Maman Poulet

I’ve noticed in the last few days that Ciaran Cuffe, potential new minister is scrubbing up very well. Today this photo of the Green Party Parliamentary Party 2010 was released.  Has he been to Louis Copeland?  What has happened to the tweedie type jackets?

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Next Saturday afternoon the Green Party will debate a revised programme for government which is currently under negotiation with Fianna Fáil. Other than animal welfare/hare coursing (Now backpedalled?) and further changes to NAMA there has been mention that a new framework for Equality monitoring and enforcement being on the agenda.

Another chance for John Gormley to say that the party has saved the day in terms of equality and human rights infrastructure in Ireland. Do you remember the last time he said that the Greens had saved the day? Very little has changed in terms of the cuts experienced by the Equality Authority or the faith and trust of the groups affected by the nine grounds covered under the Equal Status Act.

Before we hear more the deal has to be finalised and of course voted on and passed by two thirds of the party at a special conference to be held in Dublin next weekend. All the Greens (elected and lay members) have been told not to talk about this in public and so all is quiet from the public representatives. Although we did hear yesterday from Senator Dan Boyle and Deputy Ciaran Cuffe regarding the passing of the amendment on the Treaty of Reform of the European Union (I never want to hear the word Lisbon and Treaty again!)

Expect the screw to be turned on the party to do the right thing/in the national interest/insert other worthy statement here. I think it won’t be the deers that will be alone in being stalked in the meantime.

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‘Green Party Leader John Gormley, Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN) Chairperson Kieran Rose, Deputy Chair of the Green Party’s National Council Roderic O’Gorman, and Green Party Justice and equality spokesperson Ciarán Cuffe discuss the Government’s new Civil Partnership Bill.’

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So there we go – keep an eye to the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reforms’s website tomorrow lunchtime maybe. A Friday dumper if ever I saw it. No press conference planned from Minister Ahern to explain it all.

Meanwhile the Green Party Leader and others are going to visit GLEN tomorrow to have a chat.

More here later…

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One careful owner etc. etc. etc. (I’m sorry Ciaran et al but…)

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All eyes turn to Dundalk on the political front this weekend. They have a conference blog (looking forward to hearing from the Green Party Gay and Lesbian bloggers this weekend!) And they have a conference flickr stream as you can see from Minister Gormley’s smiling face.

And they have guest speakers…including Ann Louise Gilligan and Katherine Zappone from Marriage Equality. Not sure what the story on the children’s rights issues is…Still going on about the M word though!

Delegates are also hearing tonight from Katherine Zappone and Ann Louise Gilligan of Marriage Equality Initiative, who are holding a question and answer session with a number of speakers.

Mr Gormley said the forthcoming Civil Partnership Bill may not contain everything the Green Party wanted but said it was a significant move in the right direction and would not have come about without his party’s participation in Government.

Equality campaigner Ms Gilligan and her partner Katherine Zappone are pursuing a Supreme Court case for recognition of their Canadian marriage. She told delegates that marriage is about the freedom to choose to marry the person you love.

I’m in London this weekend where they have Civil Partnerships and childrens’ rights and the sky did not fall in – far far away from Dundalk…though I did get an invite as a blogger

Missing the motion where the Green’s will complain according to today’s Irish Times (subs required)

The Greens will also strongly support “the fundamental and unquestionable human right” of same-sex couples to marry and complain about “the continuing failure” to treat them equally. Minister for Justice Brian Lenihan is working on a Civil Partnerships Bill, which will given legal, property and pensions protections to same-sex couples, but not allow a marriage ceremony. Urging Mr Lenihan to draft such legislation, the motion said a constitutional amendment should be put to the people if it is found in the future that the legislation breaches the existing Constitution.

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Or so the feeling will be amongst many in the lesbian and gay community. Fianna Fáil are also failing children in this situation if this morning’s Irish Times lead on the 200 pages of legislation on civil partnership and recognition of cohabitants is to be believed. However FF never promised us a rose garden!

Remember I’m one of the ones not obsessed by marriage (I’ve already been preached at about this – pardon me for seeking equality and supporting a range of options for family recognition and diversity in Ireland. )

Back to the breaking news…

THE GOVERNMENT is finalising legislation on civil partnerships that will extend many of the same benefits and legal obligations of marriage to same-sex couples, writes CARL O’BRIEN , Social Affairs Correspondent.

However, it will not provide any right for same-sex couples to be considered as joint adoptive parents, despite a strong campaign by gay equality groups.

Under the heads of the new Civil Partnership Bill, which runs to more than 200 pages, same-sex partners will be able to to avail of marriage-like benefits in a range of areas such as property, social welfare, succession, maintenance, pensions and tax.

The dissolution of civil partnerships will also mirror marriage in that applications to dissolve such unions may only be made once both parties have been living apart for four out of the previous five years, just as with traditional divorce applications.

It looks like Green Party officials are fighting to keep any shred of political respect at the moment in heated discussions (well their version of heated discussions – resists urge to make solar powered joke here cos that would be juvenile.)

However, it is understood that last-minute negotiations are ongoing between Green Party and Government officials on whether some form of legal recognition can be provided for gay couples who already parent children, but who have no mechanism to establish a joint legal connection with their child.

So lesbian and gay couples who don’t already parent children but plan to do so in the future won’t be covered? Lock up yer ovaries. Actually maybe that’s the Iona Institute who are trying to help the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform hold the keys?

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The Marriage Equality initiative was launched yesterday, I’ll have more later in the week on the issues raised by the campaign but I have some immediate thoughts and questions. The Civil Registration Act amendment move is one that has been called for before and it would be good to get an answer from Government that did not mention Attorney General’s unpublished advice that has not been tested in the courts.

