Every country has its share of unscrupulous self serving politicians, but few have exhibited a propensity towards being underhand like that of Ireland’s current Taoiseach Micheal Martin.
In 2018, while most of his party were prolife and he himself was amongst them, then opposition leader of the party announced that he would be supporting the referendum to remove the rights of unborn children to live. What took place afterwards was one of the most nasty and vicious pro abortion campaigns, with Fianna Fail arguably at times more repulsive than their Fine Gael counterparts (no mean feat). For example, Lisa Chambers (since dumped by voters but handed a lucrative position as Senator by her party) taunted women who had had abortions by stating that ‘Abortion regret’ was a ‘makey uppey term’ and that it ‘does not exist’. Equally nasty was another now failed politician Fiona O’Loughlin, who is also collecting obscene money for being a pity Senator, who evoked her own brother’s Down Syndrome to advocate for allowing for a law that will lead to the eradication of Down Syndrome people in Ireland. Other nasty figures included Jack Chambers, who milked the prolife vote only to abandon them when the time came as did James Lawless, perhaps the most nasty of the bunch, absorbing the prolife vote for years before voting to make sure that babies born alive in abortions would be left to die.
With all this on his mind, perhaps Micheal Martin, now Taoiseach after going back on a previous promise not to enter into government with Fine Gael, felt that celebrating the birth of a child was too close to the bone for him. His social media showed no signs of wishing people a Happy Christmas.
Instead, he chose to take part in a Neo Pagan and Neo Masonic celebration entitled ‘Shine Your Light’ which was organised by state broadcaster RTE. The website for the event stated, ‘Shine Your Light will bring people together safely to mark the rebirth of light and new beginnings’. RTE’s Dee Forbes said, ‘"For the final Shine Your Light of 2020, we will come together to reflect and remember those we have lost this year as we also look to the future with hope on the eve of the solstice’.
Who still unironically celebrates solstice in Ireland besides Freemasons and hippy Druids? Nobody.
This was an act of mockery towards the ordinary people of Ireland, who were banned from attending Mass as normal, even as gyms, abortion clinics and media outlets such as RTE inexplicably remained opened.
It was an extra slap in the face to Ireland’s bishops, who have obeyed every measure of the state like obedient dogs, only to be made fools of again and again, winning zero concessions in the process.
Ireland’s last few governments have been increasingly hostile to Catholics, starting with Enda Kenny (who claims to be Catholic) through to Leo Varadkar and finally onto Martin’s caretaker role.
Something needs to change, it is our attitude towards this disrespect.
This was not an isolated incident. Another politician who lied about being prolife to get elected, Stephen Donnelly (who refused to answer about babies being left to die on tables under his watch as Health Minister) also refused to wish people a Happy Christmas. Jack Chambers, who was seen as a golden child of the prolife movement before selling his soul, didn’t bother either.