Politics podcast: Tiernan Brady on same-sex marriage showdown
Tiernan Brady, a leader of the successful 'Yes' campaign on same-sex marriage in Ireland, has been working with activists in Australia to get marriage equality over the line.
Many in Australia look to the use of the referendum in Ireland as an example of how its marriage equality debate might be resolved. But what worked well in Ireland might be very damaging in Australia.
Often it has been Ireland’s writers and artists that have called out the hopes and failures of national politics, holding the polity to account in the culture.
Same-sex marriage is about state recognition of the union between two people and is a political issue. Religious belief can apply in a church and in individual decisions, but not to a secular state.
The impact of Ireland’s affirmative vote on marriage equality is getting attention from all around the world. Will the result create a “social revolution” as some are suggesting?
While Ireland’s pro-marriage equality campaign is leading in the polls, the gap has narrowed ahead of Friday’s vote. And history shows that Irish referendums can be far closer than the polls predict.
Support for equal marriage rights in Ireland and Australia is remarkably similar: 71% in Ireland and 72% in Australia. The key difference is that Australian politicians are choosing not to listen.