Why have the referendum?

Rockfish

Couldnt same sex marriage be legislated for as suggested by the
the All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution?

BoJack Horseman

Rockfish wrote: »

Couldnt same sex marriage be legislated for as suggested by the
the All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution?

The attorney general advised the government that doing so could lead to a supreme court challenge with a good possibility of government defeat.

The constitutional amendment will allow subsequent legislation to work without challenge.

TallGlass

BoJack Horseman wrote: »

The attorney general advised the government that doing so could lead to a supreme court challenge with a good possibility of government defeat.

The constitutional amendment will allow subsequent legislation to work without challenge.

Above, plus its good for FG and LAB that there is another topic on peoples mind coming into a GE and hopefully people will forget all the other crap they introduced. I mean, the presidential age thing? What the hell was that about, I mean okay its kinda important but I have never had a conversation with someone where this has come up as a topic. In my eyes, it was a wasted opportunity for more serious topics, minds gone blank on giving an example at the moment.

But yeah smokes and dagger for the GE, look at the timing could have been done last year or year before.

P_1

It's locked in now, plus we get to be the first country to actually achieve it by popular vote

CaveCanem

Rockfish wrote: »

Couldnt same sex marriage be legislated for as suggested by the
the All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution?

Apparently it would be easy to challenge the removal of the requirement of opposite sex partners from legislation as the writers of the constitution would have had no concept of same sex marriage when it was drafted. Sounds iffy to me.

I think the biggest reasons we had it was payback for Labour taking such a hit for economic and social welfare cuts. I bet Labour are absolutely livid tonight that Gerry Adams is on all the front pages, parachuting in at the last minute again after a fairly low profile campaign to steal their moment of glory.
Changing legislation would lack the public mobilisation and party atmosphere when it passed, the politicians wouldn't get such a moment of glory when we were another country that made it legal via parliment. Once the polls started coming in around 70-80% the wheels were put in motion to sieze the moment.

Of course the huge investment by a certain philanthropist in getting this bumped up the agenda didn't hurt.

Who cares in the end, what a fantastic day and a wonderful result for gay and lesbian citizens.

FluffyAngel

so we could post on boards and be justifed on doing somthing really powerful

Tony Beetroot

The kids deserve a day off school and the retired garda badly needed a days wage doing the polling boot.

Tin Foil Hat

Tony Beetroot wrote: »

The kids deserve a day off school and the retired garda badly needed a days wage doing the polling boot.

Polling boot.:D:D. Sounds very 1984.
I haven't seen a Garda at a polling station in 25 years.

martingriff

TallGlass wrote: »

Above, plus its good for FG and LAB that there is another topic on peoples mind coming into a GE and hopefully people will forget all the other crap they introduced. I mean, the presidential age thing? What the hell was that about, I mean okay its kinda important but I have never had a conversation with someone where this has come up as a topic. In my eyes, it was a wasted opportunity for more serious topics, minds gone blank on giving an example at the moment.

But yeah smokes and dagger for the GE, look at the timing could have been done last year or year before.

The reason there was a referendum on the presidential age was i think for the last years there was a constitutional convention on what proposals should be in a referendum and the government said they would be a referendum on them and the presidential age was 1 of them. These conventions were made up of people from all walks of life. They have said if they are re-elected they will have the rest. There was 8 or so referendums and they chose a damp squib one to go with the marriage one so the other would not be overshadowed

Tigger

BoJack Horseman wrote: »

The attorney general advised the government that doing so could lead to a supreme court challenge with a good possibility of government defeat.

The constitutional amendment will allow subsequent legislation to work without challenge.

BoJack Horseman doesn't normally give such succinct political and legal insight

Arsemageddon

The size of voter turnout and the emphatic yes vote tend to indicate that having a referendum was the correct decision.

I'm genuinely proud of our country today. All in all it just been absolutely fabulous darlings.

Kwiecien

Tin Foil Hat wrote: »

Polling boot.:D:D. Sounds very 1984.
I haven't seen a Garda at a polling station in 25 years.

There was one in the polling station i went to yesterday. It's normal for the gardai to drop in to them and hang around for a while. Nice handy number for them.

Tony Beetroot

Kwiecien wrote: »

There was one in the polling station i went to yesterday. It's normal for the gardai to drop in to them and hang around for a while. Nice handy number for them.

This was a retired garda who is on a huge state pension working for the day in the school earning a nice handy few euros.

Your Face

Nuts

degsie

Polling boot or Polling booth?

the evasion_kid

Tony Beetroot wrote: »

The kids deserve a day off school and the retired garda badly needed a days wage doing the polling boot.

Should of gave people on the dole the days wage and something to do

FrStone

Tony Beetroot wrote: »

This was a retired garda who is on a huge state pension working for the day in the school earning a nice handy few euros.

Moan moan moan. Why didn't you get off your arse and do the job.

Such begrudgery from some people.

FrStone

the evasion_kid wrote: »

Should of gave people on the dole the days wage and something to do

Sure they wouldn't want to do it. They'd probably be crying about their rights too, wanting smoking breaks etc

Tony Beetroot

FrStone wrote: »

Moan moan moan. Why didn't you get off your arse and do the job.

Because I was working father

the evasion_kid

FrStone wrote: »

Sure they wouldn't want to do it. They'd probably be crying about their rights too, wanting smoking breaks etc

Any idea how much they get for the day?

Glenbhoy

P_1 wrote: »

It's locked in now, plus we get to be the first country to actually achieve it by popular vote

Why has this whole 'first in the world to achieve it by popular vote' been seized on as if it means something? I first heard it mentioned a day or two ago, is it our need to try and inflate our sense of importance or do we simply believe that the legislative bodies in other countries were railroading legislation on same sex marriage through, against the wishes of the electorate, and to hell with the consequences come the next election (cos foreign politicians aren't like ours and ate only interested in justice and doing the right think as opposed to populism).

FrStone

Tony Beetroot wrote: »

Because I was working father

Could you not have taken the day off like most who work in the poling station do?

Annual leave, I believe it's called...

humanji

Mod: use the main thread.