Some of the ‘clamour’ to get David Norris nominated has been nasty but I was going to ignore it whilst marvelling at the fact he was running again, getting nominations signed despite the letter, the terribly worded explanations and the poorly run campaign.

While Norris himself was working behind the scenes this week seeking nominations rather than election to the office itself (might have been better doing that first time out), members of the public have been calling their public representatives, emailing or contacting them on facebook.

Many of them don’t take no for an answer easily. Others according to a member of the Fine Gael parliamentary party I was in touch with today have been receiving plenty of abuse. One who answered the phone themselves was called a ‘wanker’ while he tried to explain that the party were nominating their own candidate while another had to calm a member of staff who had a morning of handling calls to the office including people who screamed down the phone at her.

Most of the people involved in supporting Norris have not a clue on how the political system works or how party politics operates. Some of them have no manners either. Their views on democracy are all one way traffic too. Democracy is about also about saying no , it’s about the right to make a decision, not making a decision the way you want it made. Pity the councillors this weekend before the votes next week. They are probably going to vote the way the pack want and I doubt Norris knows what is happening outside of Leinster House.

I think the independent Oireachtas members have probably had it worse and as the number of votes required (and available) have decreased the volume of the invective has increased considerably. Listening to Senator Jillian Van Turnhout speak about her experiences of abusive ‘lobbying’ on the radio this morning and reading the comments about her online has truly saddened me. That someone who has fought for the rights of children and young people for so long cannot be understood or respected for her decisions by some leading members of gay organisations and others with a high profile in the gay community is incredible to observe. Including people who libelled other candidates last month in their fit of pique.

Norris will get his nomination. But in the campaign are we going to witness people being called homophobic if they don’t vote for him? Because that is where this type of hysteria is leading us. That is a witch-hunt. It is the politics of Family Solidarity, Campaign for Conscience and other squinting windows organisations who for decades controlled the country and it’s politics by fear. Way to go. Is this the legacy of campaigns and movements for marriage equality, the narrow vision and it’s sense of selfish entitlement at all costs, especially ignoring others who are vulnerable, living in poverty or discriminated against or violated?

Not all involved in the abuse are gay or lesbian, the anti establishment crew are also involved, and those who think Ireland will be a better place with a gay president. Invective turned tonight to Mary Davis for not handing back her nominations. She can’t hand back the ones she already has but that fact unsurprisingly didn’t seem to be understood by those leaving abusive comments on her Facebook page.

I doubt we’ll see such a clamour in a children’s rights referendum from those in this ‘group’. Can’t see further than the end of their nose most of them.

And yet there is more dirt and many more personal attacks to emerge in this campaign as we have have hardly yet begun.