The fact that this issue arose shortly after election by virtue of its severity makes this point immaterial. In fact one could argue that its better to know what kind of person we are dealing with earlier rather than later. It should be seen as an opportunity to make official responsible for their action and words. A standard long forgotten in the World of big politics. What kind of leaders and representatives will UCD forge and deliver to the Irish society if from the very start they learn that it is ok to lie during the campaign, its ok to push one’s agenda against the wishes of the people whom the official was elected to represent, its ok to manipulate in order to avoid responsibility? If these are to be the “virtues” of the next generation of Irish politicians because we failed to say no and failed again to promote better standards than we will deserve what we will get. Let us not complain because it was our fault. We have placed pragmatism and convenience above values and virtues. We have conveyed the message that you can get away with murder as long as the microwaves are in and there is warm water in the tap.

There is a heated country-wide debate on the access to abortion taking place and many think it is most unfortunate that this conflict has been introduced as another facet of this public debate. It adds unnecessary temperature to the situation and makes UCD SU’s another front of this battle you say. However I say that however unfortunate it might be for some it is also a great opportunity. An opportunity to demonstrate that SU’s are not only about dealing with trivial, day to day issues but can also deal effectively with issues of greater gravity. It is an opportunity to demonstrate that students are more than university customers and are mature enough to resolve difficult issues in a due process manner.

Finally I would like to emphasize that in my view this is not a pro-choice vs pro-life issue at all. This is an issue of personal accountability, responsibility, leadership and effective governance. This is too serious of a matter to sit on a fence, contemplate lesser and greater evils and remove the moral argument from the equation. It is a matter of principle and a matter of what type of message will be sent to the current and future Irish politicians. What virtues should they align themselves with to be attractive to next generation of voters?