Politically, Hardiman supported the liberal side in Ireland's debates over abortion, being active in the "anti-amendment" campaign during the 1982 Abortion Referendum and later represented the Well Woman Centre in the early 1990s. After his death, he was described by Joan Burton as a liberal on social issues. But he could be an outspoken opponent of Political Correctness, such as when he rejected the Equality Authority's attempt to force Portmarnock Golf Club to accept women as full members. He also believed that certain decisions, such as those involving public spending, were better left to elected politicians rather than unelected judges, regardless of how unpopular that might sometimes be in the media (which he tended to hold in low esteem) and among what he described as the "chattering classes".