Marriage Equality in Northern Ireland

[dude]

[Cole Parker]

Wow!

C

[Nigel Gordon]

Hopefully we will see him in Parliament in about ten years. We certainly need him there!

[Merkin]

Wow. I wish I could be even halfway as thoughtful and articulate as this 15 year-old boy.

Has there been any outcome to this brilliant presentation? Has Mr. Dunne replied?

[Cole Parker]

I don't see how he can reply. The kid has made the position crystal clear: if you're not for gay marriage, you're not for equality.

It was very disappointing to see the long list of others also voting nay.

C

[Nigel Gordon]

It was very disappointing to see the long list of others also voting nay.

C

Yes, it is disappointing but then it is Northern Ireland. Hopefully they will move into the next century sometime in the next few years, then maybe we can start to think about moving them into the 20th century.

[Addym Kehris]

Hope there's follow-up from the lad. That was remarkable.

[ChrisR]

It's interesting to note that Catholic Ireland has approved gay marriages while its northern neighbor has not. Perhaps the young man would be better served if he took up the call for Irish arithmetic:

26+6=1

[Bruin Fisher]

The honourable thing for Dunne to have done (!) would have been to think carefully about this argument, and then post a video reply to the young lad, declaring that his mind had been changed by his cogent argument and that he will henceforth campaign for full equality, including gay marriage. The rest of the UK, the Republic of Ireland and much of the Western World has embraced it and the planet continues to revolve on its axis...

[ChrisR]

It seems that marriage equality has a ways to go in Australia as well.

http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/gay-marriage/ashes-of-british-man-who-died-in-australia-removed-by-airport-security-after-husband-tries-to-fly-them-home/news-story/30ad7f39a306bfbd4c5ab360fc714c35

[Graeme]

It's going to be an election issue later this year. One major party says they'll legislated for marriage equality within 100 days of gaining office. The other says they'll hold a non-binding national plebiscite at some unknown stage after the election to find out if Australians really want marriage equality, and when (based on opinion polls they get the answer 'Yes') several members of that party have said they'll ignore that result and vote against marriage equality, anyway...

Having said that, the leaders of both major parties are in favour of marriage equality. Unfortunately, both parties have members with strong views against marriage equality (such as the aforementioned politicians who want to have a plebiscite that they can then ignore if it doesn't go their way). There's a push to allow a conscience vote on the subject (that is, the politicians are not bound by party policy but can vote however they want), but only one party has currently agreed to do that...

It will happen here, I'm confident of that, but we're going to have to wait until after the next federal election (which could be as early as July, or as late as November). Depending on which party wins the election will determine how quickly marriage equality occurs here.