Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
VOTERS BACK A full review of the Irish Constitution, legalising same-sex marriage, scrapping the Seanad, giving the Irish abroad the vote and reducing presidential terms according to a new poll.
The Ipsos MRBI poll in today’s Irish Times carries voters’ views on many of the issues that will be put before the constitutional convention when it meets for the first time this weekend.
There is broad backing for many of the measures it will discuss with same-sex marriage backed by 53 per cent of those polled with 30 per cent saying they would vote No in any referendum that would have to be held to provide for the measure.
In a boost for the government, most voters back abolition of the Seanad, 55 per cent to 22 per cent with 23 per cent having no opinion.
There is strong backing for giving Irish citizens who live abroad the right to vote in presidential elections with 68 per cent saying Yes to 17 per cent saying no, the remainder having no opinion.
Advertisement
Staying with the presidency, there is also backing for reducing the term of the office holder from seven years to five years.
Constitutional convention
The reference to the woman’s life within the home being removed from the Constitution has the backing of 41 per cent of those polled with 19 per cent saying it should not be removed, but a sizeable 40 per cent having no opinion.
The poll, which was conducted to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Ipsos MRBI, also finds that 42 per cent of people back a measure where referenda would be called if a petition received 10,000 signatures.
Thirty-two per cent say No to the idea while 26 per cent say they don’t know.
On the Constitution on whole 60 per cent of voters want the entire document reviewed rather than making incremental changes, as is current proposed, which has 36 per cent support.
The constitutional convention meets for the first time this weekend and is made up of 100 people, 66 of whom are members of the public chosen as a representative sample of the Irish public.
Thirty-three politicians on both sides of the border will also take part with the whole convention being chaired by Tom Arnold, the head of the charity Concern Worldwide.
The group will meet on eight weekends over the next years.
Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article.
Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.
Only those 2yrs or less abroad should get to vote on General/Local Elections! You can’t expect to jump ship and continue to have say in the running of the place!
Reason the Seanad shouldn’t be scrapped; some of the Diaspora (graduates) can vote for 6 Seanad seats! Reform this constituency and introduce a Seanad Graduate & Diaspora constituency! Seanad, if reformed, gas the potential to transcend political parties and open up voices to children, LGBT communities, traveller community and other ethic groups, as well as Muslim groups!
Agree Mike, originally I thought great idea but after paying more attention to what goes on in the Dail and the total lack of accountability and debate I think we need to retain the Seanad. Yes it needs huge reform and the methods of how people are elected or appointed to it needs to be changed. But just having one chamber legislating and viewing the performance of those elected to the Dail makes me think we should keep the Seanad.
I find it quite worrying that people are in favour of giving the diaspora a vote, whatever about the circumstances they had to leave under, at the end if the day why should someone who doesn’t live here have a say on how much tax we pay and get to vote on laws that won’t directly effect them?
I understand, but I still don’t think you should have a say in the things that won’t effect you directly. You don’t have to pay the household charge, an increased USC or listen to Hogan and Reily whittering about cut backs and hospital closures, or feel the effects of them, so I don’t see why you should get a say in them. Just my opinion..
What could be a more direct effect on a citizen by Government policies than to be forced to leave so as to be able to feed ones family. Should a citizen remain, to suffer poverty to retain a vote. Emigrants are the citizens most effected by disastrous Government policies.
They’re talking about giving citizens abroad a vote for presidential elections, not for the Dáil. Although, as it is the Dáil’s job to keep the government in check, but the government control the Dáil to such an extent that opposition motions slating government stupidity get amended by govt to say all’s rosy, and then voted through on their majority, how can parliament do its job? Time for national elections for Taoiseach I think.
As an Irish abroad for many years I do not think I or folk like me should have a vote in Ireland . I like to keep up with events yes ,but that is totally different to living there and knowing what it’s really like . Time is a funny thing when you leave no matter how long that era is what you think Ireland stays in , that holds true for everyone from anywhere .
If anyone abroad like myself wants those rights we should move back not judge from afar .I put my oar in here but that’s just discussion . Definitely not a vote .
You will find the majority of the Irish Diaspora, this time round are like my own father’s generation; working abroad to pay mortgages and keep families a float here! So when thinking about the Diaspora; try to be a bit more measured in your views! In fact we can, outside of the EU, view the Diaspora as one of our biggest bail out mechanisms when it comes to jobs (creating them), financing (remittances sent home week in-week out), tourism (ancestry searching, Eco-tourism & golf) and so forth! So why not open voting; it can do no worse than Franco-German coalition we the natives voted for!
Clearly the number of red thumbs indicates how many Journal readers are living overseas!
Come on, you can’t just sit in your low tax locale and call yourself Irish, pay for the privilege of the passport!
If you are already paying an equivalent amount of Income Tax in a tax treaty country, then you’ve nothing to worry about.
I see nothing wrong with the idea of Irish passport holders living abroad being taxed in the same way as Americans living abroad are taxed by the IRS.
