Comments on: So what on earth happened with the Childrens Referendum?

By: Joseph Ryan

Joseph Ryan — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 20:24:02 +0000

@NWL

The low turnout: This was disgraceful but there a practical reason for some of it at least.
The polls did not open until 9am. People who work on Saturdays, especially retail, could not go the polls before work. They would have had to get to the polls on Saturday evening after a long day and a long week.

On the No Vote:
While I was as surprised as most people with the size of the no vote, the fact that the no vote was high in areas of low and no income leads on to believe that these people felt vulnerable that they could lose their children, through lack of financial resources to look after them, as determined by a bureaucratic and political elite that is alien to them. That may not be true, but there is no parent that at some stage felt some guilt on account of their parenting skills.
In addition the degree to which ‘normal’ family life has broken down in some black spot areas is not fully understood by either the media or population in general. In many ‘households’ the phrase ‘taking children into care because the ‘parents’ cannot look after them, could present a problem of definition of the term household and ‘parents’. I say that without prejudice to the efforts of most of those people to look after children often in very trying circumstances.

On a general note one wonders if the raison d’etre for the vote was not a post factum exoneration of legal profession. A legal profession that contributed to the continuation of the abuse situation in which the Roscommon children found themselves.
The legal profession can now say, however shallow it may ring, that they were constrained in their actions to protect the children before the referendum.

By: 44Brendan

44Brendan — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 14:07:46 +0000

If people wish to make a protest against the Government or against ppoliticians in general (by abstaining) let them do so in an appropriate forum or manner. In line with many like minded people I am surprised by both the low turnout and the extent of the No vote.
I would certainly regard myself as one of those who were not fully informed on exactly what the “before” and “after” effects of this amendment would do for children. However, while not reading the Government literature, I did read the opinion pieces expressed by Fergus Finlay and numerous other people involved at the coal face of deprived and abused children and their rationale for supporting a Yes vote. My vote was a based on their recommendation and I am convinced that the result will benefit those children most in need of our help and support.
Let those who voted No because they didn’t understand the issues or to spite the Government think, before they use the ballot system as a weapon rather than an opportunity to improve our situation and that of those who cannot speak out for themselves.

By: OMF

OMF — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 09:39:22 +0000

MAYBE PEOPLE ARE FINALLY BEGINNING TO GIVE UP ON THE IRISH DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM???

Well, it gave up on us a long time ago, so there’s no love lost anyway.

By: Brian McCarthy

Brian McCarthy — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 23:59:30 +0000

MAYBE PEOPLE ARE FINALLY BEGINNING TO GIVE UP ON THE IRISH DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM???
Especially when we have leading politicians who say they are “powerless” to reign in the ‘banking elite’ who are bleeding a once proud nation white.
.
Monday November 12 2012 – Major Spanish banks have agreed to stop evicting defaulting home owners in an attempt to calm increasing unrest affecting thousands and which led to two recent suicides.
The Spanish bank group said it wanted “to help alleviate the situation of helplessness that many people are suffering owing to the economic crisis.”
http://www.herald.ie/breaking-news/world-news/banks-retreat-on-mortgage-evictions-3291494.html
.
1,563 Irish suicides in 3-year period – http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/suicide-claims-1563-lives-in-3-year-period-213755.html
.

By: Gerhard Dengler

Gerhard Dengler — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 20:59:27 +0000

NWL : pendant mode : you might need to edit the title on this particular blog.

I agree with the reasons expressed here with regard to the NO vote.

By: Roger

Roger — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 20:36:55 +0000

There is a lot of astonishment in the media about why the no vote was so strong. There is lots of speculation about people wanting to protest against the government, people being confused, dissatisfaction in working class areas, and so forth.

I don’t know why the media seems so unwilling to consider the obvious explanation. The obvious explanation is that a lot of people read the literature from the referendum commision and decided that the amendment was a bad idea.

By: Bunbury

Bunbury — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 19:32:03 +0000

I didn’t bother to vote as I don’t believe a referendum was necessary. It won’t lead to the employment of any additional social workers or to the restoration of resource teachers or SNA’s for schoolchildren who’ve had such services cut.

Also, while we were having a referendum to give a voice to children in the Constitution what about redheads or left-handed people? Don’t they deserve a break also? Any why not insert the ‘eradication of all Third World poverty’ as an aim in the Constitution? Once you get started the list is endless of all sorts of deserving causes that should be represented in the Irish Constitution.

By: camella cummins

camella cummins — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 17:41:38 +0000

One should look carefully at where the “no” vote came from. People voted for change last election.Next election,now that the comedic old men are gone,they will vote “we changed our mind”