They think of little else.
In fairness.
Ciarán Ó Raghallaigh writes:
Because I have a lot of free time on my hands and no life, I spent some time last night doing searches on the Iona Institute [
CatholicMulti-denomination think tank] website to see how frequently particular words appear on it.Bear in mind they’re supposedly an organisation concerned with the rights of children and problems facing families and the institution of marriage in Ireland. So I chose words that I thought would be relevant.
I got the data from Google. You just type in each term followed by “site:www.ionainstitute.ie” – the latter part makes the search specific to the site itself.
So, for example, typing into Google “unemployment site:www.ionainstitute.ie” will return the number of references to the term “unemployment”. Ye probably know all this already. I’m just saying it so ye can check the figures for yourselves, if ye wish….
If the occurrence of particular words can be taken as an indication of what they’re concerned about, then their worries seem rather skewed towards one issue: gay people. Under the term “gay”, I didn’t even include words like lesbian, homosexual, homosexuality etc. That would have made the count even higher.
What? No abortion words? Rights of the unborn etc? Seems flawed.
1580 results
Who do they represent, why do they get so much air time, who funds them etc etc. It refreshing to have Breda bluntly told “you don’t speak for me”, and it should be said to her much more regularly.
They should tell her that in the RTE lobby instead of repeatedly inviting her on the air? I’m sure she’s representing some segment of the population, mostly retirees.
Wonder who RTE will have to pay in damages for this graph’s honesty.
One has to hand it to David Quinn though.
A lifelong obsession with sex and sexuality, as many who know him can attest, is transformed into a well-paid and easy-breezy career. He has set up his own “institute”, albeit an appellation he would not be accorded in the UK, doubtless given himself a nice salary from an endless source of funding from the Roman Church, the Bible Belt US and a few wealthy Irish religious ideologues to spend his days respectably obsessing about the sexual mores of the nation and preserving the ideal of a “Mudder” and “Faater” nuclear family unit to the detriment of all others. And to boot he has the status of charity so SIPO are given the two fingers if they request transparency in relation to his funding stream. Days are spent in an office on Merrion Square cutting and pasting from whatever article of the US Christian Right takes his fancy and sending minions out to lobby politicians in Leinster house. I doubt Quinn does much overtime.
Should one be a tad jealous?
He makes a great point though – what sounds better? Mother Father Child Families, or Man Man Child Families? Dog whistle anyone? He actually said that.
Not Father Father Child, Man – like a Strange Man and an innocent child torn away from it’s mammy.
I’ll definitely be worrying about Sodomite-Sodomite-Baby based families on referendum day.
@OP: well done Sir.
Good work.
And, I didn’t know about that Google feature. It’s going to be used a lot here at work from now on.
Heard David Quinn on The Last Word earlier debating marriage equality.
Of course he turned everything into a debate about children and some sinister rumblings about the ‘unintended consequences’ of changing Article 41.
He could yet muddy the waters so much for Irish idiot voters that the No side scrapes a win.
After watching that Claire Byrne show the other day I’m starting to worry the no side might win. What to do if that happens?
Come be a refugee here!
Squigglyjoop
After seeing the same I could see where youd be coming from but it was framed in a way to benefit the no vote in my view. The incessant references to the two guys as ‘lovely couple’ and lots of talk about redefining marriage but most other debates and polls are pointing to a clear lead for yes. Me I’m perhaps just carrying on dilluding myself yes will be the outcome since if it doesnt, Ireland will be a homophobic country that doesnt just cover up child abuse by hypocritical Catholics, but also then voted no to SSM I’d be pretty ashamed therefore.
The no side won’t win, don’t be ridiculous.
I know everyone on broadsheet is obsessed with the gays and the iona institude but come on, your average joe has no idea who they are and whenever they do come into joe’s conciousness they are ‘the mad holy joes’.
I’m going to repeat my prediction.
1. This will pass easily
2. This site will be unbearable untill it happens
Just to clarify, the upcoming referendum has nothing to do with Article 41, yes? Claire Byrne’s show suggested that the legislation related to article 41 was being put through the Oireachtas, and will be voted in regardless of what happens on referendum day.
It has everything to do with article 41. It is article 41 that we will be voting to change – or not.
Quinn is obsessed with gayness.
The Iona Institute is a Christian Think Tank. Perhaps out intrepid correspondent should actually check what his subjetc describes themselves as before astounding us with his research.
Christian – not Catholic – is my point.
Bull.
Iona only have recently one non-Catholic on the books. A former COI Bishop who wasn’t exactly the most progressive member of his faith.
They’re Catholic and very much so. As for the COI retired Bishop: one swallow does not a summer make. “Christian” my foot.
And David Quinn would like to remind you that they’re a “tink-tank”. Not “think tank”.
Christian, but not Christianly
Really odd reading about the Magdelen Laundries this morning. You’d think that the Catholic right would understand by now that their interventions in social policy in this country have been absolutely disasterous and there’s no reason in the world that anyone would listen to them on social issues. Looking at the damage they’ve inflicted on women for being able to carry pregnancies, it’s truly disgusting to see them yet again mustering their arms against another section of society. If they’d any self awareness, they’d know that intervention in these issues by them causes nothing but misery.
It’s amusing to read their concern for adopted children and families when once their solution to sex they didn’t like was to imprison women in labour camps, then selling their babies for adoption and frustrating attempts of the children and parents to know anything about each other in later years. Amazing that no-one ever asks them to join the dots there when they start going on about the importance of knowing your parents etc.
The poor Iona Institute. This excellent graph shows that the Iona Institute have lost their way. They need some loving guidance on the social issues which are really important for the Irish family and children, rather than being side-tracked with gay issues. How does a person join the organisation or will they refuse new members? Anyone know?
If you have deep pockets
They’d love t’have you
They’re evidently now very worried about mothers getting married to their daughters, or some such. Unclear how these people sleep at night with all the horrible indecent things folks could be getting up to.