It would help the big whale multi-millionaire Irish, and a few billionaires, with intricate tax avoidance structures to keep their money away from the Revenue Commissioners, to put more back into the country.
Like everything Irish its jobs for the Boys/Girls. We have no need for a Seanad its a waste of money and time. It could be replaced by an oversight committe(s) to ensure that the Oireachtas and the Departmental heads and Ministers are accountable for the decisions they make.
so people are driven out if there country because of gready gits in government, now in order to get them out of power they must pay tax from abroad in return for a vote.. ????
Reasonable suggestion if you ask me. Name me one club or society that would allow somebody who doesn’t pay some form of fee to vote in how that group would be run? This is just a scaling upwards of that analogy.
Why should the right to vote be conditional on anything other than citizenship, all these people saying you should have to pay tax and live in the country seem rather selfish to me…next we’ll be going back to the days when you had to own property and be a man over the age of 25, For gods sake voting is a right not a privilege one has to earn it is a core principle of democracy, with citizenship comes the right to vote for all. If we start making it conditional why not have a test to see if you know enough about politics to earn the right to vote ie let’s exclude the ignorant, next make it contingent upon income and exclude the poor because they don’t pay enough tax maybe. Voting rights should be for all citizens no matter who or where they are unless the people themselves vote to change that.
Would you agree that a drug addicted, murderous sociopath locked up in jail should have an equal say in what way the country is run just because he’s a citizen as say a law abiding citizen who worked hard his whole life? Certain people should have their citizenship taken away from them.
@ George. Well I certainly wouldn’t be as quick and entusiastic about taking people’s right to vote away from them as some people seem to be. In the case of your example citizenship rights would have to be taken away by a court of law but his human rights would have to be protected, even in this kind of extreme case I wouldn’t be so quick to take the step of removing someone’s vote, it sets a dangerous presedent in that those who society labels as crazy don’t get to vote….suddenly anyone who thinks even just a little outside of he norm could be in trouble and at that stage you have repression of freedom….for example the looney left is one such label I’ve heard thrown about!
So you’re saying that a people, living outside the country may vote on what happens to people inside the country? That doesn’t sound democratic at all. It’s not ‘selfish’ to expect only those living here and paying tax are allowed to vote, it’s sensible.
Why should someone who hasn’t lived in Ireland for years vote on what happens in Ireland and only effects me; not them at all. They could vote for whatever they wanted because they would be living in another country. What madness.
@ Padrigh, yes that’s what I’m saying. Just because you leave a place doesn’t mean you give up being interested in or having a stake in what happens their and you may wish to return their one day when conditions are favourable. Giving the disaspora a vote allows them to have a say in the shaping of a country they hope to return to. Insisting as you do that what happens in Ireland ‘only effects me’ is exactly the type of selfish mindset I’m talking about.
Another point I’ll make in favour of extending voting rights to those Irish living abroad is to suppose I live here say 50% of the time but had to travel for work, when the election is on I happen to be abroad but in Ireland I can’t vote even though I live here and pay my taxes here, other countries at least have ways of allowing for this and also allow the diaspora to vote for a few years after they’ve left.
Don’t agree George. The principle of one person one vote is paramount in my opinion. Next one could argue that people with criminal records couldn’t vote either like in Florida.
The French allow all citizens to vote. I think the ones abroad elect specific seats in the parliament. That said, does anyone know how many passport holders are outside the country? I think it might be as high as a million, due to emigration as far back as the 50s. That’s a lot of people who could change a government. Still maybe only recent emigrants could vote?
While there seems to be a majority in favour of a completely new Constitution according to this poll can you imagine the nightmare it would be trying to get a fully new document passed in a referendum? I would go as far as to say that it would be impossible.
US and Russian officials begin talks in Saudi Arabia on resetting relations and Ukraine war
1 hr ago
4.7k
59
Good Morning
The 9 at 9: Tuesday
Updated
58 mins ago
2.2k
Fatal Stabbing
Gardaí make third arrest in connection with fatal stabbing on South Anne Street as victim named
Updated
12 hrs ago
66.6k
Your Cookies. Your Choice.
Cookies help provide our news service while also enabling the advertising needed to fund this work.
We categorise cookies as Necessary, Performance (used to analyse the site performance) and Targeting (used to target advertising which helps us keep this service free).
We and our 148 partners store and access personal data, like browsing data or unique identifiers, on your device. Selecting Accept All enables tracking technologies to support the purposes shown under we and our partners process data to provide. If trackers are disabled, some content and ads you see may not be as relevant to you. You can resurface this menu to change your choices or withdraw consent at any time by clicking the Cookie Preferences link on the bottom of the webpage .Your choices will have effect within our Website. For more details, refer to our Privacy Policy.
We and our vendors process data for the following purposes:
Use precise geolocation data. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Store and/or access information on a device. Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development.
