobody whose job is to fact check or verify statements written on referendum posters. As the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Naughten, signed the order for the referendum quite early, we have a two-month campaign rather than the one-month one we were anticipating. My suggestion to the Cathaoirleach is that the Minister should come in and discuss this matter. There should be some mechanism for overseeing or verifying statements or slogans used in referendum campaigns. One such slogan has no basis in fact whatsoever, namely, the claim that one in five pregnancies in Britain ends in a termination. There is no basis for that declaration whatsoever but it is on every lamp-post in the land.

I spoke to a woman who rang the Labour Party offices and who last year was in the traumatic situation of having to deal with a fatal foetal abnormality. Of course, she had to leave this country because of our archaic legislation and constitutional amendments on pregnancy. She was highly traumatised by the entire situation and now has a poster outside her door that is extremely upsetting to her. We arrived and stuck a poster on the same pole to countermand or balance the situation, because of how offensive that poster was to her. Can we have the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment before this House? There is a loophole in legislation here. It is nobody's fault but we need to rectify it. If a referendum is taking place and posters are being erected, people should not be able to tell lies. One should not be allowed to display deeply and gratuitously offensive messaging and posters outside the Houses of the Parliament of the Irish Republic in a huge and graphic style. It is offensive to me, it should be offensive to every Member of this House and we should be in a position to do something about it.