Divorce: Political Issue or Football?

the basic democratic rights of the minority and women have been hackwoodamen and clergy.

the rghit bo diwerce, witicts bu Since the artificial divipon of the country into & and 26 county states ‘central issue!

denied, This ia not secidental but a direct result of partition. On both sides of the border artificial “maperi lies’ have (heen created based either on political persuasion or religious affiliation. Integration of Church and State has beon a hallmark feature of the two parte of this land, The progross of aocial legislation haa been hampered of impeded by the comhined vested interests of the political trail.

[tis this very fact that makes the corremt debate om the Lrish Constituthon 6 important, All of a sidlden Have orth Gael aval Pranna Fail, and ienored bey the Trish Labour Party during the Genera] Blection — becomes a But is this becuse we have at last plicked the consciences or threatened the political future of the Ths on this issue? Wot at all — che Coalltion cupecsts they are willing to debate divorce if the trish penile Scecat partition, Li's the old carrot and stick tactic, These are parties which for years bave sal on topoot thia issue — in fact many of hese TDs opposed divarce when out om the regen general election campaign The whole discussion is being 7 peed ag the neccesary reform of the backword South to appease the progres Whit does all thi ig tell ua? Wel, firstly that the right to divorcee will be used as a political football by both learns. Mo guarantees have beso given by the 76 ‘liberals’ like Senator Gemma Hussey, that any fundamental changes on democratic rights will be inad<. In dact quaging, cm the recent port, when ihe ise pets “hee”, ie when the clerey and right wing start lo object, these ‘herals’ run for CAVEr, ‘The only real guarantor of demecratic rights on the whole ot the island it independent pofitical action by the working class and especially women —political action that recopnies the obstacles of partition and the political decay in the major partics, both unionist ond bourgeois nationadest,on both sides of ithe border.