Lack of debate on divorce vote a sign of how Ireland has been transformed

IF you needed any proof as to how much Ireland has changed in the last two decades then just look to the upcoming referendum on changing our divorce laws. Back in 1995, after a bitterly contested referendum campaign, the Irish people voted to legalise divorce by the tightest of margins, a majority of just 0.28 per cent.

Just nine years earlier in 1986, a 25 per cent majority voted against liberalising Ireland’s divorce laws.

The change in attitudes was seismic and marked the beginnings of the modern, liberal nation in which we now live.

While Ireland changed utterly on November 24, 1995, that change came after a vicious and divisive campaign that highlighted the stark divisions between those who remained staunchly religious and the growing numbers of more secular voters.

Older voters will surely remember the ‘No’ side slogan ‘Hello Divorce – By Bye Daddy’ that adorned posters and bill boards the length and breadth of the country.

Ireland was the last country in Europe to legalise divorce and since then there have been many more seismic moments which reached a crescendo in recent years with the legalisation of same sex marriage and abortion.

In a little under four weeks time we will once again go to the polls to vote in the local and European elections.

Thanks to the swathes of election posters that have appeared all over the country in recent days people are, by now, well aware that there’s an election on the way.

However, many seem to be completely unaware that when they go to the polls on May 24 they will be asked to vote on the further liberalisation of Ireland’s divorce laws.

Granted divorce is now an unfortunately common part of day to day life in Ireland but – given how major a political issue it once was – it is fascinating to see how its importance to voters and the public in general has dwindled.

The main thrust of the changes proposed in the referendum would see the waiting period for divorce applications cut from four years to two, while divorces registered outside the country may also be recognised for the first time.

The ‘Yes’ side argue that forcing people to wait four years for a divorce makes things more difficult for couples going through a separation and can result in increased hostility between couples.

Interestingly, the ‘No’ side aren’t fundamentally opposed to reducing the waiting time but they are concerned about removing the waiting period from the constitution and putting the power to legislate on divorce solely in the hands of the Oireachtas.

The Iona institute, for example, argue that this could eventually lead to waiting periods being scrapped altogether and the introduction of, so called, “quicky divorces”.

Thus far very little polling has taken place but the few online straw polls that have taken place show overwhelming support for the ‘Yes’ side.

We’ll have to wait and see what happens but based on the level of disinterest and lack of awareness among voters, it’s safe to assume that turnout won’t be anything like recent votes.