White Commends “Extraordinary” Response of First-time Voters in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown
Minister Alex White, Labour TD for Dublin South, commended the response of newly registered voters to the forthcoming referenda.
Minister Alex White, Labour TD for Dublin South, commended the response of newly registered voters to the forthcoming referenda.
Alex White TD and Senator Lorraine Higgins campaigning for a YES vote in the Oct. 4th referenda.
I’ll be holding a public meeting, where an open discussion will take place on the Seanad and the Court of Appeal referenda.
It is telling that there are no voices calling for retention of the Senate in its current form. Even those who say we should keep the Senate appear to accept that it is fundamentally flawed, forcing them to ground their campaign on contradictory, and largely unworkable proposals for “reform”.
The case for abolishing the Senate is that there is no case for keeping it.
Labour Party TD for Dublin South and Minister of State for Primary Care, Alex White, will be Labour’s Director of Elections for the two upcoming referenda to abolish Seanad Eireann and to establish a Civil Court of Appeal.
From this morning’s Order of Business in the Seanad:
It is not a matter of discretion or opinion as to whether the view of the Irish people should be respected or accepted, it is a constitutional imperative that it be so. I regard it as almost something that goes without saying, but I will say it just in case there is any doubt. Of course, one must respect and accept the result of the referendum last week. If it requires to be said, I am happy to do so. It does not end there because there is no question that the Lisbon treaty is finished and is dead in the eyes of the Irish people. The treaty that was put to them last week is dead, but by voting as we did we have not necessarily rendered it dead in the eyes of our European partners.
While we cannot ratify it that does not mean that our decision does not have implications and consequences throughout Europe and with our partners in Europe. We can feel good about the fact that the treaty is finished and is dead in our eyes but we cannot make it finished and dead in the eyes of others. These are the consequences we and the Government, in particular, have to face. I do not underestimate the task and the seriousness and the depth of the challenge that faces the Government in the context of the economic challenges to which Senators Fitzgerald and O’Toole have referred.
I am glad we have ordered an initial debate this afternoon on this issue. I support that call. Sometimes eyes glaze over when this point is made but it is important to make it at this juncture. What is the nature of the debate we need to have? It cannot be just a squabble over who did what when, where there were posters and where there were none, who was out on the street and who was not. By all means, let us have that debate if people feel it is necessary but a much more fundamental debate is needed which has to do with the question of trust in democratic institutions and trust in the very practice of politics in this country. By that I do not mean I am frustrated that the people would not do what the politicians suggested they do.
Senator de Búrca made the point in the newspapers at some stage during the campaign that it must be asked why, in such serious issues, we should expect people to handle a complex issue presented to them for decision four weeks before a referendum, in circumstances where we do not have a real continuing debate about these issues. We have such debates here but we do not have them in the community. That is the level at which the debate has to be had. The question of trust and the question of democratic institutions are all bound up in the result last week. Some of the innovations contained in the Broadcasting Bill might assist in that regard.
There should be a public forum on television and in the media where people can have an opportunity to tease out these issues in great detail rather than simply presenting them with a complex document a few weeks before the referendum. As Senator Fitzgerald and others have said it will be difficult, although necessary, to analyse the reasons people voted “No”. In many cases they are directly contradictory. There are people who thought the charter of fundamental rights did not go far enough and there are those who thought we should not have it. There are directly conflicting views.
It is all very well for people to come forward with a wish list, whether it is Sinn Féin, Libertas or anybody else. I have a wish list. We can all have one. The question is whether we can deliver it. By all means, let us have a debate about the aftermath but let us have a more fundamental debate about what it means and how we can improve the quality of our public discourse on issues such as this.
The Seanad will discuss the outcome of the Lisbon Treaty referendum this afternoon.
It’s the final day of canvassing on my part in Dublin South. Over the past number of nights my team and I have been knocking on doors in Rathfarnham, Knocklyon and Ballyboden and I have to say that generally we have had a very positive response.
Tomorrow we go to the polls, and I sincerely hope that there will be a high turnout - and that is something that both the Yes and No side agree on. I urge anyone who has the opportunity to vote.
Polling stations will be open from 7am tomorrow morning and will stay open until 10pm that evening. Remember to bring your voting card and some sort of identification. I have had some concerned residents say that they had not received their polling card at the beginning of this week. If this is still the case, check you are on the register by clicking here and if you are then bring identification (driving licence, passport, etc.) to your local polling station.
