Youths against divorce: ‘An Irish future for Malta?’
Anti-divorce youth group ‘Le B’Rispett Lejn il-Ġejjieni’ said Malta faces an identical future to Ireland, whose predominantly Catholic society introduced divorce in 1997.
Quoting an article by David Quinn, director at the Iona Institute of Ireland, spokesperson Angelo Micallef said separations in Ireland had increased from 94,433 in 1997 by 100% to 198,592.
Micallef said the divorce bill proposed was modelled on Irish law, while both countries “share a number of similarities”. Both nations happen to be predominantly Cathlic.
“It is most certainly no accidental combination that the sudden sharp increase coincides with the introduction of divorce in Ireland,” Micallef said of the separations.
In 1996, one year prior to the introduction of divorce in Ireland, the number of cohabitating couples stood at 31,298. “Just ten years later in 2006, this rate stood at 121,763. We believe an increase of around 400% since the introduction of divorce in Ireland cannot be dismissed as being merely an accidental combination,” Micallef said.
Micalled also said that Quinn had commented about those campaigning for divorce in Malta “whether they will support policies aimed at promoting marriage, marketing campaigns extolling the benefits of marriage and discouraging cohabitation, and whether they would state publicly that it’s better on average for children to have a married mother and father.”
“I stress ‘on average’ because, obviously, there will be some bad married parents… Will they put all of this now before considering the introduction of divorce?
“Those campaigning for divorce should therefore put all their cards on the table now or else Maltese can logically conclude that for all their talk they don’t really value marriage at all, except as a purely individual choice of no special social significance and that those who are campaigning against divorce are its true custodians.”
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sammyboy mba your observation is correct. There were so many immigrants especially from central and eastern European countries who brought their divorce culture with them that any such survey is totally useless.
The only instance where Malta will certainly follow Ireland is in bankruptcy because Malta is bankrupt and also by the people because both the euro is a failed currency and the Maltese people are going to end up penny-less because the euro is not worth the paper it is printed on as can be witnessed by all those companies wanting to buy your gold and silver and the eu is a failed institution and will fall apart in the not too-distant future and we had better get out before we are dragged to the bottomless pit with the eu and the euro.
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These relatively few youngseters who are saying that they are against divorce, would certainly change their mind if, God forbid, when they get married and their own marriage breaks down ! Then they will realise how stupid they were when they had resisted this civil-right which all the other other peoples in the world have accepted as there is no other alternative for those who wish to start a new life IN MARRIAGE and not in cohabitation. Which, ironically, is the only solution being offered by the lunatic 'No' movement - who, considering their scare-mongering arguments, deserve the title of THE SCARECROWS MOVEMENT !
Eddy privitera
Angele Deguara •
Did anybody bother to check what demographic and economic changes took place in Ireland over the quoted period? For the period 1996 - 2008 Ireland's population increased by 25% - with the growth driven by immigration. This factor alone would skew any divorce statistics; the Irish economic roller coaster is another factor! Picking numbers out of thin air without adjusting for these factors (and the mentality changes as the irish economy became much more open) leads to misleading conclusions.
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Very well pointed out, Thorny!
Luke Camilleri •
There weren't any qualms about an ‘An Irish future for Malta" in the times when Malta wanted to be a part of the E.U.!
In fact, correct me if I'm wrong, An Irish future was the benchmark for catholic Malta!
How People change, how ideas change, do agendas change?
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Do you know that in Ireland this idiotic mayhem that is taking place in Malta did not take place??? And with or without the evil lobbying and frightening publicity such as the idiotic Le group is doing - Divorce legislation still passed??? That was part of Irish Divorce issue - hopefully by next Sunday we will be at par with Ireland!!! A democratic, secular, liberal country where the rights of minorities are not at stake by the extremist, irrational, selfish, and outright Un-Catholic Le group or whatever extremist taliban le group it may be!!!
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Also from an article by David Quinn, speaking of how divorced couples were allowed to remarry in Church he says: "However, a person whose marriage has been declared null by the Church has still entered a civil marriage and if they want to exit that, in most cases they will have to do so by obtaining a civil divorce."
So in Ireland a couple that has divorced can still remarry in Church given that they obtain an annulment. This is a far cry from what we will most probably be faced here in Malta. Cause the Church is preaching damnation even to those that vote in favour of divorce, let alone those that have obtained a divorce.
