In a recent parliamentary questions session in Ireland, Taoiseach (prime minister) Leo Varadkar provided a surprisingly frank and sensible response to questions from members of parliament (TDs) who are demanding that the government force the divestment (or reconfiguration) of schools that have been established and run by Catholic entities for decades and, in some cases, centuries.
Richard Boyd Barrett, leader of a radical left party People Before Profit, a very minor party in the parliament, on March 22 questioned Varadkar about the lack of progress in divesting school patronage from Catholic bodies who run almost 90 per cent of primary schools.
