The most important thing for everyone to do on on May 25 is get out and vote

I’VE always hated anyone telling me what to do. It immediately makes me want to do the exact opposite. My father used to tell me I had a problem with authority. I like to think I had a healthy disregard for it.

Up until now I have managed to avoid making any comment on the forthcoming referendum. This isn’t a political column and it didn’t feel appropriate.

But now I feel compelled to speak because of the pressure I personally feel as do many others, I’m sure, from both sides to do the right thing.

Like I said, I don’t like being told what to do and that includes how I vote in a referendum. Yet lately I feel both sides are becoming more and more aggressive in their bid to win the electorate over.

Well known people in the media, including social media

ARM YOURSELF WITH INFORMATION. READ, READ, READ EVERYTHING YOU CAN FROM BOTH SIDES AND THEN MAKE AN INFORMED CHOICE

are being accused of remaining silent on the issue to try and avoid subsequent fallout which may damage their ‘ brand’.

I don’t have ‘a brand’ to protect. My silence is due to the fact that how I vote is nobody else’s bloody business. Nor do I feel it my place to try and influence anyone else as to how they should vote.

If anyone of my acquaintance asks how I intend to vote, I’ll tell them and outline my reasons for doing so but I don’t feel that I owe anybody an explanation.

This is an extremely important referendum and I have known for a while how I’m going to vote. I did a lot of soul searching before I had my answer.

It wasn’t a black and white issue for me but I made my decision, based on the information that I acquired. Nobody influenced me. It was my choice.

And that’s what this referendum is about – choice. So whether you decided to vote Yes or No on repealing the 8th Amendment is YOUR choice and nobody elses.

Telling me that the 8th Amendment saves lives won’t make me vote no. Similarly telling me I’m letting every woman down in Ireland by voting no will not make me vote yes.

I won’t be bullied, or railroaded into making a decision. It is my choice, just as it yours. The most important thing for everyone to do is get out there and vote.

We go to the polls on May 25. The only thing you need to arm yourself with is information. Read, read, read everything you can from both sides and then make an informed choice.

Don’t let yourself be bullied or pressured into voting a certain way. Do what’s best for you, what sits right with you.

Exercise your franchise.