Sir, – Breda O'Brien (Opinion, March 28th) argues that Fianna Fáil is losing support because it is no longer socially conservative. This is a rather narrow view of conservatism.
In the UK, David Cameron memorably supported marriage equality at the 2011 Conservative Party conference because “Conservatives believe in the ties that bind us; that society is stronger when we make vows to each other and support each other. So I don’t support gay marriage despite being a Conservative. I support gay marriage because I’m a Conservative.”
Societies evolve and so do their social institutions. Marriage has been changed to progressively raise marital age or lift the marriage bar for married women working in the public service, for example.
To oppose change without compelling reasons is more accurately described as being reactionary rather than conservative. – Yours, etc, BRIAN DINEEN Clontarf, Dublin 3. Sir, – Katherine Davey (Letters, March 28th) states that unless the "differences between civil partnership and civil marriage in law are made crystal clear" the whole exercise is "a nonsense".
How dispiriting that the simple fact that a legal “partnership” (as distinct from marriage and only for homosexuals), exists at all, and that this is not sufficient reason for her to vote Yes. – Yours, etc, CIARAN KIRRANE Galway.