YES: Deputy Aine Collins
OVER the last number of weeks I have been meeting people door to door, at organised events and in the streets, and have been so positively surprised by the number of young people engaging with me on the Marriage Referendum.
The issue of Marriage Equality has struck a chord with the young people and I’m seeing this first hand.
I have met young people who are well informed on both sides of the debate and who have strong views on the subject.
No one will be calling the vote at this stage and my gut would be that it will be a very close result nationally, but from what I am hearing on the doorsteps and streets of North Cork it might not be as close as that in my area.
I would say that over 65% of the people I am meeting will be voting ‘Yes’ on Friday and almost 100% of the young people I have met will be voting ‘Yes.
Most people will be aware of my views on this; that I will be voting Yes on Friday. I’m a strong believer in equality at every level.
Marriage is good for society because it encourages commitment. If marriage is truly important to us, we should not seek to exclude our gay family members, friends and colleagues from doing so; they should be treated the same as everyone else.
For many young people, it is the first time they have engaged with politicians and I hope that it will lead to more young people engaging with politics on more issues.