170 lines
7.3 KiB
Plaintext
170 lines
7.3 KiB
Plaintext
Church power weakened
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IRELAND VOTES FOR DIVORCE
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AT LAST, the ban on divorce is gone. In the past few
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years, issues concerning the family and the place of
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women have been at the centre of Irish politics - in part
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because Catholic church thinking has long dominated
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these areas of life in Ireland. Things first began to
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change for the better in the early 1970s when women
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began to fight back against Church rule. Contraception
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was demanded and won.
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Later access to information on abortion, and abortion
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facilities in England, was fought for and won - though
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in a very restricted context. (Let us not forget that as
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many as 6,000 Irish women travel to England every year
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to have an abortion because it remains illegal in the 26
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counties.) Now, with the recent Divorce Referendum, a
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restricted form of divorce will be allowed. Another
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blow has been struck against the Catholic church that
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fought its hardest to prevent any change occurring.
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The 'yes' campaign won by the narrowest of margins -
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by less than half of one per cent of all the votes cast.
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The turnout of the electorate was approximately 61%.
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Even up to the very end the result was in doubt and a
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full re-count of all votes cast was necessary in order to
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confirm the result. Nevertheless, the majority was
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clearly for 'yes' and clearly for divorce.
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Across the twenty-six counties the changes since 1986 -
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when the last referendum on divorce was held - were
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definite, and in some places dramatic. Swings to the
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'yes' side varied between 10% and 20%, the highest
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being recorded in the working-class constituency of
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Dublin Central. In all 16 constituencies voted 'yes' and
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25 voted 'no'.
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Even predominantly rural constituencies such as Kerry
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South held respectable swings to the 'yes' campaign,
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this despite the complete lack of a 'yes' campaign in
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many of these areas. Two constituencies that
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eventually voted 'no' - Waterford and Wexford - still
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recorded two of the largest swings to the 'yes' side. This
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is one of the better aspects of the referendum compared
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with the vote in 1986. This time around those
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supporting divorce were not just concentrated in
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Dublin. This indicates a broader and more substantial
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move away from Catholic Church control in Ireland
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than in previous times.
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FREEDOM
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The Divorce Referendum, though conservative in
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terms of what it proposed, was from the very beginning
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about much more. As the 'yes' and 'no' campaigns
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heated up in the weeks before the vote, two clear views
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about the way Irish society should be became apparent.
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Those supporting the 'no' side were intent on retaining
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control over the individual and what the individual
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does. Those who supported the 'yes' campaign wanted
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the arena of individual freedom enlarged. This is why
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we, as anarchists, were involved in the referendum.
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Perhaps no one understood the issues in such a clear
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light as those who were behind the 'no' campaign - the
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Catholic Right. They were well organised, they had
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plenty of money (including American money) and they
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weren't afraid of the issues. They believe in
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authoritarian solutions to the problems in Irish society
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and they believe in forcing things down people's
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throats.
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Arguing that the 'common good' must come first, they
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excused away the reality of marriage breakdown in
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Ireland with a total disregard for the individuals
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involved - be they women, men or children. Their
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attitude was 'Put Up or Shut Up'- and it was this
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approach that was eventually rejected by the 'yes'
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victory. The campaign fought by the Catholic Right was
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committed and forceful. A response that was in sharp
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contrast to that of the Government.
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If ever there was a liability for the 'no' campaign, it was
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having the Government on its side. The Government
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led the 'yes' campaign, they controlled the money, they
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even tried to set the agenda of debate - in the end they
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nearly lost it for everyone. By their very presence they
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stymied initiative. The 'yes' campaign got off the
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ground late, it lacked any initial willingness to tackle
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Catholic Church hypocrisy and it pussy-footed around
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all the main issues - the 'cost of divorce', the alleged
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effects on children, etc.
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Worst of all, and perhaps this is their lasting legacy, the
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Government have lumbered the people with the
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disgraceful provision - now enshrined in the
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Constitution! - that one must separate for at least four
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years before you can entertain the idea of a divorce.
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This, we have argued, is an affront to every person who
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goes through the trauma of a broken marriage.
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COMPASSION
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The 'yes' campaign was very broad, and it stood for
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different things at different times. Some of the
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arguments that it used were good - the arguments for
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'divorce as a civil right' for instance, or the argument
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for the separation of Church and State'. Yet there were
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other ideas in the 'yes' campaign that we, as anarchists,
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had no truck with. We did not participate in the
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campaign for divorce so as 'to strengthen the institution
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of marriage'. Many of the political parties argued for
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divorce along these lines - quite illogically in our
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opinion.
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The Workers Solidarity Movement said straight out
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that divorce will weaken the institution of marriage,
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and that this is a good thing. We are for choice in life,
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and for respect for the individual. We believe that
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people, on the whole, act carefully and responsibly with
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their lives. Most of all we do not believe that you need
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a law to keep you in a relationship with another person
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- we think the idea is actually absurd. Our partners in
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this life are our own business and the 'yes' victory was
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one small step towards bringing this a little closer. That
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is why we fought hard for a 'yes' vote.
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The big loser in this referendum was the Catholic
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Church. They have, especially in times past, wielded
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great power in the twenty-six county state. They have
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wielded it disgracefully - punishing people who don't
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hold with Church views, encouraging chauvinism and
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intolerance of the worst kind. Despite their Christian
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rhetoric, they have rarely shown an iota of
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'compassion' for anyone. For this reason alone victory
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is sweet.
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CONTROL
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But the Catholic Church continues to be a very
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powerful force in Ireland. This should not be forgotten.
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It still retains huge influence in schools, hospitals and
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in the local community. It also retains huge support
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among the main political parties - Fianna Fail, Fine
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Gael and Labour. The campaign to remove the Catholic
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Church from Irish society, where they survive at the tax
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payers' expense, still has a long way to go.
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The successful 'yes' vote did show however that we can
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win - most importantly against superior forces, with
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greater resources. It is a victory for all those who did the
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merest bit to encourage a 'yes' vote. But there is also a
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warning in the narrowness of the victory.
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The Catholic Right is now a force in Irish society. And
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they are organising in a more political direction. They
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are committed and strong and they have money. They
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want to bring Ireland back to an era when no one
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questioned anything, when women stayed at home
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because they were forced to. From now on the Catholic
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Right will fight tooth and nail on every issue of
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importance to them. There is still a long struggle ahead
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to beat them once and for all.
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Kevin Doyle
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