Jim Walsh is no April Fool!

My jaw dropped when I read the remarks made by Fianna Fail Senator Jim Walsh.  Firstly let’s correct the suggestion that Jim has resigned from Fianna Fail.  He hasn’t. He still has his cumann card and he very much holds sway in New Ross within Fianna Fail circles.  He would never surrender his power base in that district to rival factions within that party.  He merely has resigned from the Fianna Fail parliamentary party and surrendered the whip.

Senator Walsh quotes someone he met who happens to be gay.  This person thinks that the cost of holding the marriage referendum would be better spent on providing a free HIV test for those who are gay.   Senator Walsh was keen to share this piece of wisdom in the Séanad adding that the cost of the referenda is €21M.  Senator Walsh seems to have forgotten that May 22^nd sees 2 referenda being held and that regardless as to whether the Marriage Equality vote proceeds or not, there are fixed costs involved in running polling on any day. 

But saving money wasn’t uppermost in Senator Walsh’s mind, nor indeed any interest he may have preventing the spread in HIV.  Central to Senator Walsh’s speech is an ignorance of HIV and homophobia.    It’s true that gay people can contract HIV. It’s also true that straight people can contract HIV.  New Ross is the ancestral to the Kennedy Clan.  A relative of the Kennedy’s who is a priest many years caused outrage in Dungarvan by warning from the pulpit about an “angel of death” spreading HIV as an act of revenge on the male population of West Waterford. 

Senator Walsh singles out gay men as a source of HIV.  Why stop with gay men? There are many other sectors at risk from HIV.    So if only he could tell us what the state would you do when it’s found out the result of the test?  Senator Walsh’s politics would be at home in the world that Brindlsey McNamara portrayed in “The Valley of the Squinting Windows”. 

The subtext to all this is Senator Walsh’s homophobic views.  He opposes Marriage Equality and that is the nub of his outburst.  In the past he complained that he couldn’t call gay people “fairies”. He has opposed the Children and Family Relationships Bill citing Marriage Equality as a reason.  Senator Walsh is taking advantage of the low morale in Fianna Fail and the ineffective leadership of Micháel Martin but send the subtle but clear signal to Fianna Fail voters that at heart Fianna Fail Oireachtas members reflect the old conservative ways.  There’s a certain segment of FF voters who support Jim Walsh’s view.  He is not politically on his own.  Make no mistake about that.  At least he’s said what more than a few FF people are clearly thinking.  FF are the biggest party on Wexford County Council.  Yet no councillor turned up on Sunday last for the launch of the Wexford Marriage Equality Vote Yes campaign.

With 2 months to go to polling, there’s every sign that the Marriage Equality Referendum will be a tough battle in Ireland, but nowhere as tough as in Wexford.