Madam, – Ivana Bacik (July 14th) suggests that the recent peaceful pro-life march in Dublin is a sign of a “creeping fundamentalism that is emerging under the cover of the recession”.
She says that such protests are an “unwelcome” reversion to the 1980s. She believes “a form of religious or social conservatism is asserting itself” and is concerned that the recent blasphemy law may plunge us back to the censorship years of the 1950s.
I suspect Bacik is being inconsistent as well as a tad paranoid. She is inconsistent by criticising the legal and peaceful protest of the pro-life movement while condemning what she perceives as an attack on free speech by the blasphemy law.
She opposes the right of “religious conservatives” to march for the rights of the unborn while she wants to preserve her freedom to poke “fun at matters held sacred by any religion”.
It would appear that Bacik is all for freedom of speech so long as you don’t disagree with her. – Yours, etc,