Letters to the Editor: Wording of amendments too vague and weak
People are asked to vote Yes 'based on faith and hope', says one letter-writer. Picture: Julien Behal
1. The Government’s indecent haste in pushing the referendum at breakneck speed, dispensing with parliamentary scrutiny, and not allowing the appropriate time for a wide and in-depth debate in society about changes in the definition of something so fundamental to society as the meaning of family. This treatment of the electorate is disrespectful in my view and not very democratic, because it is likely to lead to a low voter turnout.
2. In the family amendment the people are asked to agree that ‘durable relationships’ should become equivalent to marriage, without any indication of what possible consequences will follow.
Minister Roderic O’Gorman says that the courts will decide what it means, and yet he is sure that this term applies only to couples with children or single parents. He cannot be sure of that. He cannot predict what the courts will decide. To vote yes to the proposed wording would be a complete leap of faith. Nobody knows what rights will be bestowed on all kinds of possible relationships.
How can the voter make an informed decision on introducing a term into the Constitution if he or she does not know what it means? The Government must try harder.
3. In the care amendment, I would be in favour of replacing the wording of the woman in the home with more modern language which includes men, fathers, and carers. What I am not in favour of is that the recognition of the unique role of mothers is taken out of the article and replaced with Article 42.B, using wishy-washy language about “the State recognises that the provision of care, by members of a family to one another... and shall strive to support”. Why not name mothers, fathers, and carers?
Nobody seems to be happy with this wording. It is not giving any additional rights or entitlements to carers, nor the people being cared for. Mr O’Gorman’s assurances that this amendment will strengthen the hand of Government to provide more support for carers are disingenuous. The Government could have put in legislation to that effect at any time but has chosen not to do so. There was no political will to do this up to now, and there is no reason to believe that this would change if the referenda are passed.
The wording of the proposed amendments is too vague and weak. People are asked to vote yes based on faith and hope — because they have only promises from the Government but no information on the effect these amendments will have. That is simply not good enough.
I would like to think that those we trust in public service work just as hard, know their brief just as well, do their homework just as properly and, after last Thursday’s , have the courage to admit to shooting themselves in the foot.
Sadly, in Ireland, we have a phobia among public and political servants, in moments of crisis, to circle the wagons and, shamefully, to forego truth in favour of defending a morally bankrupt status quo.
The Irish Government was always ultimately responsible for the debacle of privately-funded public-service broadcasting. It is their job now to set this right without further silly prevaricating.
Although she hired a car at the airport, she then had to purchase a child car seat for the protection of her grandchildren.
When she returned to the UK she had to leave the seat behind and it is now in a friend’s shed.
Surely in this day and age car-hire companies should be required by law to provide these seats. The Road Safety Authority should look into this matter immediately.
A simple reference does not seem to be nearly enough any longer for many employers, who also want lengthy application forms to be filled despite having resumes from candidates. There are plenty of people out there with skills, looking for work.
However, people should not sit in the waiting room for jobs any longer, so that cagy and exploitative employers can gauge how desperately they want a job and pay them less.
Let’s not listen to the false and phony cries of employers who say there is a skills and labour shortage, because it is of their own making entirely.
