Pleeeease vote for Tim O Malley

national | miscellaneous | news report Saturday February 09, 2002 22:11 by amanda moloney

Alliance for a No Vote protest at PD national conference.

PD party split evident as election candidate buys soup for pro choice protesters outside national party conference in attempt to buy votes.

The Progressive Democrat's met for the second day of their national conference today in Limerick. Outside members of the Alliance for a No Vote protested PD hypocrisy in their handling of the abortion referendum.
The ANV handed out leaflets with a quotation from PD leader Mary Harney in 1992, when she called for abortion to be made available in Ireland in cases of rape, incest, danger of suicide and risks to a woman’s health. They also point to statements made in the same period by Desmond O’Malley, then PD leader, and Michael McDowell, then party chairman, in which they opposed a referendum to roll back the X Case judgement of 1992, a referendum that would rule out suicide as grounds for abortion.
Now due to they fact that PD presence in the next government may be in question, the bulk of the party (no pun intended) has given support of the Fianna Fail worded referendum.
Carrying a giant Mary Harney puppet the protesters stood in the cold and rain talking to some of the party delagates. Many members of the party expressed support for the ANV and said they would be voting no. One of these included Limerick county councillor Tim O Malley, who then brought bowls of soup to the protesters. After a few half "joking did he poison them", "is eating PD soup selling out?" some of the group picked up the soup and began eating. Under one of the bowls was a shakily written note saying "please vote for Tim O Malley"
A spokesperson for the ANV said, "Oh yeah sure we can be bought, he can have my vote for a roll. Not a roll in the hay or anything fancy like that, just something to dip in the soup!"