Madam, - Fintan O'Toole's comments on the Progressive Democrats' policy on civil unions are extremely disingenuous (Opinion, February 27th). He is wrong to suggest that deferring the Civil Unions Bill 2007 was an illiberal act.
The PDs were the first government party to make it their policy to introduce civil unions. In March 2005 an overwhelming majority of members passed a motion to introduce civil unions.
As a current court case on the constitutional status of civil partnerships is being appealed to the Supreme Court, it would be premature and irresponsible of the Oireachtas to pass new legislation in this area.
The Minister for Justice is quite right to ask for a postponement of the Labour bill until the current legal status is defined by the Supreme Court. It would be a mistake to act on civil unions before then. - Yours, etc,
JOHN KENNY,
Monkstown Valley,
Co Dublin.
Fintan O'Toole writes: The Zappone/Gilligan case before the Supreme Court deals with marriage for gay and lesbian couples. The Civil Unions Bill was explicitly framed to avoid the issue of such marriages altogether. The Supreme Court appeal is therefore irrelevant to the bill.
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Madam, - While I do not always agree with him, may I congratulate Fintan O'Toole for his column condemning the sheer gutlessness of Michael McDowell and the Regressive Undemocrats regarding last week's shunting of the Civil Unions Bill for gay and lesbian people?
I advise all voting citizens of this country to keep a note of this Government's failings, U-turns, broken promises and pure self-serving political cowardice from now until the election, and throw them all back in the Government parties' faces when they come grovelling at our doorsteps.
Perhaps the Minister would care to clearly explain on these pages his reasons for shooting down the Bill? - Yours, etc,
DECLAN CASHIN,
Little Britain Street,
Dublin 7.