I sincerely hope that people will fully consider what is at stake in this referendum, and I believe that the above advertisement (carried in some national newspapers this morning) should drive home the reasons to vote Yes tomorrow. Those campaigning for a No vote have said that this Treaty can be easily sent back to be renegotiated.
This is a totally naive position.
This Treaty which we vote on tomorrow is the culmination of hours, months, years of hard work by all 27 states in the EU, at some stages chaired by Ireland. If we were to ‘send it back’ there is no guarantee that we will get a better deal. In fact, we may become worse off. A Yes vote will mean that Ireland will continue to be an equal in the democratic process of the European Union. It will increase the say of the Oireachtas. It will enshrine workers rights. It will help protect trafficked women and children. It will promote public services. It will make the EU work more efficiently.
A vote No is a vote for the unknown.
Right now, for Ireland and for Europe, in this current economic climate, it is not a time for a step into the unknown, and as party leader Eamon Gilmore said, not the time to ‘throw a wobbly’.
Vote Yes.
Last night, the second in our series of three meetings on the Lisbon Treaty took place at Loreto Community Centre, Nutgrove. I was extremely impressed with the turnout, which resulted in extra chairs having to be found so that everyone had a seat!
I was joined by Blair Horan of the CPSU and by Holly Kilroy, International Officer of Labour Youth.
I began the meeting by telling the audience that a vote in favour of the Lisbon Treaty will mean a strong Ireland on the European stage and a strong EU on the world stage.
“The Lisbon Treaty is not going to sort everything. But there is enough in this document for people to vote Yes on June 12th.
“The No side are rolling out arguments that have been rehashed from debates we’ve had since we voted to join the EEC in 1972. Any arguments that the EU has left items out of this treaty in order to push it through is plain wrong.”
Holly admitted to the audience that she had come to the meeting the day after her Final Exams in College; such is the strength of her support for the Lisbon Treaty.
“Passing this Treaty will guarantee the rights that Labour has fought for,” she said. “The Charter of Fundamental Rights contains some vital rights that will only become legally enforceable if Ireland votes Yes. This even includes a prohibition on discrimination, which is a massive step for the EU to take.”
Blair told the crowd that any fears that Ireland is ‘surrendering’ to a United States of Europe should be dismissed.
“We live in a different century now. If one looks at the history of Europe, the 20th Century saw the absolute devastation of Europe through two World Wars, genocide and instability. The EU is a guarantee of stability. If Ireland was on its own in the current economic climate, our unemployment would be through the roof and our currency would be devastated.”
In a Question and Answer session at the end of the meeting there was a surprising number of questions on the Lisbon Treaty and its possible link to abortion and euthanasia being brought in to Ireland.
“It is untrue to say that Ireland will be forced to bring in abortion and euthanasia” I said.
“There are many untruths out in the public mind and it is our job to separate the truth from the myth.”
We had the first of four planned information meetings on the Lisbon Treaty, on Thursday, April 24th at the Taney Parish Centre, Dundrum. All of these meetings are open to the public and we hope that people come along to inform themselves and debate the issues.
Liz McManus T.D. and Blair Horan of the Civil and Public Services Union got the ball rolling on Thursday night. Liz pointed out that the core values of the Treaty are in alignment with the core values of the Labour Party emphasising as they do equality, democracy and social justice. The Treaty will make the European political process more transparent. It will also allow for a Citizenship Initiative, whereby European citizens can mobilise to put an issue of concern to them on the political agenda.
Blair focused more on the role of the Lisbon treaty in fleshing the social and economic rights of European citizens. The Lisbon Treaty, he said, introduces for the first time the prospect that citizens can look to the European Union to vindicate social and economic rights. He said he was optimistic about the potential benefits of this for European workers into the future. A lively discussion ensued.
Barry Desmond, former T.D. and M.E.P. expressed his concern about the changing political landscape in Europe, particularly the possibility of an emerging right-wing bloc lead by Silvio Berlusconi in Italy and Nicolas “Starkozy” in France, and potentially supported by euro-sceptics in Poland, and the U.K. Desmond said that Ireland and other European countries needed to remain vigilant as the EU has the potential to fragment politically.
The meeting also discussed Ireland’s role within the EU peace keeping initiatives, the arguments being put forward by Libertas and the tardiness of the government in getting out and joining in the debate on the Lisbon Treaty.
The next information meeting will take place at the Community Centre, Nutgrove Avenue, Rathfarnham on Tuesday, May 12th. I hope to see you there.