Irish citizens abroad deserve a referendum on their right to vote

On the immediate appointment of the new Irish minister for the diaspora, I wrote to Jimmy Deenihan TD asking him what he would be doing with the recommendation of the Constitutional Convention on extending votes to Irish citizens abroad in future presidential elections?

His private secretary replied back as follows: “Minister Deenihan is actively participating and assisting in the ongoing consideration on extension of voting rights to Irish citizens abroad”. I read this with optimism, but with a sense of caution, as the Government has already reneged on its promise to respond, in the timeline set by itself, this spring.

When the Taoiseach visited London in March, I asked him also and he replied: “We will do the best we can”. He continued this indecision when asked on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland recently.The presenter asked him specifically about the recommendation of the Constitutional Convention to extend voting rights to Irish citizens abroad in future presidential elections. In response to this specific question, the Taoiseach replied that he has asked the minister for the diaspora to do a paper on this for him.

It was a free-flowing interview so I am not sure if was he referring to the current emigrant review from the Department of Foreign Affairs or is it something specific that he has tasked Minister Deenihan to report to him on? I am also mindful that the setting up of the Constitutional Convention was a Labour Party-led initiative as part of the programme of government.

The next general election has to be called before April 2016 and I would hope that this year and the next would be utilised for the completion of the programme of government; and that the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising in 2016 will be honoured without the ‘Punch and Judy’ of electioneering. The Government has already promised that during 2015 they will hold referenda on same-sex marriage, on the reduction of the voting age qualification to 16 and the reduction to 21 of the age for people wishing to stand for the presidential election.

Therefore I call on the coalition to include the extension of voting rights to Irish citizens abroad in this list. Fine Gael may decide, if re-elected, to host some of the outstanding referenda in 2016.

If the Irish abroad vote is used in this manner it will reflect badly on the real commitment to equality of all Irish citizens as proclaimed on the steps of the GPO on Easter Monday 1916.

The Republic guarantees religious and civil liberty, equal rights, and equal opportunities to all its citizens cherishing all of the children of the nation equally.

Gerry Molumby

Nottingham

England