Dear Charlie,

I received the below email from a constituent who is concerning about the revision of the hate speech legislation which you are proposing. Please see details below.

I look forward to your observations on the issues raised.

Thank you in advance for your time on this matter.

Best wishes,

Finian

Dáíl Éireann Office for Finian McGrath T.D. (IND) Bay North Minister for State at the Department for Social Protection, Justice & Equality and Health with special responsibilities for disabilities

Dear deputies,

I'm writing to you all to ask some questions about the proposed revision of hate speech legislation by the minister of justice and equality Charles Flanagan.

Mr Flanagan is concerned that under the current legislation that there have been only been 55 prosecutions for incitement to hatred since our current legislation introduced in 1989, and feels that it needs to be more "Robust" in dealing with hate. Do you think the minister feels that ireland has become more racist/hateful in recent years? If so, compared to what? Compared to when? Ireland has done nothing in the last decades but show the world that we do anything but hate. We voted for women to be free to access facilities that provide an abortion twice, we voted overwhelmingly for marriage equality, we were one of the first governments to have a serious discussion on AIDS and we have more women in the Dáil than ever before, in fact in my very own constituency, Sinn féins is their first TD.

Ireland is not becoming more hateful, far from it.

I cannot adequately emphasise my concern on this proposed change. This is not to say that I think that no such legislation exists, I feel that no individual should have the grounds to incite or encourage violence against another individual, the state has the right to intervention on these grounds.

We also have laws limiting what individuals can say in regards to liable, slander and deformation of their character. These are laws that need to exist and don't hinder our ability as individuals to express, exchange, discuss or challenge different opinions and ideas. These laws ensure that we discuss them, without being able to poison the well against the individual espousing them, ensuring that we stick to the discussion at hand.

My concern deputies, is simple. How do we define hate? Who shall we task to shoulder this burden? My fear is that, when you create power that can limit what an individual can express, it will end up in the hands of the last person you want to have it. How can I be assured that this legislation will not be used to block any speech that someone finds "Offensive"? How can we engage in the public dialogue if anything I say can be found offensive? If I make a valid factual critique of an idea or opinion and this is found to be hateful, will I have committed a crime?

When Galileo stood up to Pope Urban VIII, proclaiming that the earth revolves around the sun, his speech was offensive to the cleargy but it wasn't false, yet he spent the rest of his life under house arrest. Do you feel that these laws are similar to what the minister wishes to introduce? If not prison time, does the minister wish to persue fines?

Where do you and your parties stand on this? I understand that you may not share the opinion of your party 100% on this issue, it may seem forward of me to ask you all this, but I need to know.

Deputies, I have become so disenfranchised with how my country operates, as a classical liberal, I take such pride in my right to engage in and partaking in my civil duties by ensuring that I cast a vote in every election. However as the years have gone by, I've felt more and more isolated and left behind by party politics in ireland.

Deputies, I feel that I am on the verge of becoming politically homeless. Growing up I found myself leaning towards being a socialist, this ended up with me finding myself in the centre left and developing into a classical Liberal. I've voted for Sinn féin and Fine Gael all of my life but now, I don't know who shares my values.

I believe in the freedoms of the individual, they should be allowed to engage, unimpeded in the persuit of happiness, that life isn't about having rights, but about the responsibilities that come along with them. I believe that we should not aim for equity in society but for liberty, that true liberty is the ability to have a civil discussion with another individual and speak your mind freely and in some cases tell them that which they do not want to hear. In the words of George Orwell, "Freedom is the freedom to say that 2 plus 2 equals 4". But most importantly, I believe in free and fair elections, when you vote, you are agreeing to abide by the result.

I don't think that my beliefs are unreasonable, however I feel that I just cannot align myself with a party that doesn't share these values as to abandon them is to make me and other individuals on this island less free.

Deputies, if any of you disagree with me, I welcome your disagreement, would love to have a discussion with you about this.

I would like to let you know that I've sent this correspondence to each of my representatives for Dublin bay North, which are as follows;

Denise Mitchell: SF

Finnian McGrath: IND

Tommy Broughan: IND

Seán Haughey: FF : FG

I do also plan on sending a similar correspondence to other potential candidates for seats in Dublin bay North. I'm not saying that as a threat, but to reiterate that fact;

I'm so close to identifying as politically homeless.

Thanks for taking the time to read this message.