In a desperate bid to convince the soft Yes vote to gather momentum, Taoiseach Enda Kenny has joined technology leaders in Dublin to plead with voters to support the Yes side for the spurious reason that this would be “good for business”.
Without providing any evidence as to why voters should believe him, Kenny attended an event at the Digital Exchange where, among others, Stephen McIntyre (the head of Twitter Ireland), promoted a Yes vote on the grounds that this would be an opportunity for the country to make international headlines.
It was not pointed out by anyone at the event that a No vote would also be an opportunity for Ireland to make headlines – as yet another country that has voted against gay marriage (in every country where gay marriage is allowed, it has been on the basis of legislation imposed by a Government; wherever the public is given a vote, they have always voted No.)
This latest intervention comes hot on the heels of a campaign by huge multinationals in the United States, who petitioned the Supreme Court in support of gay marriage on the grounds, claiming that gay marriage helps with recruitment and job issues.
This is not the first time that the red herring of the economy has been used in the gay marriage debate. It is likely to cause even more confusion among the electorate as no evidence has been produced to show any connection between a Yes vote and a healthy economy. Indeed, many online commenters have expressed the view that they would prefer the Government to focus solely on improving the Irish economy without muddying the waters of the referendum debate, particularly when they are not seen to be addressing key issues concerning the rights of children.