Irish referenda are very mysterious. Why did the abortion referendum have a bigger "yes" vote than the gay marriage referendum? Why does an electorate which is so liberal on many social issues seem quite conservative when it comes to proposals such as abolishing the Seanad or lowering the age at which someone can run for President?
I've voted "no" in every single referendum in my lifetime. I've only regretted it once-- I wish I had voted "yes" to the referendum on the Good Friday Agreement. At the time I thought it was a mistake to relinquish our constitutional claim to the North. Now, I think it was necessary for the peace which followed.
I've voted "no" in every single referendum in my lifetime. I've only regretted it once-- I wish I had voted "yes" to the referendum on the Good Friday Agreement. At the time I thought it was a mistake to relinquish our constitutional claim to the North. Now, I think it was necessary for the peace which followed.
I took a walk to the Dublin count centre in the RDS, close to where I live, to see if I could lap up any of the excitement from outside. But there wasn't much to see. I've always loved interviews and footage from the count centres. It's one of my life's ambitions to be present in one at some stage.
This referendum was the first time I've voted as a Southsider. I crossed the Liffey in 2019 and there was a local by-election in my constituency in that time, but I didn't change my address on the register soon enough to vote. This time I managed it just in time.
(I thought of turning the blog background pink for Laetare Sunday, but it doesn't seem worth it for one day. St. Patrick's Day is a Sunday this year, so since I rarely have desktop access at the weekend, it might be green for a few days on either side-- if I don't forget.)
Yes, writing as an Englishman and from across the Irish Sea, this does look like a good result, and certainly not what I had been expecting. Much as I agree with the Fortieth Amendment, I wish it had been the other way round with the Eighth Amendment referendum; I would rather have kept that over this.
ReplyDeleteDo you think most people take referenda seriously and think about the issues involved, or do they just use it as a way to give the status quo a kicking?
I think it's the former...I think the Irish people (and Irish women especially) knew that they were going to lose rights and support as a result of this. So it does seem more of a self-interested vote (to me) than anything else.
DeleteFair enough. That is probably a good thing, even if electorates have, in recent years, come to some catastrophic conclusions.
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