‘The world has gotten too PC’ a phrase often uttered by someone who has just said something racist, something sexist, or just something that’s vile and insulting to fellow man.  Usually they have a leaning towards conservative thinking and this phrase is one of the key warning signs that your friend or loved one has become infected with extremist views, often called ‘Brexitism’.

Recently I had a chat with one of my friends with more traditional values who said he feels there is very little room left for the conservative man in modern Ireland, he elaborated that the conservative way of thinking has become demonised by Marxist liberals who have lead to the erosion of Catholic values and the fabric of western society.

To conservative extremists Hitler was a liberal communist who lead a socialist party. Conservative extremists believe that Europe was founded on a Western principle of Christianity. Conservative extremists believe in conversion therapy. Conservative extremists believe in strict abortion laws. Conservative extremists are xenophobic in nature. Conservative extremists ignore all warnings about climate change. Conservative extremists do not want you thinking freely.

Although I have the greatest respect for someone’s decision to practice their faith I feel a lot less tolerant about people who use their faith as an excuse for conservative extremism. Ireland has a long history but to me it feels like we’re very much an infant country awaking from the slumber of church scandal and government corruption. I feel like we’re heading in the right direction but there is a lot of work to do and this conservative extremism is now the biggest threat to our future, it’s the biggest threat to our democratic republic.

Conservatism extremism isn’t about holding on to the past, or traditional values, although these things are often linked and conservatism in Ireland is often represented by rural accents which creates the perception that rural people are deeply conservative.

I mention this because there is a rural/city divide in this country and as a result there is often a difference of opinion. For instance someone from Boyle might think it’s a great idea to keep the emergency department in Roscommon Hospital open but someone from Rathdown might think it’s a better idea to close down all rural hospitals and build better roads to Dublin.

There are times when progressive ideas are not practical for people’s needs. That’s when people have the right to be conservative about their way of life, and this is how I know there is room for conservative thinking in an all inclusive modern Ireland.  

However when conservative extremism dictates how we teach our children about sexual orientation, and when conservative extremism tells women what they can do with their bodies, and when conservative extremism equates equality with some communist conspiracy involving the Soros foundation that my friend is when you’re no longer someone under threat for having traditional values but someone who has been recognized for their fanatical views, opinions and laws. It is you Ireland has decided it has no place for.
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(Image used is from couple.ie and the views expressed here may not reflect those of the photographer). 

1) Children
The weaponising of children for political purposes is a shameful act. Children are supposed to enjoy the magic of life, believe in the tooth fairy, ride their bikes, play outside all day long on a Saturday, not get dragged to some poxy church funded jamboree and exposed to graphic images of abortion where they’re made feel anyone outside the local cult is evil. Rally for life might as well be run by Boko Haram the way they use innocent children in their campaign. 

2) Mattie McGrath
Independent TD for Tipperary Mattie McGrath took to the stage to the tune of The A-Team. Mattie doesn't belong in the A-Team or the B-Team. 

3) Sean Friel
Sean’s twitter bio upsets me because he’s using 21st century technology for a 9th century message: Discerning For The Priesthood. I Am 100% Pro-Life. I Sing In The Church Choir. I Play The Violin. I Use Fountain Pens. I Love Latin. All For The Glory Of God. Note Sean's use of a voodoo chain with a tiny pro choice activist impaled on a cross. 

4) Fake News
You want to do your anti choice hate thing that's fine but let's not start fake news stories about the citizen's assembly being rigged. How do you even come up with that? It's made up of 100 members and open to submissions from the public and everything is kept on public record. You can't just dismiss the things you don't like in life, you can't simply start screaming it's stopped raining just because you don't own an umbrella. 

5) The Virgin Mary 
The virgin Mary did not need an abortion but real women do. Note the MAGA hat on the left leading the procession, return to sender. We don't need t make America great, we need to get the church out of Ireland and start making sensible laws we can live by. 

6) Leaches
Another really distasteful feature in the debate has been small groups jumping on the bandwagon to promote self interests and their own agendas; usually for financial gain. If you want to do the work of god how about you try look after the one billion people suffering from malnutrition. 

7) White Jesus
The Anti-choice brigade keep saying this isn't about Jesus so why does he keep cropping up and why can't they accept that more than likely he doesn't look like the baby from the fairy liquid adverts. Also if Jesus had been aborted we wouldn't have had 2000 years of church suppression and if there was a god he'd know that. So put away your sign Edward Kitchener there will be no blood drinking tonight. 

8) Gendercide 
The suggestion that abortion will be used for gender selection is like a plot to some horror movie from the 80's where there are only a handful of female politicians and decisions about the children women raise are controlled by men who hold 70% of the power. 

“How come life has to be so difficult, just because you’re born into this world a woman”

Activist Eileen Flynn’s rally cry to the thousands of women & men who came out on International Women’s Day to support Repeal the 8th. This woman could very well be the Joan of Arc of our generation, not only because she speaks energetically with compassion and pride but also because I think she might be carrying a sword on her at all times.

Eileen speaks to the crowd about standing up for our rights, she says she wasn’t always a ‘feminist’ because she didn’t know what the label meant, but now she knows what it means and now she’s here to fight for it. Eileen’s understanding of labels comes across very clearly, she speaks about the ‘us’ Vs ‘them’ attitudes which prevent us from working together to achieve the equality we all deserve, it’s not about being male or female, it’s about what’s right and wrong and the actions we take to create a society where people have the right to full bodily autonomy and equality for all.

Eileen challenged the real values of ‘Pro-lifers’;
“If you’re pro-life how come you’re not out there helping the homeless, how come you’re not improving the lives of the 3,000 homeless children in this country”

Her words hold such integrity that I’m proud to have been here to march with her today. For Eileen it’s not about what banner you march under but what you’re marching for. I’ve no doubt in my mind that if she was organising this march herself that it would have taken a slightly different direction.

Instead of concluding with a planned protest outside the Dail this organised march, a march for access to dignified health services, took a detour to the Customs House. I’m not sure why this decision was taken but I’m quite concerned that the Repeal movement is not getting the political support it needs two months away from the referendum. The repeal movement might have grass roots beginnings but it needs to recognise the need to progress if it’s to fulfil its destiny. Unfortunately there were more SIPTU flags at the march than SIPTU members. Where were all the nurses? Where were all the midwives? One speaker from Doctors for Choice spoke but why don’t we hear more from the medical professions on RTE?

International women’s day had an opportunity to be remembered for taking on this fight but it probably lacked the numbers and pikes necessary to get to the Dail. This doesn’t make Repeal the 8th a lost cause but it does make knocking on doors a lot tougher. The march highlighted all the work that needs to be done in the next two months and I hope everyone finds the kind of energy Eileen Flynn showed in order to dig in and make Repeal The 8th happen in 2018.