Cookies Preference Centre
We process your data to deliver content or advertisements and measure the delivery of such content or advertisements to extract insights about our website. We share this information with our partners on the basis of consent. You may exercise your right to consent, based on a specific purpose below or at a partner level in the link under each purpose. Some vendors may process your data based on their legitimate interests, which does not require your consent. You cannot object to tracking technologies placed to ensure security, prevent fraud, fix errors, or deliver and present advertising and content, and precise geolocation data and active scanning of device characteristics for identification may be used to support this purpose. This exception does not apply to targeted advertising. These choices will be signaled to our vendors participating in the Transparency and Consent Framework.
Manage Consent Preferences
Necessary Cookies
Always Active
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then these services may not function properly.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not be able to monitor our performance.
Store and/or access information on a device 102 partners can use this purpose
Cookies, device or similar online identifiers (e.g. login-based identifiers, randomly assigned identifiers, network based identifiers) together with other information (e.g. browser type and information, language, screen size, supported technologies etc.) can be stored or read on your device to recognise it each time it connects to an app or to a website, for one or several of the purposes presented here.
Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development 133 partners can use this purpose
Use limited data to select advertising 103 partners can use this purpose
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times an ad is presented to you).
Create profiles for personalised advertising 75 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service (such as forms you submit, content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (for example, information from your previous activity on this service and other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (that might include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present advertising that appears more relevant based on your possible interests by this and other entities.
Use profiles to select personalised advertising 74 partners can use this purpose
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on your advertising profiles, which can reflect your activity on this service or other websites or apps (like the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects.
Create profiles to personalise content 36 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service (for instance, forms you submit, non-advertising content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (such as your previous activity on this service or other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (which might for example include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present content that appears more relevant based on your possible interests, such as by adapting the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find content that matches your interests.
Use profiles to select personalised content 32 partners can use this purpose
Content presented to you on this service can be based on your content personalisation profiles, which can reflect your activity on this or other services (for instance, the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects. This can for example be used to adapt the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find (non-advertising) content that matches your interests.
Measure advertising performance 124 partners can use this purpose
Information regarding which advertising is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine how well an advert has worked for you or other users and whether the goals of the advertising were reached. For instance, whether you saw an ad, whether you clicked on it, whether it led you to buy a product or visit a website, etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of advertising campaigns.
Measure content performance 59 partners can use this purpose
Information regarding which content is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine whether the (non-advertising) content e.g. reached its intended audience and matched your interests. For instance, whether you read an article, watch a video, listen to a podcast or look at a product description, how long you spent on this service and the web pages you visit etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of (non-advertising) content that is shown to you.
Understand audiences through statistics or combinations of data from different sources 72 partners can use this purpose
Reports can be generated based on the combination of data sets (like user profiles, statistics, market research, analytics data) regarding your interactions and those of other users with advertising or (non-advertising) content to identify common characteristics (for instance, to determine which target audiences are more receptive to an ad campaign or to certain contents).
Develop and improve services 79 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service, such as your interaction with ads or content, can be very helpful to improve products and services and to build new products and services based on user interactions, the type of audience, etc. This specific purpose does not include the development or improvement of user profiles and identifiers.
Use limited data to select content 37 partners can use this purpose
Content presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type, or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times a video or an article is presented to you).
Use precise geolocation data 42 partners can use this special feature
With your acceptance, your precise location (within a radius of less than 500 metres) may be used in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Actively scan device characteristics for identification 24 partners can use this special feature
With your acceptance, certain characteristics specific to your device might be requested and used to distinguish it from other devices (such as the installed fonts or plugins, the resolution of your screen) in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Ensure security, prevent and detect fraud, and fix errors 82 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
Your data can be used to monitor for and prevent unusual and possibly fraudulent activity (for example, regarding advertising, ad clicks by bots), and ensure systems and processes work properly and securely. It can also be used to correct any problems you, the publisher or the advertiser may encounter in the delivery of content and ads and in your interaction with them.
Deliver and present advertising and content 92 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
Certain information (like an IP address or device capabilities) is used to ensure the technical compatibility of the content or advertising, and to facilitate the transmission of the content or ad to your device.
Match and combine data from other data sources 65 partners can use this feature
Always Active
Information about your activity on this service may be matched and combined with other information relating to you and originating from various sources (for instance your activity on a separate online service, your use of a loyalty card in-store, or your answers to a survey), in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Link different devices 48 partners can use this feature
Always Active
In support of the purposes explained in this notice, your device might be considered as likely linked to other devices that belong to you or your household (for instance because you are logged in to the same service on both your phone and your computer, or because you may use the same Internet connection on both devices).
Identify devices based on information transmitted automatically 81 partners can use this feature
Always Active
Your device might be distinguished from other devices based on information it automatically sends when accessing the Internet (for instance, the IP address of your Internet connection or the type of browser you are using) in support of the purposes exposed in this notice.
Save and communicate privacy choices 60 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
The choices you make regarding the purposes and entities listed in this notice are saved and made available to those entities in the form of digital signals (such as a string of characters). This is necessary in order to enable both this service and those entities to respect such choices.
have your say