Ireland makes brave step backward to the 14th century
The Defamation Bill, 2006 – including the definition and new penalties for blasphemous libel – was passed by the Dail yesterday. It only needs to pass the Seanad today and it will be law.
The only effect of the committee discussions of the bill was to reduce the fine for the offence from €100,000 to, as the Irish Times put it: “just €25,000″ (clearly no recession on Tara Street then).
As if it weren’t farcical enough that we have a law criminalising speech that causes religious offence, Dermot Ahern himself said that the law has been specifically designed to be unworkable. So we have a medieval law, that’s been designed by lawmakers never to be used because of a clause in our Constitution that the Minister for Justice doesn’t want to amend, even though the Lisbon Referendum this October offers the perfect opportunity to do so by taking on a vote on a revised wording for Article 40.
Atheist Ireland are holding the AGM in Wynn’s Hotel this Saturday (starting 2 PM) and are planning to commit an actionable act of blasphemy by way of protest.
July 9th, 2009 at 9:52 am
Quotes from the Committee debate:
“Deputy Pat Rabbitte: What did the Minister think of the new school of dermatology? Has the Minister read in the latest submission received today that after this law is passed we will have a school of dermatology where we believe that Deputy Dermot Ahern created—–
Deputy Dermot Ahern: As I always said—–
Deputy Pat Rabbitte: Sometimes we are not sure if Dermot Ahern really exists.”
Blasphemy!!
Enjoy the fun at http://debates.oireachtas.ie/DDebate.aspx?F=JUS20090701.xml&Node=H3&Page=2