The Oireachtas committee examining the Eighth Amendment made its first significant decision last night.
The committee agreed by a majority vote not to retain Article 40.3.3 of the Constitution in full.
The decision should not be underestimated - it will mean the committee will recommend a referendum on the Eighth Amendment should be held.
However, it should not be overplayed either. The members did not vote for a repeal of the Eighth Amendment; it did not vote in favour of removing Article 40.3.3 from the Constitution. Its decision merely indicates the current position is no longer tenable and change is forthcoming.
It is a significant position for the committee to adopt, but the difficult work for the committee is still ahead of them.
The members have been given six options to replace or repeal the Eighth Amendment. Each requires significant consideration by individual members.
Many of the committee are in favour of repealing the Eighth Amendment and removing any Constitutional reference in this regard.
There are members who favour repeal but believe it should be replaced and that there should still be Constitutional protection for the unborn.
There are also members who want Article 40.3.3 removed from the Constitution but only want to legislate for abortion in certain circumstances.
There was consensus reached by the committee on the difficulties with Article 40.3.3, but members are divided on what the solution should be.
We need to talk about Brexit
European leaders gather in Brussels today to discuss the continuing impasse in the Brexit negotiations.
Essentially the political leaders are meeting to agree the discussions are going nowhere in a hurry.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is expected to use this opportunity to seek solid commitments that no border will be imposed on the island of Ireland.
Varadkar wants to use the leverage he has to secure concessions on the border issue and to ensure the verbal aspirations of the EU and British leaders are turned into hard, written pledges.
The Taoiseach should rightly exploit this avenue as it is becoming abundantly clear that Ireland is not a priority for our nearest neighbours.
It is also blatantly obvious the Tories are engaged in their own civil war and are working to protect themselves from each other, rather than achieving substantial progress in these negotiations.
Varadkar is facing increasing pressure domestically on the Government’s Brexit strategy. There is a growing fear that the Government has only prepared for one outcome - the one that is politically advantageous to them.
The ongoing impasse and the internal bickering is making it clear that nothing is certain in these negotiations.
Ireland must be prepared to face whatever challenge comes our way. Advising Revenue to stop its work may have been unwise in this regard.
The Government must be prepared for every eventuality, even the ones that go against everything Ireland has argued for.
