Chrysalis

The recent Savita Halappanavar case has yet again thrown into sharp focus the need for our legislature to act on the X-case legislation, to act on the judgement of the European Court of Human Rights and to act on their obligations to the women of this country. We have waited twenty years for this and now it is (possibly) in sight, but it will only remain so if we the public maintain the pressure on those same legislators.
Timing is everything in politics and it is unfortunate that this debate has arisen right before we enter into budget season where peoples focus will be on cuts, taxes and the oft used word austerity. There has been an outpouring of grief, sadness and sometimes shame since the tragic passing of Savita but we must now step up the campaign to the next level to ensure her passing is not in vein. The government is likely to fly a lot of budgetary kites between now and the publication of the expert group report next Tuesday in an attempt to take our eye off the #legislatenow issue but we must not fall into this trap.
This is possibly a seminal moment in the life of our little Republic. Savita’s passing has been the catalyst for recent public outrage but this issue has affected the lives of women and their families for a lot lot longer and will continue to do so unless we force change. One of the problems with this debate is the existence of many voices, and the ability of both sides to cloud the issue. We must remember that what this is all about is saving lives and to ensure we do this we need clarity not clouds.
I am writing this blog on the train to Dublin, I am heading there to attend a protest/vigil outside our national parliament but I also plan to try and do something not just to write, tweet, talk. As a population we need to get more active in our democracy and especially when human rights and human lives are involved. So will I be able to do anything? I don’t know but that won’t stop me giving it a go.
Ok so the plan, it is simple I am going to talk to those people who are in a position to make these changes, our politicians, our media and our active citizens. I have a number of meetings set up to discuss the idea of creating an organized group that will come together across a variety of sectors over the next few weeks to ensure that the coalition does not follow its predecessors and hide from their responsibility to act and to legislate. Sinn Fein’s motion will be voted on and defeated tonight, Labour will say they voted against because they are awaiting the expert report, they will do so based on the hope that their coalition overlords will actually move on this issue. Fine Gael will vote against for the same reasons but with maybe different motivations.
This is where my fears lie; I do not have the same faith in Fine Gael to legislate as Labour do. The government is about to publish its toughest budget, they will not want to do so under the haze of resignations from both front and backbench TD’s, if they do so it could be the start of the end for the coalition. Nothing is more obvious since the formation of the State than the fact that survival in power is the main motivator for politicians, either to win ‘their’ (as they see it) seat back or to stay in government, remember the Harney quote “A bad day in government is better than a good day in opposition” this sums up the mind-set.
So I will see how I get on, if you want to get in touch and get involved with me on this email me at davidmccarthyconsulting@gmail.com or tweet me @McCthyConsulting