CARLOW:ELEVEN OF the 20 councillors present in Carlow yesterday opted to question Senator Norris on everything from his views on the age of consent to the legalisation of cannabis.
Asked whether the public could be assured that the recent controversies would not impact on his presidency, Mr Norris said he wished to “move forward” and pointed out that he was “brought up by three great Irish women from the midlands, my mother, my grandmother and my aunt . . . I ask you to trust not just in me but in the upbringing I’ve had.”
He also added that he understood the gravitas of the presidential role.
With 10 of Carlow’s 21 councillors belonging to the Fine Gael party, Mr Norris was no doubt more than well aware that he had to put in a sterling performance to sway the remaining councillors in his favour.
On the legalisation of cannabis, he said: “I’m a legislator, I support the law, no country has actually succeeded in winning the war on drugs and I will not support the legalisation of drugs in Ireland.”
Fianna Fáil’s John Pender provoked an impassioned reaction when he asked Mr Norris about his view on child abuse.
An irate Mr Norris responded: “Let me say I have always condemned the abuse of children be it physical, psychological or sexual, my record is outstanding in that area . . . it is the most deeply wounding thing said to a man that they would in any way support child abuse.”
He came in for further tough questioning from another Fianna Fáil councillor when Anne Ahern asked if he would “find the position of president to be a little bit spancelling”. This was denied by the Senator who again reiterated that he fully appreciated what the office of president entailed.
With regard to the age of consent, he said that he believed in facing realities and said in his opinion “no law is perfect”.
He said he predicted 10 years ago that the country would face “Romeo and Juliet” type cases, where teens separated by a few months would engage in sexual relationships which would end in unfair prosecution. His motive for addressing the age of consent, he said, “was the welfare of young people”. He also told councillors that while he was a “committed Christian” he believed in the “absolute separation of the church and State”.