Holding a referendum during a Coronavirus crisis is simply going crazy, don’t you agree?

And while the messages from No.6 keep being heightened insofar as the serious consequences that are expected to develop, only the holding of a referendum remains unscathed.

Why should this be so? Increasingly, the public will be distracted by so many and menacing official news that Gibraltar is expected to encounter in the days ahead - yet, the referendum keeps merrily traversing its nasty path.

Not only that, but how could the Gibraltar Parliament come up with the referendum question it has? It is obvious that there are too many lawyers up there when the referendum question is this:

"Should the Crimes (Amendment) Act 2019, that defines the circumstances which would allow abortion in Gibraltar, come into force? You are then expected to say Yes or No.

Well what are the circumstances that are defined in the Crimes (Amendment) Act 2019? Has anyone read the Crimes (Amendment) Act 2019? Does anyone know what exactly they are voting for or against? Because if no average person knows, what on earth are they expected to vote on?

Surely, the question should have emerged with greater clarity, such as:

Do you agree with the retention of the present anti-abortion law, with the proviso that in certain serious circumstances abortion would be permitted?

Anyway, I am not going to start drafting laws or parts thereof at this late stage in the proceedings, or indeed at any stage in the proceedings,but what about the spectacle we have just witnessed in our schools frightening our young students that they should register to vote?

News may have been scarce but what game was GBC playing at? In a democracy people, young or old, are entitled to register to vote if they want to, in the same way that those who may not wish to actually vote simply don't vote.

Moreso, to single out the young, and leave out other sectors of society who may not have registered, is to be unfair and discriminatory.

12-03-2020 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR