Irish PM’s warning: gay marriage referendum too close to call

The Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister), Enda Kenny, has said he expects the referendum on same-sex marriage will much closer than people expect, and people shouldn’t assume it has already been won.

Speaking on Ireland AM this morning, Mr Kenny was asked about the upcoming referendum on 22 May, which has galvanised the country in recent months.

“I can’t call it. I think it will be much closer than original polls indicated,” he said, referencing the much-quoted figure of 75% of people supporting the Yes campaign.

The Taoiseach’s comments come in the same week an Irish Independent article warned of the growing ‘Silent No’ who could leave the vote in a shock defeat; not dissimilar to how incorrect polls, and ‘shy Tories’ caused a shock result in the UK general election last week.

Mr Kenny, who once famously enjoyed a drink in Dublin’s PantiBar, is supporting a Yes vote, as indeed are all of Ireland’s political parties, and in a final reminder that people shouldn’t be complacent, he added “No referendum can be passed unless people vote for it.”

Mr Kenny’s warning echoes comments made by Irish Senator David Norris in the current issue of Attitude, where he warned of the potential for the No campaign to succeed. “I don’t believe these huge figures, not for a moment,” he told us, “and the gay community would be ill-advised to take them at face value. It most certainly is not in the bag, and those people in the Iona Institute are trying as hard as they can in order to stop if going through, and they could well succeed.”