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THE NEWLY ELECTED Mayor of Boston Martin Walsh has says the he will attend his city’s St. Patrick’s day parade if it is “inclusive”.
Walsh told Miriam O’Callaghan on RTÉ Radio that at present he will not attend the parade because of a it’s ban on gay groups but that he is “trying to negotiate something so I can make it inclusive and I can march in the parade”.
Walsh said that the gay community has been excluded from the parade in Boston for 20 years and that their ban was upheld by the Supreme Court.
He added that he has met with the parade organisers and emphasised to them that Irish people have been oppressed throughout history so their attitude is at odds with their celebration of Irishness.
“I explained to them that if you look at Irish history, a lot of Irish history was built on oppression by countries against the Irish,” he said.
Excluding isn’t the way to be inclusive. I think it’s far beyond the time to stop looking at oppressing people. For me it’s about inclusion. Excluding people is the wrong message and as Mayor of the City of Boston I will not tolerate that.
“We were the fist state to allow gay marriage and there may be people listening who don’t agree with it but it doesn’t affect people who aren’t gay,” he added.
Another new Mayor, New York’s Bill de Blaiso, is taking the same stance as Walsh in refusing to attend his city’s St. Partick’s Day parade over the ban on open expression of LGBT rights.
Their position has led to calls for Irish politicians to take a similar viewpoint but Taoiseach Enda Kenny has indicated that he is committed to attending the New York, saying it is “about our Irishness and not about our sexuality’.
Irish roots
Walsh also told O’Callaghan during the course of the interview that the Irish language was the first language spoken in his house as he grew up in Boston.
The man talked about as a potential Presidential candidate said that, as a son of two emigrants from Connemara, he wouldn’t consider himself fluent but that he can speak and understand the language well.
In my house we grew up where Gaelic was the primary language. We picked it up. I can speak some but understand it all. Still, a lot of discussion in my house and Gaelic is still spoken a lot.
Hi brother and his father would still speak the language he said before adding that he hopes to visit Ireland in the near future.
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When it comes to housing, emergency medical care & social welfare, the only thing the constitution needs is to give it equally. If anything, the middle class are the only ones who have to pay their way to any of these topics without any help from the Govt. They pay the majority of the income tax base, they prop up all the issues the convention looks at. They have no rights to medical cards, pay top money for doctors and prescriptions, and when found out of a job are means tested and usually denied the same amount of money (if any) that scrouts, gougers & low life’s get for not working their entire lives. As for housing? I’d love to meet anyone who has said, I’m from the middle class I paid 20 (10,20,30-65) years of tax and I got a free house.
How come people were working before 2008? Did they lose their jobs because of the bank so-called bail-out or just become lazy?! people would rather work than be on social welfare which is classed as poverty level income. Self-employed people are means tested which is most unfair but the government could change that by a SI in the morning.
They can vote on straightening banana’s, If they want? This convention, is only a distraction for us peasants and all their changes will be put on a shelf to gather dust. Don’t buy it, bite it and swallow it!
When did the people of Ireland vote in this conventional group to make changes or choices for us? Can you see what’s happening here people?
Before commenting it might be an idea to find out what’s going to happen AFTER the convention finishes its work.
Is anyone in this country able to read any more?
They don’t get to make changes. The Irish constitution can only be amended by referendum. The convention are only recommending what should be put to the vote.
They should just call it the Irish Green card…
Everyone welcome,
Bring a friend.
No questions asked.
Live like Kings
All Work shy,Bone idle,scroungers,spongers should apply.
The less you do the more money you will get….
No need for a work visa or a passport..
Austrailla with her 10,000 dollars in the bank and customs checks before you get in , whats all that about??????.
Ireland heaven on earth…
Could we have a referendum on the bank debts and bond holder payouts or is that too relevant?
Might be a tad late.. Seeing as it’s already been done, and the whole bailout situation is supposedly covered by the fiscal compact treaty we signed ourselves up for.
They came recommend until the cows come home. The only people who can change our constitution, are us, the people of Ireland.
Some times I wish there was no spell check.
It’s kinda crazy how many people commenting here seem to have missed that point..
We now have another unelected group of people deciding among themselves whats good for the rest of the population without even asking them, or if they are even able to afford to pay for all the free housing,by trying to insert it in the constution they are proposing to make it compulsary wheather the country can afford it or not,even though we are still borrowing 1 €billion a month just to keep the country afloat,it is just as well a referendum is required for any change to the constution,and the people themselves would have the final say.
Congratulations. The second part if your post completely contradicts the first part. Staggering in its stupidity.
Staggeringly stupid to think that this country will provide housing for people as a right wheather they pay for it or not.
Didnt see the contradiction myself, can you point it out? In fairness, the text does qualify by saying it is subject to the max avail resources, which really makes the whole thing meaningless anyway. I think the yanks have it right; “pursuit of happiness” is a right, not happiness. Same applies to everything else, world does not owe you a living.
It’s staggering how many people don’t understand what the convention is about and what powers they have.
The same constitutional convention voted in favour of marriage equality – has that actually happened? No, it goes to referendum – because that’s the only way our constitution can be changed.
Exact same thing will happen with this one – it will go to the public vote. If the constitution is changed it will be because the people voted for that change to be made.
Have I missed something? I thought this ‘Convention’ was a group of 33 politicos and 66 allegedly randomly selected members of the public (who look like a bunch of quango dwellers to me. They were to study a number of proposals, none of which have much relevance to anyone, and then make.”recommendations” to Government for future referenda. The Government will not be obliged to accept any of the recommendations. Thus, an appearance of some sort of democratic input is created, without any real or practical effect.
Exactly.. Some people jumping to major conclusions on this thread!
The make of the convention is another cause for investigation. Some of those assembled have had political affiliations with political parties and some have ran for them? Hardly seems right?
There are some politicians appointed. The members of the public were selected anonymously by lottery – it’s down to who entered the lottery.
You sure? Don’t think there was a requirement to enter.
I stand corrected – they were selected by a polling company from the voting register.
http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/politics/citizens-to-be-selected-to-constitution-convention-196395.html
Exactly the powers of the convention is to make recommendations that are put in a report and sent to the government, this report is then debated and discussed and will be put to referendum for the people of Ireland to vote on, all these reports are available to the public just like access to what happens at the convention on the website, it’s very much open to the public to participate if they are not members, submissions could be made through the website. As for the members, it was made up of 33 politicians who we as a country voted into the dail so they are your public servents, as for the citizens , it is made up of 66 randomly selected ppl from across the country from different backgrounds and across different age groups and gender, this issue was debated when the convention started 15months ago , it was a random selection by a marketing company that where asked to get 66 people that represented the Irish public as best possible. I think it was an amazing thing for this country to do and the first of it’s kind In the world and hopefully ppl can see the positive outcomes
Here we go again – ten years to resolve the “anyone who is pregnant get to Ireland for a passport” fiasco and despite knowing all involved probably have the best intent for this ballot, the next expensive fiasco we will face is the worlds welfare tourist machine turns on Ireland again knowing they are entitled to Constitutionally agreed houses, welfare, medical etc – this is a certainty as Irelands politicians and senior civil servants responsible are amateurs – every single major piece of legislation has holes so big you could drive half of africa and asia through it. Meanwhile “back at the ranch” the ordinary working Irishperson pays for the incompetence and pays the lavish pensions of the imcompetants.
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