So back to the burning issues for me so far – The definition of equality and the matters of dissolution.

1. Let’s think about the impact that marriage might have on cohabitants in terms of the social welfare system. No sign of anything on this in Marriage Equality’s documentation either.

I would welcome an accompanying campaign from Marriage Equality for the individualisation of the system so that those who don’t marry do not lose social welfare entitlements or medical cards because they live together. In fact in all the campaigning for equality there seems to be no consideration in this campaign for other family forms/ cohabitants/ relationship forms and an active discouragement of their mention. Ever feel like you might be smacked down? Marriage seems to be the only form of relationship worth consideration or acknowledgement.

Evidence from the UK suggests that lower income lesbian and gay couples have not been thought about there either. But sure aren’t we all supposed to be economic talents or something. Poverty? Double or triple discrimination?

Disabled and lesbian or gay? Ah sure you live with your partner and should marry them and then you’ll be looked after or if you don’t marry them and they are better off than you they can mind you (even get a carers allowance and take away your independence completely!) and you’ll lose all your entitlements after the means test. Just a little bit of potential for abuse here. I have seen it happen in heterosexual land. It’s not pretty!

I don’t want to hear the mantra about ‘with rights come responsibilities’. These are people’s lives we are playing with here and social justice comes in many forms. Oh what’s that?? Ah I might run a seminar on it one day to remind people about that as I think many of the former leaders in that movement seem to have forgotten.

2. If the campaign succeeded are the group proposing a 4 year wait for divorce? With litigation, high costs, in camera and all the other injustices that come with a system critiqued so well by Carol Coulter amongst others?

Not a word mentioned about dissolution of marriages etc. in any of the stuff from Marriage Equality I have read so far. Except how the divorce rate in Massachusetts was not effected by the introduction of equality. Ah yes these relationships that we are looking for parity with for never fail.

Again I suppose I feel bound to point out I support full equality, I’m just not prepared to dump on everyone (and my principles) in the rush to the registry office.

All that said look at Ciaran Cuffe leading the campaign of the 6 versus the 78!

Deputy Ciarán Cuffe said he and his party backed marriage equality but did not have the support in Government of the majority partner. “At the end of the day politically it boils down to six versus 78,” he said.

Poor man. Someone should give him a hand!

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Last week I received an invitation from John Gormley’s office to attend a consultation that the Green Party was holding to discuss forthcoming developments in the legislation for Civil Partnerships for same sex couples.

Readers of MP will know I have been vocal on the issue of the Green Party policy in government regarding same sex partnership, particularly their response to the Labour Party Civil Union Bill. The meeting was held in Government Buildings yesterday evening.

In attendance were representatives from LGBT groups, individuals and commentators. I was invited because of my commentary on the issue of late on this blog and elsewhere. I have also experience on the issue from the perspective of providing online resources and support to lesbian and bisexual women in Ireland.

The Green Party were represented by John Gormley, T.D, Ciaran Cuffe, T.D., Senator Dan Boyle, Roderic O’Gorman and several party and private office officials. The meeting was well chaired by Dan Boyle and I think the phrase full and frank exchange of views could be attributed in a more positive sense of the term

After introductions from the Green Party on their history of policy on the matter of legislating for same sex partnerships and discussing the nature of the discussions on the forthcoming bill promised by the Minister for Justice, the discussion was opened to the floor.

The heads of the bill are due for publication in March. The Green Party (led by Roderic O’Gorman) have been meeting with Departmental officials to discuss the bill and will continue to do so. There seems to be a twin track approach – in terms of party members and party policy and then the efforts and inputs of ministers at and around the Cabinet.
The following clarifications were made by the Green Party representatives regarding the forthcoming bill and I think these are important to highlight.

• The legislation will provide for a scheme which will be regulated in the same way as other significant life events – i.e. through the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages.

• It will provide for Civil Partnerships for same sex conjugal relationships, not elderly brothers or friends who have lived together for years.

• There will also be provision for a scheme of dealing with those relationships which are not currently or subsequently recognised through marriage or a civil partnership – particularly in terms of dissolution/ending of those relationships (through break up or death etc.)

The issues of children’s rights and parental rights are the most difficult in terms of the negotiations. More visibility of lesbian and gay families and couples in the public discourse and contact with TD’s was identified as being of most help in highlighting the issue.

Very little other specific detail is available on the bill and it’s contents as this is a matter for the Minister for Justice. There were a lot of ‘don’t knows’ and a few ‘we hadn’t thought of that’s’ which was healthy in terms of the dialogue but alarming in terms of the impact and content of any lobbying done to date. That’s the news as such from the meeting – for more on what happened and some general opinion/commentary click below

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Yup one of those I’m very busy at the moment but will be back with you shortly posts – with more on Sean Power our junior minister for ‘equality if you are not a lesbian or gay parent’, and Brian Lenihan – Minister for forthoming inJustices but who get’s invited to openings of envelopes…and then there are the overseers/warlords of discrimination- the Green Party.

Anyways…go have a look at…

• White, male, Irish, middleaged and able bodied…this poor diddums is feeling aggrieved (nay discrminated against!)
• Some Lesbian Phone sex – really…. go on you know you want to!!! (Oh now I think the google searches…sigh)
• I wish I could say go read Beaut.ie (been buying a bit of make up meself recently shock horror!) but anyway their host company got a dose of the willies (oh that is rather beautiful – I’m keeping it) and as for the Indo and the rubbish they are printing all week – from someone who has had the indo hanging around my site digging and nicking stuff I can only add sure they have bloggers working for them for free anyway!!!

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