The same-sex marriage referendum debate

[Gabriel_Hurl]

How are they voting then? 

[T Fearon]

With the wrong organs of course

[T Fearon]

Here,there? Do we not all dwell in Ireland?

[armaghniac]

How are they voting then? 

With a pencil, I imagine. But some of them Googly people probably have a high tech pen.

[Gabriel_Hurl]

Hilarious. I was expecting a smart aleck answer like that.

Maybe you can answer this one in a similar vein.

How are these non Irish citizens getting access to a voting ballot that they aren't entitled to?

[FermGael]

If it's a Yes vote,will Dublin's Baggott Street be renamed Faggott Street?

Tony way beyond the line there.

[michaelg]

If it's a Yes vote,will Dublin's Baggott Street be renamed Faggott Street?

Tony way beyond the line there.

I know he's an attention seeking troll, but I wonder if he actually thinks such a comment is funny.  If so, he's an an even bigger arsehole than I first thought.

[T Fearon]

And will a Yes vote result in Gay Byrne changing his name by deed poll

[armaghniac]

Hilarious. I was expecting a smart aleck answer like that.

Maybe you can answer this one in a similar vein.

How are these non Irish citizens getting access to a voting ballot that they aren't entitled to?

Janey Hurl, have you ever had voted! It isn't rocket science.

- some of them are straightforward frauds, they fraudulently registered themselves, the form came in the door and they wrote their name on it when not entitled.
- some of them are wrongly recorded because of simple sloppiness, notably British citizens (of whom there 10s of thousands) who are entitled to vote in Dail elections and where someone forget to record that they were British
- but some are fraudulently registered for this election by others e.g. some zealot in a house registered everyone including the lad that arrived from France, who should be only registered for Euro elections . When the polling card arrives the Frenchman doesn't understand that he is not entitled to vote, especially as the zealot housemate is bringing him down to the polling station and explaining the importance of voting yes. 

While a bit of a purge has been done on the NI register, the 26 county one is in bad shape. This referendum will be declared to have 60% turnout, but that's probably 65-70% because 10% of the register are dead, emigrated, duplicates or the like.

[Gabriel_Hurl]

Who is Janey?

[Rossfan]

If it's a Yes vote,will Dublin's Baggott Street be renamed Faggott Street?

Will you be wearing the jersey  you won on TG4 ?

[armaghniac]

Who is Janey?

Hilarious. I was expecting a smart aleck answer like that.

[Gabriel_Hurl]

I don't get it

[Itchy]

Looking forward to the result tomorrow, another kick in the nuts for right wing single brain cell people like old Tony. Tony you may join the DUP, they are the only party that reflects your views in the country.

[easytiger95]

What next Armaghniac? The Governor of Florida talking about hanging chads? The right wing playbook is very predictable. "The Election was stolen!!" Anything to discredit the process. Are you sure you're not Karl Rove?

By the way, with regard to Fearon's incredibly ugly comments, contributors on this board may well be gay, or have gay relatives or friends. If they were black or had black friends or families, a board member would be banned immediately for using the "n" word. It makes no difference the intention, whether he was winding or not Stew - words have real power, to wound and to marginalise.

I'm not asking for him to be banned, but speaking clearly, without any irony or sarcasm, you should be ashamed of yourself Tony, and I seriously question whether I would want to belong to a community (online or not) that tolerates such hatred.

I was driving home from work this evening, going by the Luas stop at Inchicore. There was a group of about 5 or 6 people, early twenties or so, men and women, on the pavement, with rainbow t shirts, balloons, cheering at the cars as if it was Italia 90 all over again. Two things went through my mind. Firstly they looked like they were about to have the best Friday night of their young lives, and if I was younger, I wouldn't have minded being out celebrating with them.

The second thought was that even up to 10 years ago, they would have been taking their life in their own hands by being so open in their support for LGBT issues. This country has changed, unbelievably so in the nearly 40 years that I've been on this planet. And it is not just the younger generation - the older generation have wrestled with this issue and I've seen a lot of them, including my own traditional Catholic parents come to an acceptance and tolerance that makes me so proud of them. And for the others of their age who have not changed their views, their willingness to come to the argument and debate it without the kind of smirking idiocy that Fearon displays, has renewed my faith in democracy, whatever the result.

It was an absolutely beautiful evening, the sun was streaming down over Chapelizod and the Phoenix Park, the clouds tinted red over the tower at Farmleigh. At times, it's a lovely country to live in.