Advertisement

We asked Joan Burton to rule out another referendum if this one doesn't pass

The Tánaiste dropped by TheJournal.ie’s offices today to make one last pitch for a Yes vote.

JOAN BURTON HAS been all around the country campaigning in recent weeks and is now making the final push for a Yes vote in Friday’s same-sex marriage referendum.

The Tánaiste has been doing a series of media interviews this week advocating a Yes vote and today she hosted the party’s final campaign press conference.

Beforehand, the Labour party leader dropped by TheJournal.ie offices to talk about the campaign and what she thinks will happen on Friday…

joan buton TheJournal.ie TheJournal.ie

1. She is pretty annoyed about some of those No posters 

The No side has consistently raised the issues of adoption and surrogacy during the course of the referendum and put it front and centre of its poster campaign.

Gay Marriage Equality Referendums graphy: Sasko Lazarov / Photocall Ireland graphy: Sasko Lazarov / Photocall Ireland / Photocall Ireland

Burton, who was adopted as a baby, isn’t happy about them:

When I see the No posters around surrogacy saying that the only relationship you might have with your mother is nine months in the womb, as somebody who’s adopted, I find those posters hurtful, demeaning on the matter of the referendum, they’re actually misleading.

Video: Aoife Barry / TheJournal.ie

2. Actually, she can’t understand the No side 

Burton thinks some on the No side haven’t thought about the positive benefit of gay and lesbian people wanting to access the institution of marriage.

Video: Aoife Barry / TheJournal.ie

Some of the No people, who see themselves as conservative in terms of family values, should recognise that gay and lesbian people wanting to be involved in the institution of marriage is in fact a very strong support to marriage. I am not sure that some of those people have thought about that.

3. We asked her to rule out holding another referendum if this one doesn’t pass… 

But Burton just wouldn’t go there:

Video: Aoife Barry / TheJournal.ie

4. She’s very confident about the referendum passing…  

Unsurprisingly, the Tánaiste is “confident and hopeful” that Yes will prevail on Friday, but she’s taking nothing for granted. Of the No side having closed the lead in recent weeks, she said:

In all of the referenda that I have experience of, it normally tightens quite a lot between Yes and No as polling day approaches because, frankly, a lot of individual citizens only get engaged in referenda issues in the three weeks before the polling date and then every week that advances closer to the polling date, generally, it gets tighter.

Video: Aoife Barry / TheJournal.ie

5. … but she won’t put figures on it

There were some raised eyebrows at a story in today’s Irish Times with ministers anonymously predicting the outcome could be 60:40 in favour of Yes.

Burton is not putting a figure on it. Here’s why:

Video: Aoife Barry / TheJournal.ie

6. Finally, she’s voting Yes in that ‘other’ referendum 

Labour is not taking a position on the presidential age referendum. One of their ministers has already told us he’s voting No to the reduction in the age of eligibility for candidates from 35 to 21.

We asked the Tánaiste if it was a mistake to run this vote at all given polls indicate it will be defeated:

Video: Aoife Barry / TheJournal.ie

Note: We asked the No campaign for a representative to respond to Burton in an on-camera interview this afternoon, but no one was made available. 

Originally published 7pm

WATCH: This father is voting NO, his daughter is voting YES. Watch them debate.

Senator: I don’t think it’s appropriate to teach children about same-sex marriage

Your Voice
Readers Comments
399
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.