I recently sat down with David Quinn, founder of the Iona Institute and one of Ireland’s sharpest social commentators, to discuss the Iona Institute’s new paper Religion, Marriage and Fertility: Shall the Religious Inherit Ireland? David is clear: the future hinges on recovering confident, life‑affirming, one‑man one‑woman marriage. Watch the full interview here.
David reminds listeners that the marriage crisis runs deeper than numbers. Young adults, he says, are taught to “be as free as possible for as long as possible”, pushing marriage into the late‑30s and leaving many with “unplanned childlessness”. The result is an epidemic of loneliness and fragile family ties.
He challenges the popular claim that endless immigration can plug the gap: “The pool of people that you can attract is declining… Ultimately, high immigration is a Ponzi scheme”. Instead, stable families built on faithful marriage are the only sustainable answer.
David cites secular writers Louise Perry and Mary Harrington, who now argue for chastity, commitment and the protection of children. Such convergence signals fresh opportunities to re‑present marriage as society’s most progressive institution in the truest sense.
That’s why at C4M, we press the case for one‑man one‑woman marriage wherever opportunities arise – in conversations with MPs, across the media and through local grassroots action. Thank you for standing with us. Together, we will restore marriage as central to the UK’s future.