Electorate ‘confusion’ not to blame for defeat of inquiries referendum

THE defeat of the 30th Amendment to the Constitution on Oireachtas Inquiries has been greeted, perhaps predictably, by comments from ministers Brendan Howlin and Alan Shatter that the electorate was confused, and perhaps even misinformed, about the proposal.

Whether or not this is true in the case of some voters, attributing such a position to the electorate as a whole does voters a grave disservice.

On the same day that the Irish people voted 80-20 to accept one constitutional amendment, they voted 53-47 to reject another. This suggests that they were well able to distinguish between the two, and to decide for themselves what they were willing to support and what they were not.